At Wasco Nursery & Garden Center we believe that our knowledgeable and loyal staff is our most important asset. In 2007 Wasco Nursery gave out awards to eleven staff members who have been with the company for 15 years or more. There aren't too many companies today that can boast that nearly a third of their work force has been employed there for more than 15 years. Wasco Nursery has a well rounded staff of creative landscape designers, knowledgeable sales associates, professional landscape foreman and hard working, courteous laborers. 

Matt Zerby President / CEO

Matt is a graduate of Judson University where he earned Bachelor's degrees in both Business Management and Marketing. He has been working in the landscape industry for 20+ years and is an Illinois Certified Nursery Professional with certifications in both woody plant material as well as perennial plant material (currently there are less than 50 ICN Pros with both certifications). Matt started working at Wasco Nursery in 1992 working mostly in the retail sales yard. He took on a management role in the mid 1990's and purchased a share of the business in 2005 and eventually purchased the entire business in 2012.  Matt is a plantsman through and through. He has extensive experience in; plant healthcare / cultural practices, nursery growing as well as landscape design and construction.

Matt currently lives in Saint Charles with his wife Amber and two sons; Caden & Tage. He & his family attend Harvest Bible Chapel in Elgin, IL.  Matt enjoys; spending time with his family, coaching youth sports, traveling, fishing and all things outdoors. Matt currently serves on the Board of Directors of both the Illinois Green Industry Association as well as MidAm Horticultural Trade Show.

Contact Information: Direct Line 630.485.4949 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Ken Kemp Operations Manager

Ken earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography from Florida State University. Ken began his tenure at Wasco Nursery in 1985 when he worked as a landscape laborer. Ken worked hard and quickly gained the respect of his coworkers and was promoted to Landscape Foreman, a position he held for more than 15 years. Ken was promoted to Operations Manager in 2004 and currently coordinates and schedules all plant and landscape installation projects and handles inventory in the fields. Ken can usually be found in the garden center all season long assisting customers with tree and shrub selections. When Ken isn't in the sales yard he is out evaluating sick plants at customer's homes. Ken is a jack of all trades and can be counted on to accomplish almost any task. Whether its plowing snow or building a display table Ken is always willing to help, he even plants a tree once in awhile. Ken enjoys golf, traveling, music and photography.
Contact Information: Direct Line 630.485.4381 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Cheryl Monzingo Marketing Manager

Cheryl holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Graphic Design from the University of Illinois. She is responsible for the production of in-house marketing materials, advertising and various accounting tasks. Cheryl joined the Wasco Nursery team in 1986 and helped drive the Nursery into the computer age by implementing CAD software for landscape design as well as computer applications used for inventory, sales and accounting. Her attention to detail and creative marketing programs have made Cheryl an invaluable asset to the Wasco Nursery organization. Cheryl lives in Saint Charles and has an adult daughter living in Boulder City, NV. Cheryl loves to read, travel and garden, is a lifelong Cubs fan and is actively involved in Women's Ministry and Bible Study at Lord of Life Lutheran Church. 

Contact Information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Meagan Provencher Sr. Landscape Designer

Meagan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture from Illinois State University. She has been a Landscape Designer for 18 years. Meagan is an Illinois Certified Nursery Professional with certification in both woody and perennial plants (currently there are less than 50 ICN Pros with both certifications). Her passion for plants is reflected in her unique designs that not only focus on homeowner needs, but also on the end results of the plants chosen. Whether a walk-in consultation or a full landscape plan, each garden is thoughtfully designed and presented. Meagan joined the Wasco Nursery team late in 2006 and has been a great addition to Wasco Nursery's well respected landscape design department. Meagan and her husband, Ben, live in Geneva with their two children, Sam and Henry. She enjoys gardening, reading, cooking, and relaxing at the family cabin in Wisconsin. 

Contact Information: Direct Line 630.485.4948 or  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Nicole Doyle Landscape Designer

Nicole completed her Associate’s Degree in Landscape Design and Construction from Kishwaukee College. Nicole also attended the Illinois Institute of Art for Design. She is passionate about the arts, which she often draws inspiration from when creating landscape designs. Nicole enjoys being outdoors, music and traveling. Nicole currently lives in Sycamore with her husband and three children. 

Contact Information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Kim Schroeder Landscape Designer / Perennial Manager

Kim attended both the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago where she studied Fine Art. After a working in the Fine Art field for two years, Kim took a job in the hospitality industry where she spent several years working for major hotel chains in both the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands. After her years in the hospitality industry, Kim got into floral design. She spent more than 15 years working as a floral designer before making her way to the 'Green Industry'. Kim has spent many years in the Green Industry and has worked for wholesale nurseries as well as landscape design firms. Kim came to Wasco Nursery in the spring of 2005. Kim brings a wealth of talent and experience to the Wasco Nursery team. Her background in art and floral design shows through in her creative landscape designs and her years spent in the hospitality industry are evident in the exceptional service that she provides every customer that walks through the garden center doors.

Contact Information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Tamara Hughes Sales Associate / Aquatic Expert

Tamara is a graduate of Kishwaukee College and Southern Illinois University, where she earned an AS in Horticulture and a BS in Plant and Soil Science. Growing up on her family’s Illinois farm gave her a lifelong love of vegetable gardening and rural living. After college, Tamara worked for many years in the tropical plant industry before getting her feet wet in the world of water gardening. Tamara lives on 1 ½ acres in Campton Hills with her husband, Scott, where together they’ve created a gardener’s oasis, complete with a large vegetable garden, greenhouse, water garden and plenty of landscaped areas for relaxing and enjoying the fruits of their labor. Tamara has travelled extensively and, along with gardening, enjoys cooking, reading, decorating and crafting. She joined the team at Wasco Nursery in 2013. 

Contact Information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Lauren Broecker Sales Associate

Lauren is a true lover of the great outdoors. She graduated from Saint Louis University in 2011 with a BS in Environmental Science. During her undergraduate study, she was hand selected to be involved in research relating to Geocarpon, a federally threatened plant. They discovered that Geocarpon was genetically similar in all of the populations tested. This means that it is important to focus on conserving what little genetic difference there is left. The findings of this study were then published as “Conservation Genetics of Edaphic Endemics in Naturally Isolated Habitats: A Case Study with Geocarpon Minimum(Caryophyllaceae).” Besides all that fancy, impressive "sciency" stuff, Lauren's interests reside in gardening, conservation and finding clever ways to help the environment. She is an animal lover, a serious foodie and enjoys running. She’s also into reading and of course, plants. 

Contact Information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Martha Eash Greenhouse Manager

Martha has been in a fixture in the greenhouse at Wasco Nursery for more than 20 years. Her unique container designs bring customers back every spring to see what innovative container gardens she has planted. Martha earned an Associate's Degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Kishwaukee College. In addition to her career at Wasco Nursery, Martha has a barber shop in Aurora. Martha enjoys cooking, golfing, camping and gardening. She currently resides in Maple Park, IL.

Contact Information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Randy Akins Landscape Foreman

Randy can fix anything! His ability to deconstruct and rebuild engines, carburetors and just about anything mechanical is amazing. He is a master welder and can fabricate almost anything. Randy has been working for Wasco Nursery for more than 20 years. You can find Randy installing trees at customer's homes all season long and fix machinery all winter. His hard work, friendliness and attention to detail make him a favorite of Wasco Nursery customers. Randy enjoys hunting, fishing and spending time with his dogs. He currently lives in Kingston, IL.

Tom McIlvaine Landscape Foreman / Giant Pumpkin Expert

Tom is the 'Pumpkin Man'. Tom has been growing giant pumpkins for many years and has placed in the top ten at several giant pumpkin competitions. Tom's giant pumpkins have been featured in numerous newspaper articles in the Fox Valley area and have been featured in several first place scarecrow entries at the annual Saint Charles Scarecrow Festival. Tom has been employed by Wasco Nursery for more than 20 years. You may have heard that James Brown was the 'hardest working man in show business', well Tom would definitely win the title of 'hardest working man in the landscape business'. Because of Tom's amazing work ethic and positive attitude it is not uncommon to hear a Wasco Nursery customer ask, ''Can you send the Pumpkin Guy out to plant my tree?". Tom is a lifelong Saint Charles resident and currently lives on the west side with his wife, Mary.