About
About Us
At Civano Growers, our roots run deep. Established in 1998, our family-owned business focuses on exactly that-- family. We value our employees as if they are a part of our family because they are. We value our customers as if they are part of our family because they are. It's because of these relationships that we continue to lead our industry in the Southwest.
Our passion is plants-- we strive to breed, introduce and grow quality plants that thrive in the arid Southwest. Each of our patented varieties is hand selected for performance and hardiness because we recognize that plants are the best and most cost-effective way to beautify and enhance the urban environment.
Happy people, healthy plants and efficient processes-- these are our core values. Join our family, and you'll understand why.
Our Roots
Our story began in 1998, when Les Shipley and his sons Nick, Alex and Chris, along with Chris' wife Melanie began Civano Nursery's tree-salvage operation. They worked with contractors to identify and preserve large native tree specimens from development sites, box them up and relocate them to new homes.
In 2002, the business expanded with the purchase of our 70-acre farm near Sahuarita, AZ. The first development of the site was the installation of over 13,000 pots into the ground to serve as our "pot-in-pot" section. Soon after, the first greenhouse was erected, with a retractable roof and smart climate system that brought the latest in horticultural technology to the Tucson desert.
From left to right: Nick, Les, Alex, and Chris Shipley with salvaged trees.
Since then, we've continued to be at the forefront of technological advances in the horticultural industry. In 2009, we began using our advanced potting machine, capable of producing 1.5 million potted plants per year. In 2017, we installed the United States' first pot washing machine. In 2018, we opened our latest achievement-- a fully automatic, climate controlled propagation greenhouse and adjoining propagation building. These are just some examples of how we always strive to make our processes more efficient and mechanized.
From left to right: Chris, Nick, Les, and Alex Shipley in our latest propagation house
The Shipley family members have grown into their different roles in the business. Les, the patriarch of the family, oversees construction and maintenance. Nick is our Chief Operations Manager, overseeing daily operations of the farm and managing our team of growers. Alex has assumed the role of Chief Sales Officer, managing the Commercial Sales Team. Chris is our President and manages the Regional Sales Team, supplying garden centers across the Southwest. Mel manages our Garden Center in Tucson.
Read more about them on the Our Team page!
This is our family, let us welcome you into it!