Meet the Staff of Heritage Prairie Market
It's the people that make our farm and market work. Learn about our dedicated staff, their backgrounds and interests. Next time you are at the Farm or Market say hi!

Mike Bollinger:
Raised with values of social welfare, Mike Bollinger has had a life-long interest in health and the general well-being of people.  After graduating with degrees in psycho-biology and philosophy, Mike's health interests led him to work with troubled teens, dealing with drug and alcohol related issues. Wanting to understand more about his own health before sharing information with others, Mike is currently enrolled in a health counseling program at Columbia University.


Katie Prochaska
After leaving the Midwest with her biology degree in hand, Katie Prochaska found herself in western Africa, in Mali, serving with the Peace Corps for two years focusing her energy on women's groups and sustainable agriculture.  Mike joined up with Katie in Mali, where they both worked sharing their knowledge with local families.  When they  returned to Iowa, their interest in agriculture continued as they worked for the Seed Saver's Exchange, preserving heirloom seeds for the seed bank.

In 2004, Katie and Mike were married, and continued their work as a team.  Mike and Katie moved to Maine where they managed a five acre homestead, working to educate the public on growing food, sustainable living, and social activism.  In the two years following, they managed Eliot Coleman's Four Season Farm, growing for chefs and local markets. Moving back to the Midwest, Mike and Katie were looking for a family farm closer to their roots.  After a short interlude at the Chicago Botanic Gardens, Katie and Mike brought their knowledge of health, nutrition and farming with him to Heritage Prairie last fall.


Sarah Harmon 
A mere six miles from Heritage Prairie, Sarah grew up climbing trees and playing in a backyard vegetable garden.  She  left to explore the West Coast and to study Social Work and French.  With Sarah's knowledge of French, she spent a year teaching English to elementary school students in a French Overseas Department, and learning about the culture and people of Reunion Island.  The west coast of the US continued to tantalize, and she returned, spending two years in Oregon at Lost Valley Educational Center, where she managed a vegetarian kitchen for the community and conference center.  Passionate about eating local organically grown fruits and vegetables, Sarah came on board with Heritage Prairie Market as a store employee this past spring and has since become more involved in the administrative aspects of HPM. 


Ted Richter
A Kane Country native, Ted was drawn to the West Coast in his college years, where he studied political science.  Enamored by the state of Oregon, Ted spent the next twenty years in the fly fishing industry, owning an outfitting service on the Deschutes River in Oregon.  To our benefit, Ted found his way back to the area about five years ago.  Since then, Ted has worked on his family farm becoming well-renowned in local restaurants and farmer’s markets for his amazing heirloom tomatoes. After getting to know Ted throughout the Farmer's Market season of 2007, HPM was delighted for Ted to join our team last fall. 


Pat Shepard 
After years in corporate sales, Pat has taken a turn to pursue her passion of baking and candy making.  Two Sisters and The Other One was the brainchild of Pat and her two sisters nearly three years ago.  Pat joined the HPM staff in November, diving headfirst into the holiday season.  Making all things sweet from caramels and truffles, to honey cakes and vegan cupcakes, Pat's repertoire covers it all.  Look for new additions in the HPM store of granola bars, graham crackers, and honey cornmeal cookies. 


Bronwyn Weaver
Raised on an organic farm in rural Ohio, Bron has her roots sunk deep into family-centered communities and has had an avid interest in naturally grown food.  After completing degrees in geology and communication, Bron’s  career took off as she worked her way up to Editor-in-Chief for journals in the mining industry. She continued to work in the mining industry, specifically in areas of community relations first on the East Coast and in the Caribbean.  Six years ago when Bron and her family (husband Bob, pictured with Bronwyn, and daughters Grace and Margaret) moved to the Fox Valley area,  Bron's interest in farming was sparked again in a decision to become a beekeeper,  and she began bottling and selling her honey on the farm.  Her honey sales grew and expanded, into what is now Heritage Prairie Market.  In between her duties as a mom and owner of Heritage Prairie, Bron continues her consulting work with communities in the mining industry. 


Carolyn Crosby
Carolyn is the newest addition to Heritage Prairie, and she brings along with her an exuberant energy and diverse skills. From waitressing to glass-blowing to teaching at a local Montessori school, Carolyn's desire to learn and grown shine through. Carolyn and her husband Mike spent several years in sunny California, while Mike served in the military and Carolyn attended college. When Carolyn isn't teaching kids, she's teaching adults at the Fine Line art studio enameling techniques. Fortunately for us, Carolyn landed back in Kane county and is in the throws of expanding our Farm Camp program for the summer.