We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Erick Englehart a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Erick, thanks for joining us today. Talk to us about building your team? What was it like? What were some of the key challenges and what was your process like?

The Buttheadz Growers Club is a nonprofit organization dedicated to “Butting Headz with Hunger” by building and maintaining community gardens throughout local communities. From our very first meeting, I was truly blown away by the number of people who showed up to support the vision. It was clear from the beginning that this was something special.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked alongside such amazing individuals in the early stages of the Buttheadz Growers Club. In my opinion, building a great team starts with leadership that values listening and strong communication. Learning to truly hear others and work together has been one of the most important parts of our success.

As an organization, we have faced challenges along the way, including the difficult loss of our close friend and Vice President, Chad Moore, in 2025. We have also encountered obstacles that tested us as a team. However, each challenge strengthened our commitment and brought us closer together.

One of our proudest accomplishments was hosting the SEMO 420 Festival last year in Southeast Missouri. The event was an incredible success. Our Board of Directors did an outstanding job organizing the fundraiser, collaborating with local vendors and sponsors to promote the event, and managing parking, ticket sales, and music coordination with the bands. Our club members also did an amazing job helping with event activities and supporting attendees throughout the day. It was truly a full team effort.

We are excited to announce our next event on April 19, 2026 — the 2nd Annual SEMO 420 Fest. We look forward to building on last year’s success and continuing to bring the community together for a great cause.

I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to work with such an impressive group of individuals who are committed to changing the world—one garden bed at a time. What makes our team so successful is our shared passion to fight stigma, support our community, and create meaningful change.

If I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. This journey of learning and growing together has strengthened us in ways I never imagined. Today, our team is stronger than ever, and our mission continues to grow.

Erick, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

The Buttheadz Brand is built on sustainability. My name is Erick Englehart, and I founded the Buttheadz Brand in 2021 with a mission to promote sustainability and strengthen community connections.

My journey began with the Buttheadz Grow Shop in Jackson, Missouri. That’s where we first created Buttheadz Living Soil. In the beginning, we mixed soil by hand in a plastic container in the back of the shop and bagged it ourselves in sandbags. My goal was simple: provide customers with a high-quality soil blend packed with premium amendments, ready to use right out of the bag.

Buttheadz Living Soil is made with natural amendments, patented coco coir fiber, our aged compost, and natural rice hulls to promote healthy root development and proper aeration. Our mix is designed to support sustainable growing practices and is crafted using recycled and environmentally responsible materials. We are committed to producing a natural, sustainable soil that benefits both the grower and the environment.

Over time, Buttheadz Living Soil evolved. Today, our soil is professionally packaged in 1 cubic foot and 2 cubic foot bags and is sold across the United States. I take great pride in offering a sustainable, quality product that helps growers save money while also supporting environmentally responsible practices.

While making soil and helping customers with their grow questions in the shop, I began to realize something special. The people walking through our doors weren’t just customers—they were incredible individuals who shared the same passion for growing and community. Many of them became friends. That realization inspired me to create the Buttheadz Growers Club in 2023.

Our first meeting was held in a small storage shed beside the store, and I was blown away by the overwhelming support. In that moment, I knew we were building something meaningful. By bringing passionate people together, we could create positive change in our community.

We started with very little funding. The first garden bed was built from pallets using donated seeds and soil. What began as a simple effort has grown into 16 thriving garden beds. Today, the organization also helps maintain gardens in Cape Girardeau, expanding our impact and helping feed more families in our community.

I am proud of the Buttheadz Growers Club and the incredible people who have dedicated their time, energy, and passion to this mission. I truly believe this movement will continue to spread to communities across the United States, helping fight food insecurity—one garden bed at a time.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

A story I would like to share that truly represents the resilience of the Buttheadz Growers Club is the loss of our Vice President, Chad Moore, who passed away in February of 2025.

This was an incredibly difficult time for our club and its members. Losing a close friend within a community organization hits deeply—it becomes more than just a leadership transition; it becomes personal. Chad was not only a Vice President but also a friend, a supporter, and a believer in our mission. His passing left a space that was felt by everyone involved.

During that time of grief, our club had to come together not only emotionally but organizationally. We needed to find a new Vice President, and it was inspiring to see the strength of our team. Will Hotop volunteered to step up from his previous role as Marketing Director and take on the responsibility of Vice President. He has done an outstanding job representing the Buttheadz Growers Club and helping maintain and grow our community garden efforts.

With Will transitioning into the Vice President role, that left an open Marketing Director position. Once again, our team showed its resilience. Gary Kelley stepped forward to take on the responsibility, and he has done an incredible job organizing vendors and sponsors for the SEMO 420 Fest and helping promote our mission.

I believe this story reflects who we are as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. In the face of adversity, we come together. We support one another. We rise to the occasion. And together, we continue to shine.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

My journey began with the Buttheadz Grow Shop in Jackson, Missouri. That’s where we first created Buttheadz Living Soil. In the early days, we mixed soil by hand in a plastic container in the back of the shop and bagged it ourselves in sandbags. My goal was simple: provide customers with a high-quality soil blend packed with premium amendments, ready to use straight out of the bag.

Buttheadz Living Soil is made with natural amendments, patented coco coir fiber, our aged compost, and natural rice hulls to promote healthy root development and proper aeration. Along the way, we learned some valuable lessons. For example, the age of the compost makes a big difference in both performance and odor—fresh compost can smell strong, which indoor gardeners may not appreciate. We also discovered the importance of seasoning the rice hulls. When we first used fresh rice hulls in our soil, they began to sprout inside the bag. From that experience, we realized that properly aged rice hulls must be used to ensure stability and quality in the finished soil.

Our mix is designed to support sustainable growing practices and is crafted using recycled, environmentally responsible materials. We are committed to producing a natural, sustainable soil that benefits both the grower and the environment.

Over time, Buttheadz Living Soil has evolved. Today, in partnership with my friend Vince Schrum from Midwest Organics, we have expanded production. Our soil is now professionally packaged in 1 cubic foot and 2 cubic foot bags and is sold across the United States. I take great pride in offering a sustainable, high-quality product that helps growers save money while supporting environmentally responsible practices.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.buttheadz.com
• Instagram: buttheadzgrowshopllc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/buttheadzgrowstore
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/buttheadz-organic-soil-company-74896b22a
• Youtube: @buttheadz9177

Image Credits

Erick Englehart Gary Kelly william hotop