Our Team
Kim and Joey Bokor
Owners
Read about Kim, Joey, Abby, Maddy, and the Kerby’s Nursery legacy here: Our Story.
Stephanie
Assistant Manager
Stephanie enjoys the transformation that comes with gardening – “everyday it gives you a little something new” – so it makes sense that planting/starting seeds is what she looks forward to the most. Originally from Cincinnati, Stephanie would pick mid-morning over any other time of day, and if she could create a holiday, it would be a Day of the Arts, which is no surprise since art is a source of inspiration for her. Time with family and friends is how she spends her leisure moments when she’s not working in her organic garden. Fun fact: Stephanie’s favorite word in the English language is “love.”
Allison
Assistant Manager
Allison loves spending time outdoors: gardening, kayaking, going to the beach, riding her cruiser bike…talk about a life lived outside! She credits nature as being an inspiration to her, along with music and her 88-year-old neighbor. Planting, watering, and fertilizing are her favorite activities in the garden, and she’s currently putting the Florida native Beautyberry at the top of her plant list because of its benefits to our ecosystem. If Allison got to invent a holiday, it would involve plants. Fun fact: Allison was born at home with a midwife.
Bella
Cashier
Bella must have been meant to work with plants because green is her favorite color. She is mesmerized by seeing new roots grow and leaves form when she propagates plants, and Hoyas are her number one plant because all the varieties make them fun to collect. Gardening reminds her that good things usually take time. Bella believes it’s important to create a life you can’t wait to wake up to – we love that sentiment – and her family is her inspiration. Fun fact: Bella has a zoo of 28 pets, including chickens, dogs, a cat, a tortoise, and a leopard gecko (she made sure to note that number doesn’t include her 2 sisters!).
Brian
Sales Area Leader – Trees; Delivery and Installation
Given an option, Brian will choose planting over other garden activities, so it works out well that he oversees our plant installation service. Any holiday he might invent would involve spending time in nature, and he enjoys attending sporting events and concerts in his leisure time. Gardening helps Brian relax and get away from the stresses of everyday life, and Calatheas are his favorite plants because of the varieties and variegations they come in. Plus, he thinks it’s neat how they fold their leaves to pray at night. He is inspired by his grandfather. Fun fact: Brian won his middle school’s geography bee in 8th grade.
Chloe
Cashier
When you purchase a jar of The Kerby’s Special fertilizer, it may have been filled with love by Chloe. She enjoys this task at the Nursery, and it is an important one so that your plants get their nutrients. Gardening is a way for Chloe to take care of our planet and maintain its beauty; therefore, it’s no surprise that the lovely Bleeding Heart Vine and Magnolias are her favorite plants. Chloe finds inspiration in her mom, who has been a role model by always working hard for everything she has. Chloe herself put in hard work for 10 years playing ice hockey. Fun Fact: Chloe is a big fan of mac ‘n cheese.
Claire
Cashier
“Make your words sweet and kind because someday you may have to eat them” is the best advice Claire has received. Sounds good to us! Claire enjoys weeding in her garden with her cat Cici. Even though bright yellow is her favorite color, her favorite plant is the bluish-purple Delphinium with its stalk of flowers that press beautifully. Claire uses pressed flowers and paper from around the world when making handmade books, which she is fond of doing along with baking and making pasta. She believes healthy gardens are sustainers of life, both for humans and wildlife. Fun fact: Claire is inspired by movies with the themes of endurance and overcoming obstacles.
Elizabeth
Sales Area Leader – Greenhouse
When she’s not gardening, you can find the Florida-born-and-raised Elizabeth spending time with her dogs and cats. She is an animal lover whose favorite time of day is any time she can be outside with her dogs running around the backyard. Her favorite thing about gardening is watching her plants sprout and grow, and she relishes growing her own vegetables for her kitchen. The Desert Rose is her chosen plant for its all-around look with fun branches and flowers. “Awesome” is her favorite word, purple is her color, and her family gives her inspiration. Fun fact: Elizabeth likes to be outdoors hiking, taking walks, and riding bikes.
Kaylee
Cashier
Staghorn Ferns fascinate Kaylee due to their unique shape and how massive they grow. For her, gardening means keeping the environment looking beautiful AND keeping it healthy – it’s a win-win – and she has the most fun watering plants and weeding. Kaylee was born and raised in Florida and believes that you can do whatever you set your mind to. It’s that attitude that encourages her to find inspiration in everything. An animal lover, she also enjoys reading, photography, and spending time with her family. Fun fact: Kaylee plays the cello and was in her high school’s chamber orchestra. Another resident musician!
Leonardo
Sales Support Staff
Leo has lived in multiple states on the ocean, as he came back to Florida after stints in California and then Hawaii, where he learned to surf and bodyboard. He enjoys creating 3D animations, playing the piano, and hanging out with his many pets. When it comes to the garden, Pitcher Plants are Leo’s favorites, as he is fascinated by how these carnivorous plants’ leaves turn into funnels and are used to digest insects. The garden task he enjoys most is watering the beautiful flowers in the morning that you’ll be taking home to your garden. Fun Fact: Leo thinks that a national holiday should be held for our adorable Kerby’s cat, Pepper. We agree!
Lorraine
Cashier
Lorraine and dancing go together at Kerby’s; she’s been known to demonstrate her experience in ballroom, Latin, swing, and line dancing for us. So it’s no wonder that if she was mandated to create a holiday, dancing would be part of it. When it comes to gardening, she is partial to the Gerbera Daisy and spending time watering and propagating plants. Gardening calms her mind. Her neighbors must be so grateful because when she’s not gardening, she picks up trash around the neighborhood while walking her dog. Dawn is Lorraine’s favorite time of day when the birds and butterflies are feeding but most of the world is still asleep. Fun fact: Lorraine has gone skydiving 300 times.
Nya
Sales Associate – Annuals and Perennials
It’s hard for Nya to choose a favorite plant; she likes both Coral Bells because of their bright foliage and Mimosa pudica because of their cool leaves. Gardening is a way she can help the native environment as well as develop her ability to grow plants on her own, a skill that is important to her. She is drawn to the color amber, crocheting, the dawn, and following gardeners online, both locally and around the world. She thinks it’s fun that a group of rattlesnakes is called a “rumba.” Fun fact: When she was in high school, Nya was indirectly struck by lightning. (Not sure this is really a FUN fact, but it’s a fact!)
Olivia
Social Media
Olivia’s personal motto is “to love what you do and have fun doing it.” When it comes to gardening, she appreciates that it encourages her faith and gets her out in the sun, not to mention that she loves being able to inspire new growth by deadheading. Even though they go dormant in the winter, the Plumeria is her go-to plant because it’s worth the wait for the dark green leaves and the fragrant flowers that cover it. You may need to look up her favorite word, “sonder,” as it’s relatively new in English. Fun fact: Olivia listens to a lot of music, but you won’t pigeonhole her into just one genre – her tastes run the gamut.
Pam
Cashier
There are multiple reasons why gardening is valuable to Pam: it brings wildlife to her yard, it creates beauty, it keeps her bones moving, and, quite simply, it makes her happy. She favors using the Ornamental Peanut plant as a substitute for mulch, and the day’s sweet spot for Pam is early evening when birds flock to the feeder and bird bath while the sun’s rays bring out the flowers’ exquisite colors. She stays busy swimming, playing word games, tricycling, watching good movies, and listening to music. Fun fact: Pam won the science fair in 8th grade and went on to win one of 11 regional awards from the Ford Future Scientists of America Foundation.
Silas
Sales Support Staff
Silas is musical, playing the guitar in his church high school band. You may want to call him when your garden gets overgrown – he enjoys weeding and pruning! He views gardening as a way to interact with, care for, and learn more about God’s creation, and one of the plants that fascinates him is the Sunshine Mimosa because of its unique ability to move its own leaves when touched. Silas also has fun building Lego® sets, reading, and playing video games and says the best piece of advice he’s been given is to trust in God with all his heart and lean not on his own understanding. Fun fact: Dinnertime is the best time of day for Silas as it’s when his whole family eats together.
Tara
Special Projects Director
The health benefits, the gorgeous colors, the design options – these are the reasons Tara gardens. She finds weeding to be a calming, therapeutic, and satisfying activity, and having grown up in Southeast Asia, Palms are her choice in plants because they remind her of the Tropics and come in various shades of green (her color). Color in general energizes Tara (National Color Day, anyone?), and that precious period when the day is done but she’s not quite going to sleep is when she has her “Me Time.” She enjoys clogging and line dancing as well as visiting ZooTampa in her off time. Fun fact: Tara played the Scarecrow in her high school’s production of “The Wizard of Oz.”
Precious
Diva-in-Residence
Precious wandered into Kerby’s and into our hearts over a decade ago, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Her favorite activity in the garden is napping (somehow, she gets away with that!), and the plant that she chooses every time is Catnip. Of course, green is her favorite color, which is why she chose Kerby’s for her permanent home. Precious likes to join us in our staff huddle first thing in the morning…because she knows breakfast is served right after. Fun fact: Precious would enjoy hosting her own show called “Napping in the Garden with Precious: Tips from an Expert”…if she could wake up long enough to discuss her strategies.
Pepper
Office Princess
We’re not sure how Pepper found her way to Kerby’s, but we sure are glad she did! She arrived as a tiny kitten and hid in a leaf blower. We got her out, and she’s been our little princess ever since. She has decided she’s an office cat, but when she does get out around the Storehouse, she likes to play in the mulch under the Podocarpus. Pepper also has her own personal obstacle course on the table covered with plants in the middle of the Storehouse, and she likes to talk to us when she wants attention. She has a pretty comfortable life, literally, because she steals our office chairs for her naps. Fun Fact: Pepper is not motivated by food – we can’t get her to eat treats!
Panther
Bundle of Purr-sonality
This little guy is fearless and fun! Panther loves to wrestle with his sisters, play with toys, catch lizards, investigate bugs, and keep cool on the concrete or under the oak tree. He just showed up one morning with his sister Patch and is now a fixture at the Nursery. Panther has stolen the hearts of our team with his energetic and friendly attitude, and you can find him prancing around the nursery or napping in the shade. He purrs like he has a motor running inside him, which endlessly delights us. Fun Fact: Unlike big sister Pepper, he is a sucker for treats!
Patches
Shy and Sweet Little Lady
Patches is timid and doesn’t want a fuss made over her. She spends most of her time staying cool in the inner branches of a Dwarf Firebush shrub. However, when Panther comes over to play, she will roll and tumble with him. They showed up together and decided the loving atmosphere at Kerby’s would make a good home; we’re thrilled they think so! Fun Fact: Like her brother Panther who loves treats, Patches can be coaxed out of her hiding place for a snack.
Precious
Diva-in-Residence
Precious wandered into Kerby’s and into our hearts over a decade ago, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Her favorite activity in the garden is napping (somehow, she gets away with that!), and the plant that she chooses every time is Catnip. Of course, green is her favorite color, which is why she chose Kerby’s for her permanent home. Precious likes to join us in our staff huddle first thing in the morning…because she knows breakfast is served right after. Fun fact: Precious would enjoy hosting her own show called “Napping in the Garden with Precious: Tips from an Expert”…if she could wake up long enough to discuss her strategies.
Minervo Gomez
21 Years with Kerby’s Nursery
We sadly lost Minervo in February 2024. Below is his original bio, and as it mentions, the Nursery is not the same without him.
Minervo has been at Kerby’s longer than anyone else currently – we cannot imagine the Nursery without him. He loves the look of a full, well-established garden, so planting, fertilizing, and constant maintenance of the plants are his favorite parts of gardening. He appreciates all plants and doesn’t have a preferred one, but if he had to pick a special color or two, he would go for blue and cherry. Minervo believes it’s important to relate to everyone with a smile, respect, and a good attitude. He draws inspiration from projects he comes up with. Fun fact: Minervo’s hard work to make the nursery look beautiful has resulted in customers blowing him kisses of congratulations and gratitude.
Minervo ha estado aqui en Kerby’s más tiempo que nadie. Actualmente, no podemos imaginar Kerby’s sin él. Le encanta el aspecto de un jardín completo y bien establecido, por lo que plantar, fertilizar y mantener constantemente las plantas son sus partes favoritas de la jardinería. Aprecia todas las plantas y no tiene una preferida, pero si tuviera que elegir uno o dos colores especiales, optaría por el azul y rojo. Minervo cree que es importante relacionarse con todos con una sonrisa, respeto y una buena actitud. Se inspira en los proyectos que se le ocurren. Algo interesante: el arduo trabajo de Minervo para hacer que la guardería se vea hermosa ha resultado en que los clientes le lancen besos de felicitación y gratitud.
Anybody can sell you plants, we make sure you succeed.