COVID-19 Updates

October 30, 2020

Winter Yard Policy

COVID-19 precautions following the closure of the
Check-In Kiosk:

In order to ensure the continued well-being of all customers and staff at Midwest Groundcovers, the following policy will be put in place following the closing of the Check-In Kiosk:

1.  Upon arrival, call 847-468-2019, Spanish speakers are available.
2.  A sales associate will assist you with your order via phone while you remain in your vehicle.
3.  Credit Card payments will be made over the phone. Cash or Check payments will be processed by a sales associate while you remain in your vehicle.
4.  A sales associate will come out to your vehicle with your Order Copy and Loading Copy, and provide you with directions on where to proceed to.
5.  Give the Loading Copy to the loaders, and they will load your vehicle.

                                                                                                                 

At Midwest Groundcovers safety is our top priority. We have implemented various operational changes to ensure we are following CDC guidelines related to COVID-19. These measures include:

Wholesale Office is Closed:
Our Wholesale Office and Main Office is closed to the public. All customer transactions will occur outside at our Check-in Kiosk or UPICK Kiosks.

Check-In Kiosk:
Midwest Groundcovers customers who are picking up plants should proceed to the Check-in Kiosk and remain in their vehicle. One of our staff members will come out to assist with your order while remaining at least 6’ away.

UPICK Kiosk:
Midwest Trading customers who are picking up from the Midwest Trading Yard should proceed to the UPICK Kiosk and remain in their vehicle. One of our staff members will come out to assist with your order while remaining at least 6’ away.

UPICK Yard:
The  UPICK Yard is open and accessible to trade customers. Proper social distancing of 6’ or greater is required.

Sanitation
We are committed to providing a clean and healthy environment. We are sanitizing vehicles, counters, and public areas frequently. We have set-up additional hand washing stations for our employees and have provided all employees with masks.

Masks:
Customers and employees are required to wear masks.

Important Resources:

IGIA Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employer Resource Page

Essential Businesses & Operations: From the office of JB Pritzker, Governor

                                                                                                                 

March 25, 2020

We know this is a challenging time to navigate. Things are confusing and stressful. We empathize with all of you. Just know that Midwest Groundcovers remains open and ready to serve you in all the usual ways you are used to – online, by phone or in person (with appropriate social distancing) – we are here to help and support you. Please let us know what we can do to help you through this, if we are not already doing it. We would love to hear from you.

We don’t have all the answers but would like to share some resources with you. Our industry associations are hard at work and we are extremely grateful for the information they are providing. Based on which state you are currently in, please click the links below for more resources.

American Hort: https://www.americanhort.org/page/Coronavirus

ILCA (Illinois): www.facebook.com/illinoislandscapecontractorsassociation

IGIA (Illinois): https://www.illinoisgreen.net/corona-virus

MNLA (Minnesota): https://www.mnla.biz/page/coronavirus

MNLA (Michigan): https://www.mnla.org/ (info is one home page)

INLA (Indiana): http://inla1.org/coronavirus/#

WNLA (Wisconsin): https://wnla.net/announcements.php?id=8

 

                                                                                                                 

March 23, 2020

If I were asked what I found most inspiring from the past week, I would have a hundred stories – about the commitment, dedication, ingenuity and thoughtfulness of each of the people on our Midwest team!

 Since Agriculture is named as an “essential” business in Illinois, we continue to operate and are ready to support you today and through spring.

 We know your businesses and ours will remain committed to keeping ourselves and our customers safe, while supporting them by providing the services and products they require to keep properties well-tended and in good condition.

Our work will bring calm as it maintains a sense of control. As the earth blooms, our industry will bring hope for our community members practicing “stay at home”.

Recently these words were shared, “No one gets left behind if we all care for each other.”

The Midwest Companies and our teams are here to support and care for you.

Christa Orum-Keller
Chairman & President 

                                                                                                                 

March 18, 2019

To Our Valued Customers:                                                                                                                                                                             

At Midwest Groundcovers LLC, the health and safety of our employees, customers, suppliers, and vendors is extremely important to us. We are diligently monitoring the daily developments of COVID-19 and are making efforts to comply with recommendations given by the CDC and government officials.
Spring is here and we are making plans to continue to serve our customers as best we can to ensure you are able to get the plants and landscaping products you need to keep your business running.

Starting 3/23 we will be available from 7 am – 5 pm in order to help you.

• Social Distancing = Online Ordering! Now is the perfect time to begin or continue using our online ordering system, available 24/7. New to online ordering? Click here for helpful instructions on how to use the new tool.
• Want to Chat? Call Inside Sales! Want some safe social interaction? Call our sales team - we will be working both in the office and remotely to make sure we are available to place orders and answer questions you may have.
• Check-In Kiosk is Open Although we have temporarily closed our Wholesale Office for safety reasons, we will still have staff available to help you with pick-up orders in our Check-In Kiosk. Make sure to call 24 hours in advance so we can have your orders staged and ready to go.
• Use UPICK for Quick Orders Our UPICK yard is currently getting stocked and will be staffed for those quick grab & go orders.
• Don’t want to visit us? Get your order shipped! Choosing to have your product delivered is a great option and we can deliver direct to your yard or jobsite.
• We are keeping it clean. To help keep our team safe and healthy, we are practicing the following protocols:
  •  Daily cleaning of customer areas including counters, pens, door handles, etc.
  • We are asking employees to stay home if they exhibit symptoms of illness.

We want to keep everyone safe so please help us by following these protocols when interacting with our staff in the sales yard, or when receiving deliveries:

•  Do not send employees who exhibit symptoms of illness to our facility.
• As much as possible, please leave a 6’ distance between yourself and our employees.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at one of the email or phone numbers listed below.

Inside Sales Team: (847) 742-1790                                                  
mgsales@midwestgroundcovers.com
Carrington Misener, Inside Sales Manager: (847) 468 – 2029            
cmisener@midwestgroundcovers.com
Nikki Melin, Sales Operations Manager: (847) 468 – 2024                 
nmelin@midwestgroundcovers.com
Tara Fisher, UPICK Supervisor: (847) 468 – 2074                             
tfisher@midwestgroundcovers.com

Thank you for your patience as we navigate this unique situation. We value your partnership and are thankful for your continued support, now and always.

Nikki Melin
Sales Operations Manager
Midwest Groundcovers LLC