Johnson’s Garden Centers

There are now four generations that have helped make Johnson’s Garden Centers the Wichita staple it is today. It dates back to 1928 when Orie Johnson, a farmer who had a simple fruit-and-vegetable stand, made the shift from truck farmer to garden center owner. Now, Marty Johnson, Orie’s grandson, runs the day to day with his son, Jeremy. “We grew up right next to the garden center,” says Marty. “I always knew I wanted to stay in the family business.”

Growing up with a family business, the entire Johnson family learned to work hard. For Jeremy, that was just a way of life. “My grandfather and great grandfather kind of modeled good behavior,” says Jeremy. “You worked until the job was done.”

Beyond selling plants and gardening materials, Marty says his focus is always on keeping the customer happy and answering their questions. “It's important that customers have a good experience at Johnson's Garden Centers,” Marty says. “We try to do a good job of educating our employees, giving them the resources to know the answers.”

Anytime you stop by a Johnson’s location, you’re sure to see a Johnson there, getting their hands in the dirt and helping customers find exactly what they need.

“We want to get them the right product, not just sell them something to make a sale,” Marty states matter-of-factly. It’s this determination that inspired their current greenhouse, located at their West location, just off of 13^th Street. At 8,000 square feet, it allowed Johnson’s Garden Centers to offer the best products to its customers. However, when COVID-19 hit, their supply took a hit, as well.

“Through COVID, we had some issues with sourcing of material,” says Jeremy. “We needed more control over our own supply.” To combat this, Marty and Jeremy wanted to expand their operation and build a 120,000-square-foot greenhouse. But before they started building, they went to INTRUST Bank.

“INTRUST was supportive of the idea,” Jeremy says. “I know INTRUST is always going to seriously look at any idea we put in front of them, and they're going to ask questions, making sure that ideas are well thought out, planned and followed through.”

Marty also recalls how easy INTRUST made the process for them, noting that he was always able to get someone on the phone to answer his questions. For a bank the size of INTRUST, this surprised him. “I always say that whatever project anyone is doing, it's always big for them. And I'm sure INTRUST has customers way bigger than Johnson’s.” He continues, “But INTRUST has met our expectation and gone above our expectations in financing our new greenhouse project.”

Both Marty and Jeremy are appreciative of the relationship they have with INTRUST. For Jeremy, it’s the people. “There's a hundred suppliers that I can buy plants from, but most of the time I buy those from people that I like working with. And that's the same thing with INTRUST. We like the people we work with.”

For Marty, he appreciates the fact that he can trust INTRUST to give it to them straight. “One thing that's been passed down to us is honesty,” says Marty. “I think it's important that the bank you're working with is honest with you. With that honesty, there's assurance on our side that they're on our team, and they trust the decisions that we are making are good decisions.”

The future of Johnson’s is bright, according to Marty. “It's hard to go someplace without people knowing who I am and getting asked a garden question,” he says. “When people come up [to me] on the street, it means we're doing something right.”

“I hope we can continue serving the community as long as it makes sense,” says Jeremy. “I'm excited for the future.”