PROSPECT — Sherry Kyne didn't grow up in Butler County, but she sure has put down roots here — literally and philosophically.

Kyne, 48, the owner of Eisler's Nurseries and Landscapes, moved to Prospect in 1985 to help her grandfather, John Eisler, with the nursery and landscape business.

He started the business in 1926, and when he died within a year of Kyne's move here, she stayed to run the business.

Twenty-six years later, Kyne has become a community fixture, helping with projects and organizations that benefit business and the quality of life in the county.

“I grew up in eastern Pennsylvania, Bucks County, but I would come out here and spend the summers with my grandfather,” Kyne said at her office in The Atrium on Route 422. She had been a systems analyst before moving to Prospect.

Now, Kyne runs multiple companies.

The nursery and landscape companies don't do residential jobs “unless it's a really big job,” Kyne said, but they concentrate on projects like Elm Court in Butler on part of the old T.W. Phillips' estate, Rolling Rock Farms and property owned by the Mellon and Scaife families.

“We're doing earthwork at Carnegie Mellon University, planting thousands of trees around Pittsburgh for the Tree Visualize program and landscaping for MSA in Cranberry Township,” Kyne said.

The nurseries also grow more than 400 varieties of deciduous trees that lose their leaves in the winter.

The Atrium originally started as a retail garden center and store, but Kyne said the coming of Home Depot, Lowe's and other big box stores to Butler Township killed that business.

The greenhouse and store spaces have been revamped into a meeting and event center that is busy throughout the year with training and organizational meetings, as well as birthdays, anniversaries and weddings.

“My grandfather originally opened the Garden Gate Restaurant as a coffee shop for nursery customers, area residents and passing motorists, but he sold it a long time ago,” Kyne said.

It has been closed for several years and for sale. It is not owned by Kyne's family.

In recent years, Kyne developed a housing development in the Prospect area, and now has a second development under way near Moraine State Park called Acorn Farms.

“What I have learned about business is that you have to look for good opportunities and find the right person for each job,” she said.

As for being a mother, wife and businesswoman, Kyne said at times it is hard to balance everything, “but you do the best you can do.

“I have a great family and wonderful friends, and I look for ways to help businesses in Butler County,” she said. “We (the county) have a lot to offer.”

When she is not volunteering with the Rotary, the Girl Scouts or helping at her daughter's school and watching her play softball, Kyne likes to entertain friends and garden.

She is also involved with LifeSteps, the Butler County Chamber of Commerce, the Butler Garden Club, the United Way of Butler County, Gaiser Addiction Center, Pennsylvania Nursery and Landscape Association and the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. She serves or has served on the boards of these organizations.

In 2010, Kyne received the Distinguished Service Award sponsored by the Rotary Club of Butler and the Butler Eagle.

Vacation?

“I love to ski and travel,” she said about a recent trip to the slopes in the Rockies.

But her mind is always considering the opportunities she finds.

“Take a chance and if that doesn't work out, take another one,” Kyne said. “Through hard work and a willingness to take risks, you'll find success in both business and life.”

<b>Age: </b>48<b>Address: </b>Prospect<b>Family: </b>Husband, Peter; two adult children, and a 12-year-old daughter<b>Employment: </b>Owner of Eisler’s Nurseries, Eisler’s Landscapes and building houses<b>Education: </b>DeSales University, Centre Valley, earned a bachelor’s in business management with a minor in computer science in 1984; Penn State University, ornamental horticulture, 1985<b>Interests: </b>Volunteer work, promoting Butler County, skiing, gardening, spending time with family and friends<b>Quote: </b>“Take a chance and if that doesn’t work out, take another one. Through hard work and a willingness to take risks, you’ll find success in both business and life.”