Business Testimonial
Nanticoke Gardens
Nanticoke Gardens & TSB: Growing Trusted Relationships Built on Mutual Success
Nanticoke Gardens, a family-owned grower and retailer of plants, flowers, vegetables, and herbs, has been bringing color to the Southern Tier for generations. Each May—especially around Mother’s Day—cars line Route 26 as customers flock for hanging baskets and garden favorites.
Since buying the business in 2011, brothers Pete and Chip Shafer have expanded it to 65,000 square feet of greenhouse and retail space. But working with out-of-town banks proved frustrating—those lenders were no longer invested in the region. That changed when the brothers turned to Tioga State Bank.
With 80% of sales happening in May, Nanticoke Gardens depends on seasonal financing to cover upfront costs like fall orders, winter planting, and spring cultivation. TSB provides the agricultural lending and credit lines needed to bridge the gap—offering not just funding, but true partnership.
Pete Shafer shares more about this valued relationship in his video testimonial—watch it and read the full story below.
“TSB has been flexible and nimble in identifying what our needs are and finding creative ways to meet them.”
When we started banking with TSB, it was a critical time—late winter, right as our season was ramping up. Our previous bank was unsure about renewing our line of credit and was pulling back from this region altogether. We didn’t want to be in that position again.
We already had a small relationship with TSB, so we decided to build on it. They sat down with us, listened to our story, reviewed our history, and we had an honest, open conversation. They quickly understood our cash flow needs and connected the dots.
What sets TSB apart is that they see beyond the plastic-covered greenhouses. They understand our role in the community because they’re part of it—they live and work here, too. They don’t just see collateral; they see potential. With TSB, we have real people who understand our business, believe in what we do, and support decisions that benefit the entire region.
“TSB is a huge support for our business.”
We have developed a trusted partnership in that if they need something from us to keep our relationship going in a certain direction, we provide what they need. And it’s mutual. If I need something from George, Melissa or Raven, I know they’re going to be there for me. I trust they’re going to piece things together. If we have ideas on a new project, we run it by them. We’re at the Endwell office several times a week and get a ton of support from Sue and the team there. When we walk in, they greet us by name! Whether it’s for deposits or transfers or just needing change for the register, they’re a huge support for us.
“I suggest talking to TSB. I promise it won’t be time wasted.”
Sam calls TSB a great partner in both their business and personal lives. “I enjoy going to the bank to see Jim, Sue and the rest of the team. They take good care of us. We’ve become friends. I’d say to anyone, if your needs are not being fully met by your banking institution, I suggest talking to TSB. I promise it won’t be time wasted.”
“What’s different about TSB is the relationship part is just easy, natural, comfortable.”
That relationship piece takes a lot of the barriers away immediately. There’s a lot of candor. There’s no sugarcoating or dancing around things. It’s either we can do this, or we can’t. And most of the time if there’s a sense of, I think we can do this, we work through things together and get to the finish line together. Likewise, if we both sense right off the bat that something’s not going to work, then it’s typically not going to work. When I look at TSB and their structure, and I look at Nanticoke Gardens and our structure, we are both community based. There are people from the community, from top down. We use the phrase home spun. It’s from here, it’s built here, it’s rooted here. And I think that lends to a deeper relationship, a deeper connectivity and mutual success.
If you would like to open an account, have any questions, or want to learn more…
Tioga State Bank’s Commercial Account Specialists are here to help. Contact us online, by phone at 888-303-4TSB or visiting us at a TSB office location.