OUR STORY

RONALD CRUISE
Chairman

Ron Cruise has 60 years of farming experience. He graduated from Kearney State College in 1971 with a degree in Industrial Arts. After graduating he moved home to work on the family farm which consists of 3300 acres of corn and soybeans and produces over half a million bushels of grain.

He has watched farming advance through the years to be a more technical business and has learned to adapt with the changing times. His many areas of expertise consist of the genetics of the seed and mapping and prescriptions used to plant and fertilize.

To diversify the business in 1995 Sprout House greenhouse was built on the family farm. This business has evolved and expanded and now supplies over 300 Wal-Mart stores with fresh cut and potted herbs. Ron and his wife Peggy have been married for 48 years they have 5 children, 18 grandchildren and live on their farm in Pleasanton Nebraska.

RORY CRUISE
Chief Executive Officer

Rory has been farming for 28 years and is a 4th generation farmer. He has 25 years of greenhouse experience and has knowledge in all aspects of the business from building and maintenance to plant and soil health.

From the age of 12 Rory has been working on the farm and in 1995 Rory helped build the first hydroponic greenhouses for Sprout House. He studied horticulture and in 1999 he was hired as assistant grower at Plains Produce, where he helped build, startup and manage the first 10-acre hydroponic greenhouse in the state of Nebraska. Rory then transferred to Pony Express greenhouse, also a 10-acre hydroponic facility, to help with irrigation problems and crew training. Rory became the head of maintenance and oversight working with 4 head growers and maintaining a total of 40 acres of hydroponic greenhouses.

In 2005 Rory moved home to work on the family farm. Since then his focus has been on maintaining the highest level of technology on the farm including prescription writing, variable seed rates, variable fertilizing, implementing soil amendments all to improve soil health to help improve high yields. He also manages the marketing and sales of 500,000 bushels of grain.

Rory has helped his family diversify their business and expand into new products. He established a relationship with Wal-Mart that helped Sprout House expand into over 300 stores across the Midwest. Rory is married with 4 children and resides on the family farm outside of Pleasanton Nebraska.

MEGAN MAYO
Chief Operational Officer

Megan has been the manager of Sprout House since 2012. She has 7 years of greenhouse experience with many different varieties of plants and growing techniques, along with managing the production facility. Megan graduated with a Culinary Arts degree from Scottsdale Culinary Institute in 2005. She moved back to Nebraska in 2012 to join the family business. Megan is married, has 3 children and resides in Pleasanton Nebraska.

BRETT MAYO
Chief Marketing & Extraction Officer

Brett has been working as the Shipping and Distribution Manager of the Sprout House and has developed key process efficiencies that provide more accurate and timely shipments to their multiple distribution centers. Brett graduated from UNLV and pursued a career in golf in sales and marketing in addition to earning his PGA Tour Card. Brett has been a coach for the University of Nebraska at Kearney women’s golf team for 5 years and led the Lopers to their first ever NCAA Regional Appearance. Brett is married, has 3 children and resides in Pleasanton Nebraska.

AMANDA ALBERS
Chief Production & Logistics Officer

Amanda has been a manager at Sprout House for 7 years. She has greenhouse experience with many varieties of plants and growing methods. Amanda is active in all aspects of the Sprout House business including managing the greenhouse and pack room, working with suppliers and record keeping. Amanda is married, has 2 children and resides in Kearney Nebraska.