Three Promotions on Rochester Lawn Care Team
Another day at Weller Brothers, another big promotion.
Scratch that – three promotions in Rochester, Minnesota!
We are excited to share that Nino Medar and Ryan Derleth have been promoted to Maintenance Account Managers, while Kirk Olson is now our Minnesota Branch Manager.
At Weller Brothers, our employees’ ambition for individual growth and opportunity is the driving force behind our overall company growth. These three employees making moves in Rochester are the perfect example.
Read on to get to know each employee and how they contribute to creating the healthiest lawns for our Rochester clients.
Kirk Olson – Rochester Branch Manager
Like many people, Kirk went to college for an entirely different industry than what he’s doing now. After graduating from Northern Iowa with a degree in criminology, he spent a year working inside a detention center in Colorado.
“I hated it,” Kirk says.
Discovering a Love For Lawns
For a change of pace, he found a job with a local landscaping company as a laborer and quickly found a new love for working outdoors. He quickly moved up into a foreman position, and eventually into a project manager role before moving back to the midwest and taking a position doing grounds maintenance at the Mayo Clinic historic properties.
“I loved working with annuals, perennials, and different types of trees,” Kirk says. “During my ten years at Mayo, I gained a lot of knowledge about turf and plant health.”
Eventually, Kirk was ready for a new challenge in the Rochester landscaping industry. He came across Weller Brothers online and reached out to the team.
“I was impressed by the work I saw on the website and thought, ‘Yeah, that’s who I want to work for.’”
Within a few months of being in touch with Brent Weller, Kirk came on board in a dual role as a maintenance and fertilizer technician, while also doing sales. By the summer of 2022, he had worked fully into an account management role.
Becoming the Rochester, MN Branch Manager
The thought of becoming the branch manager for the Weller Brothers Rochester, MN location hadn’t crossed Kirk’s mind until Brent and Cole Weller approached him about the opportunity.
With Brent moving his family back to Sioux Falls in January 2024 and stepping into a regional management role (overseeing the Rochester and Des Moines locations) there was a need for someone to handle the day-to-day operations locally in Rochester.
“This is something I wasn’t expecting,” Kirk says. “They [Brent and Cole] said they have confidence in my leadership skills and thought I would be a good fit for the position.”
Brent points to Kirk’s natural leadership abilities as key to having earned respect from both his clients and colleagues alike.
“Something that has stood out to me the past three years is Kirk’s ability to remain humble, while also inspiring and empowering his teammates,” Brent says. “He brings out the best in those around him, which was one of the primary characteristics we were looking for in a candidate for this position.”
Brent adds that Weller Brothers clients enjoy Kirk as much as the team does.
“Clients who have experienced Kirk’s professionalism firsthand often joke with me that they are going to hire him away from Weller Brothers.”
Despite these positive sentiments toward Kirk, he says that he still didn’t feel 100% confident in taking this new role, but both the Weller Brothers leadership team and his wife encouraged him to jump at the opportunity.
“My wife was my biggest cheerleader and pushed me into this,” Kirk explains. “A few years ago, I went back to school for project management. She asked me, ‘Why did you go back to school if not to jump into something like this?’ She was right.”
Looking Forward to Team Management
While Kirk’s new role as branch manager will have some overlap with his previous account management position – such as networking and business development – he will now be more involved in production and financials.
“I’ll be working on the business more instead of on the business; seeing what I can do from a high level,” Kirk says. “I’ll shift my focus to the profit margins for the entire branch vs. for a certain department, like I did before.”
Kirk says he is most excited about managing personnel in Rochester.
“I hope to have more time to be in touch with our team every day,” he says. “As a full-time account manager, I was busy most days meeting with clients and working on proposals. Now, I think I’ll be able to touch base with the team and make sure things are going well for them.”
Kirk adds that his goal is to keep building the culture that is already in place so that they can keep it alive as the team continues to grow.
When Kirk isn’t on the job, you can likely catch him around town coaching his kids’ sports or enjoying weekends outdoors with his family.
Congratulations, Kirk!
Nino Medar – Rochester Account Manager
Despite having an experienced and professional team in Rochester, one thing that has been lacking in the office is someone who could “be a bit loud” and “get people fired up.”
Enter Nino.
Nino initially joined the team as a landscape technician and was on track to complete our proprietary Foreman Fast Track program. However, his experience in sales – paired with his energy – made him a great fit to move into a Maintenance Account Management position instead.
“I have worked in the construction industry since my early 20’s,” Nino says. “I’ve transitioned into different roles in other companies throughout the years, but fate always brings me back to my true passion – landscaping.”
A Love For the Job
Nino came to Weller Brothers through the encouragement of a coworker James, who he met through his son’s school. He says that having a simple conversation and seeing his excitement about work was enough for him to seek employment at Weller Brothers.
He says he can’t pinpoint just one “favorite part of his job.” He names the quality of craftsmanship, the teamwork he experiences at work, and the feeling of accomplishment in seeing a satisfied client.
When Nino isn’t on the job, he’s on the basketball court or cheering on his four children in sports.
Great work, Nino!
Ryan Derleth – Rochester Account Manager
“He has experience in pretty much anything landscape maintenance-related.”
That’s what Kirk has to say about Ryan, who started with Weller Brothers as a Turf Specialist in November 2022.
Ryan brings nearly 20 years of experience in the landscape industry, having started right out of high school and gaining a horticulture degree. He took a short break to explore the retail world, but quickly found himself back in the green industry.
“I started working for Weller Brothers because I was looking for a change within the industry,” Ryan says. After sitting down with Brent Weller to learn about the company, I knew this would be the place for me.”
“An Easy Decision”
Nino certainly fits right in here, and we are grateful for his well-rounded skillset. Ryan is both a licensed fertilizer application and an experienced irrigation technician. He has experience in mowing and horticulture, as well as in production management and sales.
“This was an easy decision [to move Ryan into the account management role] due to his experience, knowledge, and sales record,” Kirk says. “He has in-depth knowledge of our lawn care services and how they can help our clients.”
He will certainly be an asset to our Rochester clients, as he says that his favorite thing about his job is interacting with clients and coworkers.
When Ryan isn’t outside on your lawn, he’s likely outside somewhere enjoying time with his family.
Welcome to the sales team, Ryan!
Learn More About Careers at Weller Brothers
Our team is constantly growing. As we create positions and promote employees from within, we are always looking to fill roles with talented, team-oriented people.
If you’re interested in a lawn or landscape job in Rochester, MN, Des Moines, IA, or Sioux Falls, SD, you’re in the right place!