People and Events

People

Matt Mart has joined Benary of North America as the new sales and marketing manager. He will operate out of the company’s newly opened facility in Watsonville, Calif. Jean Paul Bessette, current sales and marketing manager of Benary of North America, has accepted a new position as area sales manager for Southern Europe and South America.

Michael Hemming of Eastern Shore Nurseries, Easton, Md., has been awarded the Maryland Nursery and Landscape Association Professional Achievement Award. He follows in the footsteps of his grandfather, who won the Professional Achievement award in 1947, and his father, who won the award in 1964.

Rancho Tissue Technologies has added Lee Charles Chaille as production manager to its team. Chaille has served as lab manager and commercial producer for Hawaii Biotech Tissue Culture Center, where he explored the commercial production of Jatropha for biofuels. He collaborated with Dr. Kheng Cheah, a renowned tissue culture specialist, to establish the New Plant Distribution Center and develop new optimized culture media for Bamboo culture while at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Costa Farms has brought Hispanic writer Andrés Fortuño onto its team to speak to the growing number of Hispanics who love to garden. Fortuño will be “the voice” for Costa Farms’ new Facebook page, Costa Farms en Español. He will also help develop retail specific programs for the Hispanic market and conduct product knowledge classes in specific retailers in South Florida. Fortuño has developed DIY gardening projects that have aired on Telemundo and Univision. He is experienced in the creative field, from traditional advertising and photography to landscape creations and editorial writing. He currently writes for About.com Español, producing the Plants and Gardens section.

The Executive Committee of the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) has confirmed the appointment of Tim Briercliffe as the new Secretary General of the association. This full-time role results from an internal review of AIPH activity and was created to drive the growth of AIPH. The position will spearhead a new phase of activity focusing on meeting the needs of growers across the world, the association says. Read more at bit.ly/YVPgP9.

Aris Horticultural Services has announced that Jennifer Kuziw has joined the company as a sales representative covering New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware. Kuziw has worked in the industry for nearly 25 years. Her experience covers both the grower and retailer aspects of the business, from product knowledge to production scheduling to developing retail sales programs and merchandising for both big-box stores and independent garden centers.

Dave Edenfield is the new business development manager at McConkey Co. In his new role, Edenfield will collaborate with the company’s product and design teams to create new products that address specific grower needs. In addition, he’ll work to strengthen the company’s focus on solution-based product development, while providing enhanced support for account managers in the field.

EVENTS

June

1, Oklahoma Nursery & Landscape Association Summer Workshop, Duncan, Okla.;
www.oknla.org.

4, Tennessee Green Industry Field Day, McMinnville, Tenn.;
www.tnla.com.

19, Darwin Perennials Day, The Gardens at Ball, West Chicago, Ill.;
www.ballperennialday.com.

25, Tennessee Green Industry Field Day, Knoxville, Tenn.;
www.tnla.com.
 

July

13-16, OFA Short Course, Columbus, Ohio;
www.ofashortcourse.org.

21-27, Perennial Plant Symposium, Vancouver, B.C. Canada;
www.perennialplant.org.

29-Aug 9, Michigan Garden Plant Tour, Lower Michigan,
planttour.hrt.msu.edu

31-Aug. 1, PANTS, Philadelphia, Pa.;
www.pantshow.com.
 

August

1-3, BloomaPalooza, Raker Trial Gardens, Litchfield, Mich.;
www.bloomapalooza.com.

5-7, SNA, Georgia International Convention Center, College Park, Ga.;
www.sna.org.

15-17, Nursery & Landscape Expo, Dallas Convention Center, Dallas, Texas;
www.nurserylandscapeexpo.org.

22-24, Farwest Show, Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Ore.;
www.farwestshow.com.

Have a business or calendar announcement? Please email press releases & high-resolution photos to Matt McClellan at mmcclellan@gie.net or Kelli Rodda at krodda@gie.net.