Charlie Wade (’07 B.S. and ’10 M.S. in forestry) and Scott McKee (’09 B.S. and ’11 M.S. in forestry) started Collegiate Nurseries in 2009, offering a way for students, fans, and alumni to take a piece of campus home with them. “We had heard about similar programs at other schools, where alumni could purchase seedlings from campus trees, and thought Virginia Tech would be an excellent place to try it out,” explained Wade. “The campus is full of beautiful trees and Hokie Nation is full of diehard fans.”

Dubbed “Hokie™ Oaks,” the seedlings are grown from the acorns of oak trees around campus. The business currently offers seedlings from the bur oak on the Drillfield, white oaks near the president’s residence, and red oaks around Alumni Mall and the chapel. “We are currently in the second year of production” said McKee. “Once we get more established, we hope to expand and take our idea to new schools and really build our company.”

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