From his roots in Independence to a leadership role with one of the largest nursery operations in the Chicago region, Independence High School alumnus Andy Fields, Class of 2013, has built a career centered on growth, both literally and professionally.
Fields currently serves as vice president of container operations at Goodmark Nurseries in Illinois, where he is the executive leader of the company’s container division. His responsibilities include strategic planning, budgeting, forecasting, pricing, production, plant quality, irrigation efficiency and integrated pest management.
His professional growth recently earned him recognition beyond Goodmark Nurseries. Fields was selected for the Horticultural Research Institute Leadership Academy Class of 2027, a program designed to develop leaders within the horticulture industry. The Horticultural Research Institute described Fields as a leader who has advanced rapidly through growing, integrated pest management (IPM), irrigation and production planning roles.
For Fields, the foundation for that career began years earlier at Independence High School, where opportunities inside and outside the classroom helped him discover an interest in the natural world.
“My experience at Independence was overall great for my development and definitely prepared me for my professional career. There was so much to be involved in and great opportunities to learn important skills that have helped me over the years. During my time in high school, classes that particularly helped shape my interest in the outdoors and our environment were Biology and Environmental Science with Mr. Scott Maretka. Bio Society was my favorite club as a student, and spending so much time learning from him really helped give me direction as far as what I wanted to do with my life and career. He deserves so much credit for putting up with our group of friends on all those field trips over the years on Saturday mornings,” said Fields.
After graduating from IHS, Fields attended the University of Mount Union, where his experiences included working as a student ambassador, sports information assistant and undergraduate research assistant at the Huston-Brumbaugh Nature Center. His research position gave him hands-on experience collecting and analyzing field data, identifying plants, trees, invertebrates and birds, and assisting with nature center programming.
After college, Fields began building his professional experience in the green industry as an assistant grower at Willoway Nurseries in Avon, Ohio, from 2018 to 2020. He then moved to the Chicago area and joined Goodmark Nurseries as grower and IPM manager.
During his first four years at Goodmark, Fields helped reshape and expand the nursery’s container shrub and perennial program. Under his leadership, the operation grew to produce more than 100,000 container shrubs and perennials annually, while the nursery also planted an additional 50,000 trees each year.
His responsibilities and leadership continued to grow. Fields was promoted to head grower and IPM manager in July 2024 and then to vice president of container operations in December 2025.
Today, Fields oversees a division that requires him to combine the horticultural knowledge that launched his career with the business and leadership skills he has developed along the way. He manages operating and capital budgets, develops product offerings, leads pricing strategy, establishes performance measures and works across departments to improve plant quality, growth rates and pest-control effectiveness.
His selection for the HRI Leadership Academy provides another opportunity to build upon those skills while connecting with other emerging leaders in the horticulture industry.
Looking back at his own path, Fields encourages current IHS students to take advantage of the opportunities available to them and use those experiences to discover what interests them most.
“Looking back I would say one of the best lessons I learned is don't be afraid to get involved with as many things as possible. IHS provides so many options for students and since it's a small school it really supports everyone doing multiple sports, clubs, and activities at the same time. Try out as many things as you can and find what you are passionate about. Once you find that thing that makes you excited or piques your curiosity chase that passion as far as you can,” said Fields.
Fields’ journey from Independence classrooms and Saturday morning Bio Society field trips to executive leadership in the horticulture industry is another example of how Independence graduates are Cultivating a Legacy of Excellence in their professions and communities.