Aquascape and Heinz Brothers win 2026 Made in St. Charles Awards

The St. Charles Business Alliance has named Aquascape Construction's Pond Shop & Inspiration Center and Heinz Brothers Greenhouse Garden Center as its 2026 Made in St. Charles Award recipients. The awards will be presented at the St. Charles City Council meeting on Monday, Nov. 16.

The Alliance's Business Development and Sales Committee picked both businesses. The committee's theme this year was businesses "that help our community grow by cultivating products right here in St. Charles," according to the Alliance's Oct. 29 announcement.

"We're excited to recognize another great group of St. Charles businesses through the Made in St. Charles Program," Jenna Sawicki, the Alliance's executive director, said in the release.

The award goes to businesses that make their products in town

The Alliance launched Made in St. Charles in 2022 to recognize local businesses that make their products in St. Charles. When it named the first class that year, the Alliance said candidates needed a brick-and-mortar location in town, had to produce their products here and had to be tourism-friendly.

This is the fifth class. Earlier recipients listed on the Alliance's website:

• 2025: The Bike Rack, R.W. Rogers Company and Dickey Manufacturing
• 2024: Kimmer's Ice Cream, Arcedium Coffeehouse, Dear Donuts and Brown Butter Cafe & Bakery
• 2023 (industrial): Bison Gear & Engineering, Clarke Environmental, Lighting Innovations, I.C.T. Power USA, United Laboratories and Warwick Publishing
• 2022: Smitty's on the Corner, Campbell Creations, Magnolia Soap and Bath Co., Gindo's Spice of Life, Mad Batter Bakery & Confections and Broken Brix Winery & Cidery

Aquascape grows water lilies and raises koi at Aqualand

The Pond Shop sits on Aquascape's headquarters campus, which the company calls Aqualand, at 901 Aqualand Way. Greg Wittstock started the company in 1991 as a pond construction business in Wheaton, according to Aquascape. It added manufacturing and wholesale distribution in 1995. The original construction business now runs as a division that operates the St. Charles store.

In its write-up, the Alliance pointed to the water lilies Aquascape grows on site and the koi it raises on the property. The Alliance also calls Aquascape Construction the largest water feature design and installation company in the world.

The shop sells hardy water lilies from late April through September, according to its website. The outdoor display ponds, called the AquaGardens, are open to the public year-round during daylight hours, the company says.

Heinz Brothers starts its plants from plugs

Heinz Brothers Greenhouse Garden Center, at 2010 E. Main St., has been in the plant business since the 1940s, according to its website. Joel F. and JoAn Schrock bought it in 1979 and kept the Heinz Brothers name. It was mostly a wholesale seedling grower until 1990, when it began shifting to retail. Their son, Jay Schrock, took over in 2008. The greenhouse has been at its current site since 1985.

The Alliance says Heinz Brothers grows thousands of annuals, perennials, hanging baskets, vegetables, herbs and custom planters. Many start as plugs that staff plant and tend until they go home with customers.

Council meetings start at 7 p.m. at the Municipal Center

Recent agendas list regular City Council meetings at 7 p.m. in the St. Charles Municipal Center, 2 E. Main St. The city had not posted the Nov. 16 agenda as of Monday night, Nov. 9. Agendas and meeting video are posted on the city's Granicus page, stcharlesil.granicus.com.