Speaker | Entrepreneur | Native Plant Advocate | Conservation Leader
For more than three decades, Bill Jones has been at the intersection of business, conservation, horticulture, and environmental stewardship. As Founder and President of Carolina Native Nursery, one of the Southeast’s leading native plant producers, Bill has helped shape the growing movement toward native landscaping while building a thriving business rooted in ecological responsibility.
Bill’s career began long before native plants became mainstream. After leaving a successful sales and marketing career with AT&T, he founded Terra Systems in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1991, pioneering organic-based lawn and shrub care services at a time when sustainable landscaping was far from the norm. Terra Systems grew into one of the region’s most successful environmentally focused landscape service companies before being acquired by Scotts, Inc. in 2001.
Following the sale, Bill founded Carolina Native Nursery with a simple but ambitious mission: help preserve the plants, birds, butterflies, bees, and wildlife that make the Southern Appalachian region one of the most biologically diverse places in North America.
Today, Carolina Native Nursery grows hundreds of species of native plants and serves homeowners, landscapers, municipalities, conservation organizations, and garden centers throughout the Eastern US.
Bill is known for combining practical business experience with a deep understanding of ecology, conservation, and the rapidly evolving native plant marketplace. His presentations blend real-world lessons, industry insights, and engaging storytelling that resonate with audiences ranging from nursery professionals and landscape designers to conservation groups, garden clubs, business leaders, and civic organizations.
Throughout his career, Bill has served in numerous leadership roles, including:
- Chair of the Asheville Tree Commission
- Member of the Charlotte Tree Commission
- Chairman of Earth Day Charlotte Festival
- Board Member, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy
- Board Member, Asheville GreenWorks
- Member, Strategic Planning Council for NC Cooperative Extension Service at NC A&T University
- Member, Asheville Civic Center Commission
He is also a member of:
- International Plant Propagators Society
- North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association
- Sierra Club
- Asheville Rugby Club
Bill has been featured as a speaker at industry conferences and has written extensively on topics ranging from native plants and pollinators to conservation, ecological landscaping, invasive species, and the future of the green industry.
