Institute for Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurial Education Partner
As one of the decorative signs says at Lotus Naturescapes, “Welcome Friends” and we can assure you that is exactly how you will feel if you sit down to visit with owner, Mike McLane!
Born and raised in Wolf Lake and a graduate of Shawnee CUSD #84, Mike went on to graduate from SIU, mostly to please his parents. After graduation, he started farming full time, and stayed with that for 25 years. During that time, he got married and they had 4 children so he began to explore other ways to make money. Mike discovered that landscaping, with water features, was becoming “a thing” and decided to test the waters, so to speak. 25 years later, it looks like the waters tested just fine as Lotus Naturescapes is a thriving business.
We visited Mike, his right hand lady, Rhonda Tweedy and his amazing dog, Hexa, and we did feel like we’re were visiting with old friends. We started out in the office, which Mike said is mainly Rhonda’s domain, as he likes to be out and about. He shared how Lotus started and more about his life over the past 25 years. He and his wife love dogs and Hexa is one of their competitors. She is also a highly trained search and rescue dog and she and Mike love to help with those missions. Mike shared that he used to ride his motorcycle all over the country on the backroads without a map, and managed to visit all of his rock/stone suppliers along the way, building those relationships along with hundreds of beautiful rock features with the rocks and stones he brought to Lotus.
Speaking of rocks and stones, they have a TON, and if it’s “Iowa Rainbow”, 2 or 3 tons, of many kinds of beautiful rock. Rhonda has arranged them in jars in the office so they are easy to see up close. They have samples of water features, complete with koi ponds and fountains, along with decorative stone and other samples of landscaping ideas. You are able to drive or walk through the yard to see the many possibilities available. Besides a booming local business, they work with contractors and have customers in many states, many of who are repeat customers. It’s easy to see why after visiting. Mike stresses flexibility, dependability, quality and a good attitude. He believes in a relaxed but efficient work environment and leads by example to achieve this.
BIG Thank You to Mike and Rhonda for sharing their morning with us. We learned a lot, saw a lot and had a great time! Best of all, we made some new friends! If you haven’t visited them at Lotus Naturescapes, plan to soon!
