Meet The Folks
At Mountain Rose Herbs!
Managing Director
Botanicals: Roses, Madrones, Yews, Nettles, Lilies, and Irises.
Music: Curved Air, Steeleye Span, Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Samite, Alpha Blondy, Pops Mohamed, Dead Prez, Dark City Sisters, and Libana.
Books: Thinking Like a Mountain, Phillip Pullman, Doris Lessing, Edward Abbey, Letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, A Room of Ones Own, and Barbara Kingslolver.
Interests: plants, forests, mountains, wildlands, nature in all her aspects, honor, and integrity.
In 1991 Julie began her entrepreneurial adventure with Mountain Rose Herbs and her responsibilities include supervising the formulation of Mountain Rose Herbs' products, managing the finances and accounting, catalog design, head gardener and being the pragmatist, which means keeping Mountain Rose Herbs grounded. Julie has been fascinated with herbs and healing since her childhood in
In addition to learning much about conventional medical care, she continued to expand her herbal knowledge – attending and organizing conferences and teaching herbal classes and leading plant walks. She also supported and volunteered at various local non-profit organizations, (from environmental protection to the local hospice).
Renewed by being out of doors, Julie loves to work and play in the garden, take hikes, observe nature and wildlife and when the weather forces her inside read some of her wonderful collection of books, have stimulating discussions with friends and work on another Mountain Rose project. "Mountain Rose Herbs is the ongoing fulfillment of my dreams, work experience and ambition. It is my passion, I love what I do".
Operations Manager & Director of Quality Control
Botanicals: Calypso Orchid, Love-In-The-Mist, Pacific Alder, Douglas Fir, Ginkgo Biloba, Columbia Lily and Fawn Lily.
Music: Crass, Conflict, Dead Can Dance, The Mob, Poison Girls, Mirah, Utah Phillips, Leadbelly, The Boswell Sisters, Helen Kane, Albinoni, Garmarna, Dark Ambient, Chumbawamba, and Mazzy Star.
Books: Vicar of Wakefield, Utopia, The Domestic Manners of the Americans, The Letters of John and Abigail Adams, The Age of Reason, De Profundis, Mysteries of Udolpho, The Writings of Seneca, Little Women, Hume's Essays, Call of the Wild, White Fang, Scarlet Letter, and The Hound of Baskervilles.
Interests: sustainable business practices, Oregon's wild places, old buildings, American revolutionary history, elusive plants, dark forests, big trees, traditional long bow archery, antiquarian books, large breed dogs in all their splendor, beautiful antiques, fine art done in the old style, organic farming practices, ravens, haunted woods, absinthe, large Northwest mammals, Oregon living, lonely evenings, Oregon Pinot Noir, and spooky libraries.
Shawn first became involved with Mountain Rose Herbs as a passionate young idealist with a fervent desire to change the world. He was the towns notorious rabble rouser always petitioning for mandatory labeling on genetically modified food crops, encouraging people to support the rights of indigenous peoples, fighting for the protection of endangered or threatened species and struggled continuously to uphold the integrity of organic standards. Then came Mountain Rose Herbs. Shawn saw an opportunity to further knowledge not only himself, but those he served to educate. This is what he has to say.
"Its quite an entertaining story actually. I was working on these campaigns full time with no funding, and no employment. I was fueled only by my hope that there would be justice for all peoples and the environment, then one day I said to myself…. my goodness there has to be a way to promote and publicize these pressing issues and get financial compensation at the same time. So I found Mountain Rose Herbs and said to myself.....yes! Now there is a company that has its hands in the mud and is really taking care of business! Sign me up."
So it was done, and without a doubt Mountain Rose Herbs has not been the same since. Shawn has a fierce determination to guarantee to all of our customers that he will deliver a high quality, GMO free, certified organic product and has a constant and relentless eye on ensuring that workers of our suppliers, both domestically and overseas, receive just compensation for their labor. In 2001 Shawn proposed that Mountain Rose Herbs eradicate ALL conventionally grown products from its product line entirely and have this completed by 2003 (The first time such a commitment to organic agriculture has ever been displayed in the history of the herbal industry) and he is constantly advancing the companies ecological platforms for sustainable business practices.
Shawn's primary responsibility is the total quality control of all our products and he is the director of all operational procedures for the company.
In his spare time he can be sifting through fine works of literature from his private library, the "Bibliotheca Curiosita" while dressed in his uniform black of course!
Particular interests include books that changed the world, antiquarian bindings, social and moral philosophy, American revolutionary history, and 19th century literature.
While absorbing excerpts from literary masters of old, it can be said without a doubt that he will be munching on some tofu, and playing a game of "kibble hockey" with the local dogs. As an animal loving Vegan he insists that Mountain Rose herbs does not stock, condone, or support an industry that exploits, abuses, or utilizes parts of animals. There have been several instances where products have been outright rejected or abandoned by Mountain Rose Herbs because as Shawn so willingly declares, "We aren't touching that, because it is being held together with bits of animals".
Production
Botanicals: Lavender, Rosemary, Lemon Balm, Nettles, Sage, Roses, Juniper, and Cypress.
Music: Death Cab for Cutie, Debussy, Doc Watson, Les Miserables, Roxy Music, John Hiatt, Led Zeppelin, Gram Parsons, The Clash, Jimmy Buffet, Emmylou Harris, Allman Brothers, Depeche Mode and U2.
Books: The Monkey Wrench Gang, Terry Tempest Williams, Shipping News, Another Roadside Attraction, Femininity, Planet Drum, Women Who Run with the Wolves, Snow Falling on Cedars, Contact, and Into the Wild.
Interests: long road trips and traveling, deserts, art history, art in all forms, movies, hiking, book stores, saunas, Tibetan rituals and associated objects, cacti, the Nature Conservatory, light and sound therapy, and musical theater.
Julie is responsible for producing our Mountain Rose Oils and Body Care products. Her wisdom, experience and dedication to perfection are deeply appreciated. She keeps a methodical and detailed eye on quality and consistency, ensuring that only the best is good enough. If you enjoy the line of body care products offered by Mountain Rose Herbs, she is the woman to thank!
Julie is an admirer and firm supporter of organic gardening. Much of her spare time is spent tending to her organic herb and vegetable garden, with her young daughter right beside her; learning the ways of sustainable agriculture.
Julie has a creative soul and loves to dabble with expressive arts like painting, weaving, fiber-arts, and stained glass.
She adventured all over the US but has settled here in the beautiful Willamette valley in Eugene, Oregon.
Purchasing and Quality Control
Botanicals: Nettles, Damiana, Love-In-The-Mist, Painted Tongue, and Nasturtiums.
Music: James Taylor, Eagles, Metallica, Grateful Dead, Nickelback, and anything from the 30's and 40's.
Books: Herbal reference books, travel books, home interior design books, Into the Wild, and anything by Eckhart Tolle.
Interests: garage sales, antique shops, flea markets, art from found objects, mosaics, hiking, camping, movies, kayaking, gardening, photography, canning, travel, and being with family and loved ones.
Peggy is a cherished and phenomenal woman. She does a superb job running our purchasing department and she has the most magnificent caterwaul of a laugh imaginable! It is her responsibility to manage our inventory and purchase accordingly. She also oversees all incoming products at our receiving docks and if the quality is less then acceptable, it is quickly returned to whence it came.
Peggy comes to Mountain Rose Herbs with a rich and diverse herbal background which she uses in sourcing and procurring some of the worlds finest products for offer to our customers.
She says…… "I just love sharing all the herbal knowledge I have acquired with other people and suggesting particular products and their proper usage. The best part is when people realize how well it works!
When Peggy is not neogtiating for a better contract of Peppermint oil, she can be found digging her hands in the garden, making and sharing hand crafted herbal remedies and, garage sale hopping for the great deals in Central Oregon.
Peggy has a challenging task ahead of her, to be the coolest "nanna" around, to her grand kids. (We're sure she will be!)
Warehouse Manager
Botanicals: St. John's Wort, Arnica, Eucalyptus, and Lemongrass.
Music: Johnny Cash, Frank Zappa, Red Elvis', Asylum Street Spankers, Beethoven, Reverend Horton Heat, Iggy Pop, and John Prine.
Books: Animal Farm, anything by Jeanette Winterson, E.E. Cummings Poetry, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Interests: crossword puzzles, contemporary dance and aesthetics, furniture restoration, quilting, tennis, pinball, anatomy and physiology, gardening, and picking flowers.
Kim has complete responsibility for the management of the entire warehouse which we assure you is not an easy task, and one that she will quickly remind you of. This is the type of job that necessitates the occasional sprinting and one which requires about 7 miles of walking each day as was recently logged onto the pedometer.
Kim has complete supervisory control over the fulfillment of our customer's orders, receiving, production, inventory management, and warehouse logistics and procedures. While this may seem a relatively simple task, it has been marked as one of the most complicated responsibilities at Mountain Rose Herbs.
While most of us find it incredulous that outside interests could be developed under such taxing responsibilities, Kim keeps a diversified portfolio of extracurricular activities.
These include a Masters degree in professional modern dance and she has spent the greater part of 15 years in private and public teaching with an emphasis on contemporary technique and performance.
She has even suggested the organization of a musical performance for the warehouse!
Other interests include retro chairs with red velvet, growing flowers, crossword puzzles, collecting Fire King Jadeite and playing video poker with a pint in hand
Personnel Director
Botanicals: Mugwort, Lotus, Tulsi, Ginseng, Schisandra, Angelica, Poppy, Lichens, and Violets.
Music: The Coup, Dead Prez, The RZA, Gorillaz, and local Eugene Hip-Hop.
Books: Asian Philosophy, Alchemical Texts, Herbals, and The Emerald Tablet.
Interests: Shaolin kung fu, hermetics, fiber art, traditional Chinese medicine, horticulture, wine, antiques, Boston Terriers, and mythology.
Born into the botanical world on the East Coast, Jennifer continued on this path through gardening, gathering and self taught therapeutic applications. She ventured on to earn a degree in Plant Science from Rutgers University with a focus on business management.
Jennifer is a seasoned employee here at Mountain Rose, beginning her career as the Office Manager she has moved into Human Resource management which she still maintains as well as the all encompassing role of Personnel manager. Jennifer works diligently to see that the facilities are well staffed and tended to as well as administering the company’s benefits package and overseeing the overall vitality of the growing organization.
In her free time she seeks solace walking amongst the wild country side of the area enjoying the flora and fauna, pursuing her interests in martial art training, fiber craft, mythology, and the ancient art of alchemy.
Marketing Director
Botanicals: Calendula, Nettles, Holy Basil, Lavender, Chamomile, Trilliums, Ferns, Rosemary, Echinacea, Borage, Ginkgo, and anything growing in the woods.
Music: Old and in the Way, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Bob Marley, Hank Williams Jr, Taj Mahal, Allman Brothers, Buddy Guy, Manu Chao, Kitchen Syncopators, and Muddy Waters.
Books: Field Guides, travel books, anything about arts and crafts, herbal medicine texts, I Rigoberta Menchu, The Good Earth, All That the Rain Promises and More, and archeology books.
Interests: wild mushroom picking, hiking, camping, traveling, making natural soap and bodycare products, gardening, outdoor photography, cooking, baking, and arts and crafts.
Irene is the marvelous marketing guru in these parts always placing a keen eye on correct color, good design and stylish packaging concepts. If you have ever enjoyed the finished products at Mountain Rose Herbs, or the sleek promotional materials sometimes mailed to you; we all have Irene to thank! From product development, to product promotion, Irene knows how to market a great product with all the finishing touches.
Perhaps this inspiration is born from the peace of her rather peaceful life in a log cabin out in the country with her boyfriend, and two cats, or perhaps it's just an innate talent, either way we are truly blessed to have her on the team!
In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, hiking, making her own body care products, picking mushrooms, reading, sewing, seeing live music, and indulging in epicurean delights. She says and I always have a new passion, and am constantly striving to learn more. I suppose that being creative and learning are my largest passions, which is why I enjoy my new position here so much!
She has been interested in herbs and gardening since she was a young child, and for several years now she has made her own herbal medicines and body care products. Being a well rounded denizen of the earth, all of us at Mountain Rose Herbs have engagements with jealousy when we are peppered by her stories concerning global adventures in Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, and Mexico!
Terms Account Manager
Botanicals: Tulsi, Lotus, Ashwaganda, Brahmi, Cacao, Ginkgo, Nettle, Fungi, Trillium, Devil's Club, Wild Ginger, and Elder.
Music: Thievery Corporation, Gigi, Erykah Badu, Roots Reggae, Neil Young, Pink Floyd, Bob Marley, Dezarie, and Tabla Beat Science.
Books: Botany of Desire, herbal field guides, classic herbals, women's literature, Maya Angelou, Francis Moore Lappe, and The Red Tent.
Interests: permaculture, organic gardening, foraging, being out in the woods, organic gardening, being a mother, practicing herbalism, and living sustainably.
If you operate a store or own a manufacturing business chances are that you speak to Felicia when placing you orders, requesting samples or opening an account. She is in charge of all active term accounts and accounts receivables for both large and small business accounts across the world. Felicia's been working within the Mountain Rose Customer Service team for more than four years and she has a wealth of knowledge and information to share with our customers. If you have any questions about wholesale or store accounts, be sure to talk to Felicia, she'll be happy to help you.
Her dominant intellectual passions are to be found in herbal education and the experiences she gains as a result of this education. Her involvement in Mountain Rose Herbs has provided her with a thorough and challenging resource for these passions and she never passes a day without learning something new which is ultimately shared with our customers!
While the mother of three, she is quick to espouse the enjoyment to be found is absolute silence and solitude which every mother can agree with.
When herbs, children and solitude are not part of her daily medley, she delves into the pratice of both Yoga and Tibetan Buddhism.
Deep, content, and full of substance are some of the words we come up with when describing Felicia.
Shipping Manager
Botanicals: Lavender, Rosemary, Roses, and Hibiscus.
Music: Johnny Cash, Keith Urban, Jason Maraz, Nickelback and most country.
Books: Natural healing books, texts on Reiki, and most anything from Wayne Dyer.
Interests: traveling, photography, my children, the ocean, hiking, movies, gardening, and being outdoors.
Kris has the ever challenging task of managing all shipments both domestic and international and supervises the entire shipping department and its crew. Without this dedicated and committed woman, we could not possibly satisfy our 24 hour shipping promise, and all of us would like to give her our profuse thanks! Kris can also take credit for being quite possible the most spiritually adept member of Mountain Rose Herbs also refining her skills in Reiki, stone and vibrational therapy, detoxifying foot work, Intention Setting, and the importance of Totem Animals. When she is not shipping parcels or acknowledging the power of spirit and therapy, she may be found placidly passing the weekend days in her garden with her children, or camping afar in the Oregon back country. One of her more enjoyable amusements is a love affair with country music which most of us find enduring, especially after a 3 hour session. But with a few repeated plays you find yourself uncontrollably singing along and tapping your foot to the percussion.
Regulatory Compliance Manager
Botanicals: Eucalyptus, Passionflower, Chrysanthemum, and Nettles.
Music: A musical cocktail of doom (Electric Wizard, St. Vitus, The Obsessed, Burningwitch and Asunder) Elmore James, Jimmy Reed, Howlingwolf, Skip James, Black Flag, Adolescents, Minutemen, Ramones and Bad Brains.
Books: History, H.P. Lovecraft, R.E. Howard, Philosophy, and the histories of secret societies.
Interests: researching obscure subjects, being in the woods, getting tattoos, old horror and sci-fi movies, live music, hunting for rare music at record stores, old cemeteries.
Scott is in charge of that little thanked and often sighed upon job of regulatory compliance, which he has no complaints about and often performs with a steadfast optimism rarely seen.
To help put this into perspective, he is in charge of all matters concerning the FDA, USDA Food Safety Division, OSHA Compliance, proposed GMP's, Oregon Tilth organic certification, Earth Kosher inspections, Fair Trade auditing, Pest and Hygiene management and all the other documents and procedures necessary for any herbal products company. The breadth of knowledge necessary and the degree of complexity that his job demands deserves the highest of praise and we all would like to thank him profusely!
Scott comes to Mountain Rose Herbs with a degree in Art History and a penchant for all things literary with a special flavor for ancient, medieval, and general world history. Given the dark nature of these histories he is able to amply express himself with a refined fondness for horror movies, black metal music and a light sprinkling of H.P. Lovecraft just for good measure!
Lab Manager
Botanicals: Kalmia occidentalis, Corallorhiza mertensiana, Mitella pentandra, Aralia californica, Pedicularis groenlandica, Listera cordata, Ribes lobbii.
Music: Wil Oldham, Belle & Sebastian, Bob Dylan, The Smiths, Mikah Sykes, The Magnetic Fields, Sonic Youth, John Coltrane, Elliott Smith, Bach, David Bowie, Cat Power, Public Enemy, Pixies, Neil Young, Animal Collective, Bob Marley, Blonde Redhead, Tom Waits, Bright Eyes, J Dilla, Beirut, The Fiery Furnaces, Nina Simone, The Sea and Cake.
Books: Flora of the Pacific Northwest, Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach, A Place On Earth, Medicinal plants of the Mountain West, Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West, Medical Hebalism, The Forgotten Pollinators, How to Identify Plants, Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses, Maurice Sendak, Roald Dahl, Ursula K. LeGuin, J. R. R. Tolkien, Philip K. Dick.
Interests: botanizing, Camping, hiking, cooking, riding my bicycle, picnicking, foraging the Cascade Mountains in August eating fresh wild berries, sharing a meal and a pint with my friends.
Originally from
Steven was educated at
In his spare-time, Steven continues to teach at Columbines School of Botanical Studies and enjoys spending time cooking, camping, and botanizing.
Office Manager
Botanicals: Honeysuckle, Valerian, Mugwort, Sweetgrass, and Rosemary.
Music: blues, funk and traditional ceremonial music. Anything that makes my heart go "aaahhh".
Books: Herbal reference books, texts on medicinal plants, and sci-fi.
Interests: watching my grand-daughter grow, learning about herbs and medicinals, gardening, preserving food, serving the mother and all my relations.
Carol manages our incredibly busy Customer Service office with both chiseled perfection and studied grace, which as most of us will tell you, can be a difficult and dangerous enterprise!
She is in charge of our daily flow of orders and ensures that they are processed and handled in an efficient and timely manner in coordination with our 24 hour promise to ship out orders. In addition to this she oversees order processing, phone service, international customer service, email service, the wholesale department and our returns department. All of these responsibilities by themselves may not sound like much, but once combined, they wholly represent the entire experience that our customers have with us which is the most important aspect at Mountain Rose Herbs.
Carol’s good humor and her lighthearted command of common sense is principally influenced by sharing habitation with 5 cats dancing on the brink of lunacy and a geriatric bunny thrown in just for good measure. As an herbalist, ceremonialist, ordained minister and gardener she has fostered a profound appreciation of the “
She has a weakness for neurotic kitties, bad puns and chocolate.
IT Manager
Botanicals: Eleuthro Root, Passionflower, Nettles, Oat Tops and White Sage.
Music: Beats Antique, Groundation, Bassnectar, Radiohead, and Thievery Corporation.
Books: Peace is Every Step, Choke, and Music of Life.
Interests: writing music, live performance, hiking, hot springs, gardening, photography, and smiling.
In these times of technological drive it is hard to imagine why IT managers often get overlooked by most of us. If it weren't for the work that these fine folks do, the modality and foundation that most companies conduct their business would ultimately shut down.
Thankfully we have Nate who manages all of our technologies, and we mean all of them! These include our website, fulfillment systems, order processing capabilities, online scripting, security, label printers, shipping stations, network management, and so much more! Many of these things are often taken for granted by most of us within the world we live in, but without Nate's steadfast attitude towards making sure everything works as it is supposed to, we would not be able to offer the level of service that we do. Nate has been working with computers and the people that use them since 1998 and his perfect day ends with the solving of a complex problem which prevented someone from streamlining a process.
Nate was born in Southern Oregon and is a fan of all things natural and spends as much time as he can shooting botanical and insect macro photography, and swimming in Oregon's beautiful rivers with his two Labradors. Nate is also a musician in a local Eugene area 8 member band called The T Club that plays all over the west coast virtually every weekend.
Comfort Support and Security Staff
Botanicals: grass, smelly ferns, fungi, pond moss, and trees with squirrels in them.
Music: anything worth howling to, but our particular favorites are Leadbelly because we can karaoke to it with Shawn.
Books: How To Love Your Retriver, 98 Ways To Make Your Dog Smile, Just Give Them The Treats, The Ultimate Grooming Guidebook.
Interests: Getting leftovers, going to Dorris Ranch, hiking our numerous buttes, fine food, river diving, chasing squirrels, meeting new friends, barking at imaginary intruders, waking mom up nice and early so we can start the day, fetching fir cones, going for road trips, a nice deep grooming, and dinner!
Abigail (the white one) is the sweet and revered canine matriarch of our clan and she is a Lab/Retriever and Pyrenees mix. She came into our lives shortly after we lost our beloved Dusty and we cannot thank her enough for the gentle and trusted companionship she had provided us during that time of loss. She is determined, loyal and will not tolerate interlopers who emit unkindness to both human and dog alike. Maggie (the auburn one) is 100% pure Golden retriever and is a tireless youngster. Being the most recent member to the family, she looks up to Abigail with aspiration and respect but this never prevents her from chewing Abigail's face, and turning her ears into "crunch muffins" from her constant gumming. When Shawn is present, no rules apply and here begins a fur flying "smack-down" where human and dog wrestle to exhaustion......Maggie usually wins.
