Brian Trader, president and CEO of Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, is the perfect person to help Richmond’s much-loved, 40-year-old treasure grow and expand into the future. 

Born and raised on a potato and poultry farm on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, Brian helped both sets of grandparents tend their vegetable and flower gardens. After a high school botany class got him hooked on plants, he worked at a plant nursery before heading to Virginia Tech where he earned a BS, MS, and Ph.D. in horticulture. After graduation, he spent 10 years as a director at Longwood Gardens outside Philadelphia – recognized as one of the largest and preeminent gardens in North America. From there, Brian was sought out to take the lead at Lewis Ginter in 2021, where he is currently overseeing the Garden’s $31 million expansion project.

Brian Trader, President & CEO 

“We are thinking about the future,” says Brian. “The last time our garden expanded was almost 20 years ago with the addition of our children’s garden in 2005. Since that time, our annual visitation at the garden has quadrupled, our staff has grown, our programming has evolved, and honestly, the greater central Virginia region has grown.” The Garden welcomed 482,697 guests in 2023, compared with 124,000 guests in 2005.

The Garden’s THRIVE campaign will add 7.5 acres of new gardens to its existing 50+ acres which already feature more than a dozen themed gardens. It will nearly double the size of its domed conservatory, add a permanent, year-round butterfly house, convert existing spaces to Mediterranean and desert climates, and add tropical and subtropical houses. It will also incorporate a small lake already on the property into the garden experience offering guests a new pedestrian pathway.

The garden’s programming will also expand. “The demand for our educational offerings and the opportunity for us to engage guests at the garden has really increased,” says Brian. “We are looking forward to expanding the footprint of our Kroger Community Kitchen Garden which grows, harvests, and donates food to FeedMore’s programs, providing fruits and vegetables to Central Virginia’s most vulnerable populations.

Funding for THRIVE to this point has been primarily from private donors, foundations, and corporate support, including TowneBank.

The Garden has had a business relationship with TowneBank for approximately 10 years. Brian explains, “Since arriving in the area, I personally became connected to Towne after meeting Curt Straub, senior vice president and commercial banker, through the Richmond Chamber of Commerce. I later met TowneBank Richmond president Pat Collins, and our relationship grew stronger from there.”

“We greatly value TowneBank as a local resource in the community. We have seen and appreciated TowneBank advocating for the Garden’s mission and our impact across the Commonwealth,” says Brian. “We’re also fortunate that commercial banker Simeon Harris is on the board of the Garden, offering his service and leadership to our organization as well.”

Brian adds, “In 2024, we moved our day-to-day banking and services over to TowneBank. Towne is our bank now and we’re thrilled. We could not be more excited to partner much more closely with them.  With their help and support, we can be even more successful.”

Brian enthusiastically embraces the opportunity to help Lewis Ginter grow. “At 40 years, the Garden is relatively new in comparison to some of our peers such as Longwood which started in 1906. We have a great opportunity to build on our already strong foundation. Even though we’re young, we are frequently mentioned as one of the top botanical gardens in the nation. We attribute that to how well we are connected with our community and how our work services other nonprofits and cultural organizations. It certainly was a draw for me when I was recruited to come here. We have a wonderful team of staff and volunteers, and we are excited to meet the growing needs of our region.”

In closing, Brian adds, “Our mission strongly resonates with me, and that’s to connect people to plants by inspiring communities to explore and conserve nature. In today’s society, with so many distractions with cell phones and tablets and Apple watches, it’s important to remember that we are part of nature, and everyone deserves access to nature. Nature is healing, nature is beautiful, and we need to take time to appreciate it.”

For more information, visit LewisGinter.org.