Brian Keller opened his tree nursery in 2000 right before the recession, but thanks to hard work, the Federation State Horticulture Committee member thrived despite the housing crash. 

“It taught us to run as lean and tight as we can,” he said. “Looking back, I don’t see how we came through it. The Lord always provided us a sale.”

Keller, who is also a manufacturing representative in Mobile County, holds a mechanical engineering degree from Louisiana Tech University. He farms with his parents; wife Christie; and three sons, David, 16; Daniel, 14; and Samuel, 9.

The Kellers’ nursery sits on 30 acres in Grand Bay, and the family also runs a 20-acre U-pick fruit and vegetable farm.

Keller is a former Alabama Nursery and Landscape Association president and a current Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association board member.