Meet Our Team.
When you ask someone for the reasons they choose to shop at Chuck Hafner’s they will likely answer ‘the quality of the product and the knowledgeable staff.
The Hafner’s have been growing in the CNY area since 1922. It has always been and continues to be a family operation, and the team here at Chuck Hafner’s is an extension of that family and is essential to both our success and your success.
Professionals Make A Difference.
We like to think we have the most skilled and knowledgeable staff in Central New York with an ISA Certified Arborist, and 5 CNLP: Certified Nursery Landscape Professionals on staff who can help you to create your own beautiful outdoor living space. Growing their knowledge is an ongoing process, and the team members take various certifications each year (including the Proven Winners Certification) to make sure they are up to date.
It’s Personal!
Our staff members are avid gardeners themselves, and that certainly shows in the passion they exhibit when helping you with your gardening needs. We always strive to provide you with the best customer experience and the highest quality product.
The Big Picture.
With 65,000 square feet of retail space, a 7.5-acre nursery, 90,000 square feet of growing greenhouses, and 400 acres of Upstate New York farmland growing Christmas trees, retail evergreens, pumpkins and more! Each team member across the entire company is vital to the success of our operation.
Ryan – Operations Manager
Ryan has been an important part of the Chuck Hafner team since 1996. He is the driving force behind the seasonal changes you see across the property and is a leader in the Flowers Department. He has spent many of those years as the manager and buyer for our Lawn & Garden department and he also heads up our in-store fresh cut Christmas Tree program. As one of our longest standing team members, Ryan is an integral part of our business.
Jennissa – General Manager
Jennissa joined our team as General Manager in 2019. She grew up working in her family’s business of over 40 years, and has a true understanding of the commitment it takes to be successful. Her remaining experience comes from over 25 years in the hospitality and customer service industry and is combined with a passion for leadership and team development. She has made it her mission to create and maintain a highly productive and positive culture we can be proud of.
Greenhouse and Retail Growing Operations
Growing over 200,000 plants a year is a huge undertaking, and this process is overseen by our head grower Mark assisted by his team in both the growing and retail greenhouses. The growing process begins in February each year and once the plants are finished, they are hand-selected and transferred to the retail greenhouses. The live flowers team then takes over ensuring the plants you purchase from us leave the store in the best condition possible.
Mark – Department Manager and Head Grower
Mark has been with Chuck Hafner’s for over 45 years. He is responsible for more than 60% of the plants you see in our greenhouses nurturing them from seedling to full-grown plants. He manages our complete growing program making sure we have our signature seasonal plants (hanging baskets, Fall Mums, Geraniums) available when in season.
Chad – Assistant Grower and Buyer
Chad has been a part of the Chuck Hafner team since 1999 and has grown into an important part of our Flower/Produce program. Working side by side with our head grower, Chad helps to oversee our 75,000sq.ft. of growing greenhouses and works hard to ensure the health of our plants. Chad is also our flower and produce buyer. He is responsible for purchasing many of the flowers you see in our retail greenhouses. He has extensive knowledge of annuals and perennial flowers and is always looking for the latest and greatest varieties.
Dawn – Assistant Manager and Buyer
Dawn has a Bachelor’s degree in Plant Science from Cornell and is a Certified ISA Arborist & Certified Nursery & Landscape Professional. She is responsible for ensuring the greenhouses are fully stocked, and the plants are watered and cared for (ensuring you take home a plant that is at its best), and is happy to answer any questions you may have. Dawn is also so much more than a plant expert to us! She is a driving creative force behind our Fall Festival. She hosts field trips and educational activities for the community. And she is responsible for our handmade wreaths and arrangements team during the holidays.
Kellie– Greenhouse Assistant
Kellie comes to us with a graphic design degree, a passion for houseplants, and an eye for design. Not only is she your source of help in the greenhouses, but her talent is also behind our handcrafted arrangements at Christmas time.
The Nursery Team
With 7.5 acres to look after, our Nursery team is a vital part of Chuck Hafner’s, and it is their passion and hard work that helps us to provide the best selection of plants for your landscape.
Marie – Nursery Manager, Head Grower, and Nursery buyer.
Marie is a professional horticulturist and has a background in landscape maintenance & design. She also has a BA in Forest Ecology. She has over 35 years of experience working in the green industry as a nursery manager, including six years at Imperial Nurseries and over 20 years at Chuck Hafner’s. She is also the buyer for the nursery traveling across North America and selecting the best quality plants. She is Proven Winners Certified and a CNLP. Marie is also responsible for many of the gardening guides you can find here.
Katie – Nursery Manager
Katie is a CNLP and Proven Winners Certified and has worked in the green industry since 2003. She is the driving force behind our customer experience in the nursery. She is responsible for the nursery sales team and crew, merchandising and maintaining our nursery yard, and ensuring that our customers and landscapers have the best possible experience. Katie is an integral part of our team!
Jon Ted- Nursery Assistant Manager
Jon Ted has been with Chuck Hafner’s since 2008. He was an integral part of our team that built the infrastructure for our current location; from the paths you walk on in our nursery today, to the irrigation system. He is an Ithaca College graduate, a talented vegan chef, and author of The Vegan Zombie: Cook & Survive. He has also traveled the world as a musician. He brings tremendous knowledge and energy to our Nursery!
Lyndsie- Senior Nursery Sales & Wholesale Representative
Lyndsie has been working in our nursery since 2018. She is very passionate about plants and brings landscaping and nursery experience to the table. Her background makes her a valuable resource for our wholesale customers! You can see examples of her creativity shine through in our Christmas Room as a core contributor on the set up team. She is also responsible for all of our beautiful decorative hand made wreaths during the holidays!
Kat- Senior Nursery Sales & Head Sales Trainer
Kat is an experienced member of our nursery sales team. She grew up in a greenhouse setting at Brownell sub-zero Roses in East Providence, RI. Her passion for plants goes back to her earliest memories. Kat studied Commercial Arts & Graphic Design and Photography in college. Her artistic background, combined with 15 years as an accomplished real estate agent, has helped to develop her eye as a talented gardener and landscaper. Kat’s talents are also called upon every year to assist with the design of our decorated Christmas Trees.
Sarah– Senior Nursery Sales
Sarah joined our team in 2020. She graduated from SUNY ESF with a degree in Landscape Architecture and has a passion for landscape design. She knows our inventory like the back of her hand and can help you find the right plants for your landscape.
Ahna – Senior Nursery Sales
Ahna joined our team in 2022. She has a BA in English from Brigham Young University and has been in the green industry since 2018. Her plant interests include ecological gardening, growing citrus, terrariums, mini orchids, mushrooms, and the history of roses. She loves being a part of the Hafner team because her coworkers genuinely care about gardening and she loves helping our customers find their own success.
In Store Team
From farm-fresh produce (when in season) to local specialty foods, home decor, disease control, pest control, grass seed, lawn care, gardening tools, birdbaths, and more, our retail space is literally at the center of our store.
Tressa – Retail Manager & Merchandiser
Tressa joined the team in 2021 as an SU graduate and spent 10 years as a visual merchandiser and store manager for Urban Outfitters in New York City. Her passion for merchandising and proven success at Urban Outfitters brings a fresh perspective and new life to our product mix and retail floor. She is responsible for many of the lines that we carry; visiting the major vendor shows in the US and making sure we have the latest and unique items in store.
Stacey – Home & Garden Décor Department Manager
Stacey joined the team in 2005 and she has a keen eye for the latest trends. She is passionate about supporting local vendors and has developed an expansive collection of local products to support other small business owners. She travels the US to all the major vendor shows with our Retail Manager & Merchandiser bringing the latest lines and unique items to our store. She has tremendous experience in multiple areas of our business and can help you with just about anything you need!
Brandon- Lawn & Garden Department Manager
Brandon came to us in 2019 from Herb Phillipson’s with 8 years in retail management. He works closely with our Operations Manager on executing store transitions and is knowledgeable across many areas of the business. He travels the US to all the major vendor shows researching and buying the latest products for pest control, plant foods, soil mixes, lawn care and more! He brings his passion for the outdoors to the job as an avid fly fisherman. He is a very valuable part of our team!
Stephanie – Front End Manager & Customer Service
Stephanie joined Chuck Hafner’s in 2017 bringing with her over 20 years of retail and customer service experience. She is responsible for the front end of the store and takes pride in ensuring that our customers receive the best possible experience from start to finish. When the store closes for the winter, Stephanie transitions to checking in all of our Spring product. By the time we reopen in March, she has had a hand in everything you see in our store!
Pam – Assistant Front End Manager & Merchandiser
Pam joined us in 2017 and brings over 20 years of combined customer service and management experience. She also works closely with our Retail Manager & Merchandiser on displays and in-store transitions. She is an invaluable member of our team!
Alex– Assistant Customer Service Manager & Training Lead
Alex started working with us in 2020 right out of high school and went from cashier to customer service to Assistant Manager in 1 year! He is the youngest manager on our team, but don’t let that fool you! His professionalism, passion for plants, and love for the business have earned him his place on our management team. He is also responsible for the training and development of our new cashiers and customer service team members.
Savanna – Assistant Front End Manager
Savanna was born and raised in Lafayette Louisianna. After working several years in Florida, she relocated to Syracuse and brings a lot of sunshine to our store. Her favorite things about working at Hafner’s are her coworkers, our plant selection, and that we grow so much of what we sell right here on-site! Savanna’s creative spirit, empathetic nature, love of plants, and background in produce make her a perfect fit for our team!
Aiden – Lawn & Garden and Operations Assistant
Aiden joined the Lawn & Garden team in 2021 and quickly developed into an instrumental part of the Garden Center as a whole. He assists in all areas of operations and has a tremendous amount of storewide knowledge. His customer service is second to none and keeps our customers coming back. Whether you need help with your lawn, want to know how to best fertilize your plants, or are having trouble with pests, Aiden can help!
Erin – Customer Service
Erin is a lifelong resident of Syracuse and joined our team in 2015. She loves the changing of the seasons at Hafner’s and is always learning something new with every year that passes. Her bubbly personality brings a bright energy to our customer service desk, and her decade of experience helps her to answer just about any question you may have!
Landscape Division –
Our landscape division is responsible for the outstanding work you can see showcased here.
Dan Metz – Head of landscapesDan has over 45 years of Landscape design and installation experience and holds degrees in Landscape Design and Arboriculture.
Doug – Operation’s ManagerDoug has over 30 years of experience in landscape design and installation. He is an ICPI certified installer and is responsible for some of the water features and paving projects completed by us.
JT – Large Project SpecialistHe has over 10 years of experience in landscape design and construction with multiple accreditations. He is also a Veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division.
Join Our Team
If you want to join our team here at Chuck Hafner’s please visit our employment opportunities page to see our latest vacancies!
We know plants!