About us
Howdy Folks! 🐝
My name is John Hill, President and founder of HillCo, LLC. Whether you’re visiting our website for the first time, or a long-time customer, THANK YOU for being here!
A little bit about our background: I got my start in beekeeping at age 16, when I caught my first swarm. From that point on, I’ve had a passion for bees and all things beekeeping. As I built up my numbers of hives to pursue a goal of full-time beekeeping, I was frustrated by the lack of options and the high cost of beekeeping equipment. Eventually I began to make my own beehive components to save cost, and then started offering some of those products to local beekeepers. I also started sourcing honey processing equipment for myself and others in my area.
Experience
Beekeeping Experience
The Team behind HillCo brings decades of combined hands-on experience with bees and beekeeping equipment.
Our background spans manufacturing, lumber, agriculture, sales, marketing, and product innovation. We know how equipment is built, how it performs in production environments, and where most suppliers cut corners. That background shapes every buying decision we make and every product standard we hold.
We are also innovators. We do not just resell what is already out there. We look at how equipment performs in real-world use and work to make it better for the beekeeper. The result is a catalog that skews toward equipment that is more durable, more efficient, and easier to work with than what most suppliers offer.
Since 2019, we have quickly become a leader in honey extractors and honey house equipment, a category where the stakes for quality are high and beekeepers notice the difference.
TheTeam
The people behind HillCo come from different fields, but they share the same commitment to doing the work right.
John built HillCo on the belief that beekeepers deserve better options, better service, and equipment that holds up. He brings a background in manufacturing and agriculture and a hands-on understanding of what working beekeepers actually need.
Marissa keeps HillCo's financial operations running clean and accurate, supporting a business that moves fast and holds itself to high standards.
IL FACILITY
Rollyn runs the warehouse and shipping operation, making sure orders go out right and on time. When you order from HillCo, Rollyn's team is the reason it shows up the way it should.
A Little More About Rollyn
Rollyn is a beekeeper and a project enthusiast. He is a father of four and loves spending time with his family and caring for their wooded property.
Jennifer leads the sales team with a focus on real service, not scripts. She is the reason customers come back.
A Little More About Jennifer
Jennifer and her husband, Kevin, have two married children and two grandsons, Waylon and Sebastian. Their daughter, Hannah Williams, also works at HillCo. Jennifer works remotely from rural Kentucky, where she and Kevin live on a working 150-acre alfalfa hay farm. She loves country and farm life and spending time with her family, especially her grandsons.
Joey manages how HillCo shows up in the market, focusing on honest communication and useful content for beekeepers at every level.
A Little More About Joey
Joey has been a beekeeper for more than 16 years and enjoys chasing the nectar flow across the Piedmont and mountains of North Carolina. He and his wife, Courtney, are now empty nesters and enjoy time with their two sons, William and Weston, whenever they are home. He also enjoys fishing, hunting and golf. Joey has been a volunteer firefighter for 30 years and is active in his church.
Ben oversees shop and innovation operations, keeping the equipment and workflow standards where they need to be.
A Little More About Ben
Ben runs his own 3D printer farm, taking on smaller projects for himself and others. He also loves to snowboard and heads out to the Colorado mountains every year with his family to hit the slopes.
Craig leads HillCo's education efforts, helping beekeepers build their knowledge and confidence through practical guidance, training, and hands-on experience.
A Little More About Craig
Craig is attending Cornell University, where he is pursuing his Master Beekeeper Certification, which he expects to complete by May 2027
Mason supports both marketing and store sales, creating content for social media and helping connect beekeepers with the right equipment for their operation.
A Little More About Mason
Outside of work, he loves playing his instruments and making music with his friends. On weekends Mason DJ's weddings, proms, and homecomings which is another great musical outlet. Mason fills any extra time with family, friends, and his local Church community.
Brenda manages the accounting and inventory side of the business, keeping product availability accurate and operations running smoothly.
A Little More About Brenda
Brenda enjoys sewing, especially making bags.
Hannah helps customers with calls, orders, live chat, and support, while also assisting with queen and live bee orders, merchandise, and a wide range of day-to-day customer needs.
A Little More About Hannah
Hannah and her husband, Jacob, have one son, Waylon. They own a farm of more than 120 acres as well as a trucking business, so she stays busy between work, the farm and the trucking company's paperwork. Most of all, she loves spending time with her family.
Marci supports customers through calls, emails, and order assistance, providing dependable customer service and helping ensure every order and inquiry is handled with care.
A Little More About Marci
Marci enjoys kayaking, working in her flower beds and spending time with family and friends. She serves and volunteers with her church's recovery outreach program and enjoys Bible studies with her sister.
Aaron oversees HillCo's Tennessee operations, handling everything from customer support and shipping issues to literally helping build the location from the ground up.
A Little More About Aaron
Aaron loves spending time with his family and being outdoors. He enjoys hunting, shooting and fishing.
Ian is HillCo's Shop Manager.
A little more about Ian
Ian loves spending time with his two boys, whether they are working on cars, hunting, fishing or playing video games.
Curtis works at HillCo as a shop technician.
A Little More About Curtis
Curtis enjoys spending time with his family and friends, serving at his local church and working on small engines.
Lewis has helped out at HillCo since the beginning. Today he mainly supports the team at conferences and helps with a variety of jobs at Yellow Creek.
A Little More About Lewis
Lewis enjoys 3D printing and is a big fan of automobiles. Electric vehicles are his favorite area, and Tesla is his favorite brand.
Amber works in the warehouse as a Packing Associate adding careful attention to each order that she prepares and ships
A Little More About Amber
Amber enjoys spending time with her family, going camping and singing karaoke.
Jack works in the warehouse packing orders.
A Little More About Jack
Jack is a husband and a father, and he loves hunting, gaming and playing Dungeons and Dragons with his friends.
Patricia works as a Warehouse Associate juggling many tasks and helping with most anything needed to prepare and complete orders quickly.
A Little More About Patricia
Patricia loves spending time with her family, friends and church community. She also enjoys beekeeping, playing instruments and kayaking.
Zane works in the warehouse packing orders.
A Little More About Zane
Zane enjoys hunting, fishing, skiing and playing board games with his friends and family.
Faith works in the warehouse preparing orders for shipping.
A Little More About Faith
Faith loves developing her passion for hairdressing and art, taking care of her dog, Bobo, and watching TV shows.
Eli is a warehouse associate who assembles Hive365 kits, storage tanks and other items as needed.
A Little More About Eli
Eli loves building model cars, fishing and hunting.
I am a warehouse associate! I build hive 365s, hive stands, telescoping lids, spring feet, storage tanks, and uncapping tanks!
A Little More About Tristan
Tristan runs a small lawn care business. He also enjoys hunting and fishing.
Timothy works at HillCo as an assembly technician.
A Little More About Timothy
Timothy enjoys traveling to visit his family and friends, going to as much live music as he can and working on his 1974 Chevy Camaro.
Mark works in the shop as an assembly technician.
A Little More About Mark
Mark enjoys spending time with his grandkids, spoiling his two little dogs and watching movies with his wife.
Amy joined HillCo in August 2026. She works in the warehouse, handles LTL freight shipping and does wax dipping.
A Little More About Amy
Amy is married to Dirk and is a mom to four children. In her free time, she loves to sew, bake and read, and spending time with her family is one of her favorite things to do.
Matthew works in the shop as an assembly technician.
A Little More About Matthew
Matthew graduated from Harding University in 2024 with a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, where he was a student athlete in cross country and track. When he is not in the workshop, he loves working on his home-brewed honey mead and a bus remodel project he hopes to take across the United States.
I assemble and program motor controllers and assemble extractors. I'm new parts manager and take care of all the building maintenance in Minonk.
A Little More About Scott
Scott enjoys auto racing, 3D printing and hanging out with friends.
I work in the shop building extracters, do welding and trouble shooting.
A Little More About Dirk
Dirk likes fixing things. He is a fan of old cars, trucks and motorcycles, especially 1960s and early 1970s muscle cars, and he also has an interest in World War II era aircraft.
Tristin works in the warehouse packing orders.
A Little More About Tristin
Tristin enjoys spending time with family, friends and pets, and making music in the family band.
Robert works in the shop as an assembly technician.
A Little More About Robert
Robert loves hiking, fishing, camping, gaming and playing his guitar.
Nina works in the warehouse packing orders. She is enjoying her work and learning about bees along the way.
A Little More About Nina
Nina enjoys spending time with her family and her two dogs, reading and walking trails.
Three Things Drive Everything We Do At
GREAT
PRODUCTS
We carry equipment that performs. Our specialty in stainless and honey house equipment means we have gone deeper in these categories than most suppliers.
GREAT
PRICES
We do not inflate margins to fund a flashy operation. We price fairly because beekeepers who trust us deserve that.
BEST SERVICE
AND WARRANTY
This is not a tagline. It is the standard we hold ourselves to every day. If something is not right, we fix it. Our warranty backs that up.
