Mike & Kathy Severt

Owner

Founded by Mike Severt in 1969 as a retail Christmas tree business, buying and selling trees throughout the state of Florida; retail Christmas tree lots & farmers markets. Wife, Kathy Severt, works with Mike on the retail tree business and Severt’s Produce.

Sherrie Severt Taylor

Office Manager and Wholesale Tree Sales

I started working full-time for Mom and Dad in 2002. My responsibilities can vary from bookkeeping to sales and marketing. I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty, but rarely get the opportunity. I enjoy being active in the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association serving on a committee . I believe, as an industry, we need to educated the consumer on the positives of having a real Christmas tree. Each business is different . I try to personally get to know each customer and their needs. I want to customize a plan of action to help your retail lot, fruit stand, garden center or store be more successful selling trees this year.

Stephanie Dollar and Debbie Harrington assist me in the office as they are valuable components during the busy months of harvest.

Carlos Taylor

Farm Operations Manager

Carlos manages the crops year round which include Christmas Trees, Pumpkins, Blueberries and Strawberry Plants. He is the most honest, hardworking man I know. Three words to describe my husband would be calm, cool and collect. Carlos has worked in Christmas tree since he was a teenager. He oversees and manages field employees, coordinates planting and cultivating of seedlings, and pruning, harvesting, grading, and shipping of trees. “We continually plant for the future on a yearly rotation. We work year-round on a crop that needs our attention for up to 8-12 years before it becomes a marketable tree.”

Colby & Ashley Taylor

Modern American Farmers

Colby Taylor has been with the business since he was a teen, he is 22 yrs old. Colby handles all GPS coordination of the farms, prepares fields for planting, monitors soils, and does anything to help out his dad, Carlos. He not only helps manages co-workers, but WORKS RIGHT BESIDE THEM. Colby is a volunteer for the Elk Creek Rescue Squad and the Elk Creek Valley Volunteer Fire Department. On a personal note, Colby has cattle, likes to trade guns and go 4-wheeling in his off-time. Colby’s wife, Ashley is a RN and also is a volunteer for the Elk Creek Rescue Squad.

Greg & Patty Severt

Severt’s Trucking & Produce

Greg started retailing Christmas trees with his brother, Mike in 1989. Patty started working just as hard as Greg, setting up tree lots, delivering trees to each lot and whatever needs to be accomplished, big or small, she is amazing worker.

Owners of Severt Trucking which transports trees from North Carolina, Virginia and Florida.

Greg Severt knows something about drivers. As president of Severt Trucking Inc in Jacksonville, Florida, he has been one for more than 30 years, starting out as an owner-operator in 1971. Severt Trucking has made its reputation by attracting drivers. Since the late 1970s, the company has provided consistent third-morning delivery between Florida and California. Outbound from Florida, the company runs poultry and dairy products, including ice cream. The return is produce for the superSepket chains and Food Service Industries. With a healthy sized fleet teams of drivers make one round trip every seven to eight days.

Severt’s tractors have deep, flat bright metal bumpers, dual exterior air cleaners, four air horns, a deep polished stainless steel sun visor, and five bullet lamps on the roof. The only bow to aerodynamics is a Taylor wing, an inverted airfoil mounted on the sleeper roof. In addition to the bullet Sepkers on the roof, Severt tractors carry enough decorative lamps along the front edge of the doors, the lower edge of the front bumper, and lower edge of the cab and sleeper to light Las Vegas. The result of this concern for driver desires is a waiting list of teams who want to work at Severt Trucking. “We have good drivers and no shortage of them,” he says. “Most of our teams are husband and wife, and many of them have been here 10 years or longer. To make sure we know what they face on the road, I still drive one trip per month when the business schedule will allow it.”