Otten Bros. announces company is now employee-owned

Otten Bros. Garden Center & Landscaping, a longtime fixture in the west metro gardening community, has announced that it is now an employee-owned company.

This is a significant milestone in the company’s 70 year history, established in 1953 by the three “Otten Brothers” (Bert, Joe, and Leonard), then owned by Leonard’s son, Cliff Otten, since 1975.

Otten Bros. is proud to be a ‘problem solving’ firm, helping customers solve garden challenges from simple to complex. From its modest beginnings in a garage to its present 12-acre facility in Long Lake offering garden retail and landscape design services, the company continuously evolves to meet the needs of its customers, including acquiring The Flower Farm in Delano in 2006.

In 2023, Cliff created an innovative deal opportunity enabling a collective of seven long-term employees to purchase the business, making Otten Bros. employee-owned for the first time in history. With a combined total of over 175 years working with the company, the seven new owners are committed to upholding values that have defined Otten Bros. for seven decades.

“We are thrilled to welcome Spring 2024 as an employee-owned company,” said Kelly Busch, one of the seven new owners. “More than anything, this ownership transition reflects our deep commitment to our fellow team members, our customers, and the community. We are committed to the tradition of excellence and innovation that has made Otten Bros. a trusted name in our community for the past seven decades. We can report that the roots of our company’s ‘orange oak tree’ are strong, and we are proud to be the stewards of its continued growth.”

Today, Otten Bros. employs over 100 dedicated individuals and remains a cornerstone of the Long Lake/Orono community, providing garden products and landscape problem-solving solutions for projects of all sizes.

For more information about Otten Bros. Garden Center & Landscaping, visit www.ottenbros.com .