Among our values at Loma Vista Nursery is to do our work with integrity and with the customer in mind. We believe success is rooted in hard work and the passion of our team members.
Sarah Christian, our accounting and human resources manager, keeps the company’s financial operations running smoothly while supporting our staff. We sat down with Sarah to talk about her background, day-to-day role at the nursery and what she loves most about working in the horticulture industry.
Sarah Christian is Loma Vista Nursery’s human resources and accounting manager.
How are the nursery’s values in line with your day-to-day work?
Another of Loma Vista Nursery’s values is ‘good quality at a good price.’ Keeping the company’s costs down allows Loma Vista Nursery to offer competitive prices for our products. In my role as the accounting and HR manager, I think that translates to controlling costs, monitoring expenses, catching billing errors and reviewing vendor pricing, among other tasks.
What is your professional background?
I have been with Loma Vista Nursery for almost five years. Before joining the team here, I worked as a payroll specialist for the City of Olathe and as a payroll and accounting specialist with Prime Healthcare at Providence and St. Joseph Medical Centers. Overall, my experience in payroll and accounting spans two decades.
How do you start your morning to set a positive vibe for the workday?
I like to start my day with a fresh cup of coffee and morning conversation with my staff. We catch up on how our weekends or evenings went, and I answer any work-related questions they might have.
“Family-friendly isn’t a perk here. It’s part of the culture,” Christian says. With Liz Berscheidt, Leanne Follet and Lyndsi Oestmann.
What are your primary responsibilities as accounting/HR manager?
I was promoted to this dual role at the beginning of the year when our longtime HR manager retired. My day is filled with multitasking. Depending on the day, I might be working on the budget, analyzing management reports, reviewing invoices, processing payroll or hiring new employees.
How does your role interact with and support other departments across the nursery?
Managing the nursery’s budget is one of my key support roles. I gather departmental budgets from all of our managers and combine them into an overall company budget for the fiscal year. Additionally, I run multiple weekly management reports for different departments, including sales and production, to support our leadership team.
What aspects of accounting and human resources are unique to the horticulture industry?
The horticulture industry is quite unique, especially from a payroll and HR perspective. For example, agriculture is exempt from standard overtime rates. We participate in the federal H-2A program, which is exclusively designed for agricultural labor. I had never worked in agriculture prior to this, so learning these distinct aspects has been a fascinating new experience for me.
For Sarah Christian, pictured with her mom and daughter, family values matter at work. “Everyone does their part, steps up when needed and genuinely has each other’s back,” she said.
What core values drive your work every day?
What truly makes Loma Vista Nursery such a great company is its people. I could handle accounting and payroll anywhere, but I have never worked for a business with this level of teamwork and support. Everyone does their part, steps up when needed and genuinely has each other’s back. I recently came across a quote that said, “When employees act like owners and owners act like employees, the company thrives.” That describes Loma Vista Nursery perfectly. There is a shared sense of responsibility throughout the company, and that culture is a huge part of what makes this such a great place to work.
What is your most rewarding project or milestone since joining the company?
This was my first year handling the hiring process for our H-2A team members. I really enjoyed meeting everyone when they arrived off the bus and helping them get settled here in Kansas. It takes a lot of work on the front end to get so many people hired and trained in a short time frame. Seeing it all come together is deeply rewarding.
What advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing a career in accounting or human resources within a horticulture business?
It is a very rewarding industry to work in if you find the right company. Things are always changing, so you will never get bored. We have wonderful employees and a fantastic customer base, and I truly enjoy coming to work every single day.
What is the best part about working at a family-owned company?
Family-friendly isn’t a perk here. It’s part of the culture. Being a good employee and being there for your family don’t have to compete with each other.
When she’s off the clock, Christian enjoys time with her husband, Jesse, and their children.
How do you like to unwind when you’re off the clock?
I enjoy spending quality time with my husband, Jesse, and our children, Joshua, Keelee, Nicholas, Keegen and Luke. We also love taking in an occasional Kansas City Chiefs or Royals game together.
About Loma Vista Nursery ‒ Midwest Wholesale Plant Grower
Celebrating 35 years in business in 2026, Loma Vista Nursery grows a variety of branded perennial plants, shrubs and trees for garden centers, landscape contractors and wholesale distributors. Our values system is at the heart of our business. View our values here.
Explore our website to meet our team and sales representatives, learn more about Loma Vista Nursery’s processes, and review our plant varieties. For help with orders or plant-related questions, call (785) 229-7200 or send an email to sales@lomavistanursery.com. Our team of plant experts will be happy to answer questions and provide information about the healthy plants we grow.
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