Midwest Groundcovers appoints Nikki Melin to vice president of sales & marketing

With an illustrious career spanning over 15 years at Midwest Groundcovers, Nikki has seamlessly navigated various facets of our operations, excelling in customer service, distribution and outside sales. Her most recent role as the sales operations manager underscored her exceptional leadership and strategic prowess. Nikki holds a bachelors of horticulture with an emphasis in urban forestry from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and she further fortified her expertise with a Master of Business Administration from the Gies College of Business, University of Illinois, in 2020.

Nikki's outstanding contributions were celebrated when she was honored as part of the Greenhouse Product News 40 Under 40 Class of 2020. Highlighted were her accomplishment of designing an assembly process using lean flow techniques to build a new, more efficient process and for being integral to continued growth and development of Midwest’s Natural Garden.

In her new role as vice president of sales and marketing, Nikki assumes responsibility for spearheading strategic and tactical plans to enhance customer service, expand market share and explore new markets. Her overarching goal is to align sales and marketing strategies, promoting, recommending and driving sales for our diverse product and service offerings while maximizing market exposure.

"Nikki's combination of horticultural passion with business acumen consistently delivers exceptional results," says Paul Pirkle, president of Midwest Groundcovers. "Her active participation in ILCA, including a role on the Board of Directors, reflects her commitment to industry growth. I look forward to collaborating closely with Nikki to execute our strategic initiatives and solidify our position as the first choice for customers and partners throughout the Midwest."

"Nikki's wealth of experience, formal training, industry connections, and profound understanding of Midwest Groundcovers uniquely position her as the ideal candidate for this leadership role," says Christa Orum-Keller, chairman of the board. "Her ability to provide meaningful solutions for our customers and drive growth aligns perfectly with our vision."