Legacy Rooted In Growth
The story of Neal Mast Greenhouses began in 1948, when Neal and his wife Jacoba arrived at Ellis Island from the Netherlands with two small children, a baby on the way, and just $20 in his pocket. Settling in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Neal initially sought a life away from the greenhouses of his youth, spending his early years working in foundries and learning English. However, the calling of the soil was too strong to ignore.
In the early 1950s, Neal took a leap of faith, renting a small greenhouse while balancing his night shifts at the foundry. During Michigan’s bitter winters, he would race home on his foundry breaks to shovel coal into the greenhouse boilers, keeping his first crops of Memorial Day geraniums alive. By 1972, Neal’s dedication had turned a part-time endeavor into a thriving business, leading him to establish our current headquarters on Four Mile Road.
The business underwent a transformation in 1987 when Neal’s son, Jim Mast, purchased the company. At that time, the operation consisted of 10 employees and 120,000 square feet of space. Since then, under the leadership of Jim Raterink (who joined in 1991 and now serves as President/CEO), Neal Mast Greenhouses has evolved from a small family firm into a major corporation. While our footprint has expanded significantly, we still carry that same spirit of hard work and integrity that Neal brought over in his wooden chest decades ago.
