Iowa City, Iowa — Est. 2017
We grew it ourselves before we built systems for anyone else.
Urban Greens designs and installs recirculating hydroponic systems for commercial microgreen and baby green production worldwide. Every system we build is rooted in a decade of hands-on growing experience.
10+
Years growing
30+
Complete Systems Installed
8
Countries with Installations
3
System tiers
2014 to 2017
It started as a side project. It became something we couldn't stop working on.
In 2014, Chad and Ted began experimenting with hydroponics. No commercial ambitions at first, just a genuine interest in how controlled-environment growing actually worked. That curiosity led to real installations: recirculating systems for fruiting crops in the University of Iowa biology building and student greenhouse, and a rooftop grow operation for a business owner in downtown Iowa City.
By the time Urban Greens launched in 2017, we had three years of real-world installation experience behind us. We knew what worked and what didn't before we ever took a customer dollar.
2017 to 2023
We built the business the hard way by actually running it.
Urban Greens launched as a microgreen production operation, not a product company. We chose microgreens for the margin and cycle speed, then designed and fabricated our own growing systems from scratch, improving with every build.
What started in a single basement room expanded to fill the basement, then a shed, then a shop, then a full warehouse. Every phase forced us to solve real production problems at increasing scale: yield consistency, water management, lighting efficiency, automation. Those solutions became the foundation of the systems we sell today.
2023 to present
When other growers started asking how we built our systems, we were ready.
In 2023, growing traction on social media brought inbound interest from growers who wanted to replicate what we had built. This was always the plan. We had spent six years running a production business specifically so we could design systems for others from a position of real experience, not theory.
Today we design, supply, and install recirculating systems for operations across North America, Europe, and beyond. From single-room startups to multi-rack commercial facilities. Every system ships with the knowledge we earned the hard way.
The people behind the systems
Urban Greens is built and operated by its two founders. When you work with us, you work directly with the people who designed the systems.
Chad Treloar
Co-Founder & CEO
A 4th-generation farmer with a degree in Environmental Science, Chad brings agricultural roots, construction experience, and food service operations to every system we build. He leads system design, customer engagements, and international installations.
Ted Myers
Co-Founder & COO
Ted holds a biology degree with an emphasis in genetics and spent years in the medical field before co-founding Urban Greens. His scientific background drives the biological side of system design, including water chemistry, plant physiology, and grow protocol development.
As featured in
Urban Greens in the press
Coverage from local and national media since 2017.
PBS Main Streets
Featured in the Iowa City episode · 2023
The Gazette
Local entrepreneurs bring farming to the city · 2019
Corridor Business Journal
Urban farming startup savors the salad days · 2021
The Daily Iowan
New age farmers grow local produce year round · 2017
Little Village
2018 CSA Guide for the Iowa City area · 2018
Ready to build your operation?
Tell us about your space and goals. We will help you figure out the right system and the right path forward.