Biography for Mike Rood
February 2020 Speaker
Mike Rood is president and co-owner of Pea Ridge Forest. He came home from college at the University of Missouri-Columbia armed with his degree and a vision to begin the evolution of Pea Ridge. Mike availed himself of every educational opportunity that came along. As the in-house arborist, he is the consummate tree geek and salesman. Mike has never met a stranger, and because of this, he thrives when handling the business interactions of the farm.
Pea Ridge Forest is a family owned and operated tree farm. Growing quality trees has always been their mission, whether its Christmas trees from their choose and cut operation or balled and burlapped trees for their wholesale nursery. Pride in their work has been the cornerstone of the business. As such, Pea Ridge Forest has remained a source of quality trees since 1972.
Nestled in the hills along the Missouri River in eastern Missouri, Pea Ridge Forest started as a Christmas tree farm when Myron Gwinner, the previous owner, planted the first trees in 1955. Naive and overly optimistic about what it takes to produce quality trees, LeRoy and Mary Rood bought the farm, literally, in 1972 and subsequently fell in love with the place. LeRoy and Mary instilled their love for the land and their work in their sons, Mike and Scott. Pea Ridge Forest is now a family run business with a shared business philosophy, strong work ethic and commitment to quality trees.
Learn more about Pea Ridge Forest on their extensive website at https://www.pearidgeforest.com/