GIE Media announces key promotions in Horticulture Group

VALLEY VIEW, OHIO — GIE Media, Inc. is pleased to announce promotions within its Horticulture Media Group, which includes award-winning publications Greenhouse Management, Nursery Management, Produce Grower and Garden Center.

Michelle Simakis has been named group publisher. Simakis joined GIE Media in 2012 as associate editor of Garden Center magazine. In 2015, she was promoted to editor of Garden Center and helped build the educational track for the brand’s first conference in 2018. She joined GIE-owned Cannabis Business Times, one of the leading trade news organizations serving licensed cannabis companies in 2019, helping shape the magazine’s editorial content and contributing to the brand’s annual event.

“I am humbled and honored to be working with the incredibly talented editorial and sales team in the horticulture group, who have a combined 50-plus years of experience serving growers, retailers and dedicated suppliers in the industry,” Simakis says. “I am thrilled to again be part of the innovative horticulture industry, which is made up of the most kind, hardworking and creative people.”

Patrick Alan Coleman has been at the helm of Garden Center since he joined GIE Media in 2023. He was recently also named editor of Greenhouse Management and Produce Grower magazines. An avid home gardener with his wife and two boys in Northeast Ohio, Patrick is co-president of his neighborhood garden club. With two decades of journalism experience, he is now deeply devoted to exploring the issues and trends most important to the independent garden center and greenhouse industries.

"It's incredible to be in a position to take a broad view of such an industry, from seed to sale," Coleman says. "It's a unique opportunity for a journalist and one I'm excited to continue to explore."

Emily Mills has been promoted to digital editor and will play a key role in developing news stories, producing exclusive online features and continuing to elevate the digital presence across all websites in GIE Media’s Horticulture Group. Emily Mills joined GIE Media in 2023 as associate editor of Garden Center and later expanded her role by additionally serving as associate editor of Greenhouse Management and Produce Grower magazines. A Kent State University graduate, Emily spent seven years as a daily newspaper reporter in Ohio before joining the business-to-business publication industry.

“I've learned so much about the incredible horticulture industry since I started working on Garden Center. Everyone is so kind, knowledgeable and willing to share so much information,” Mills says. “With the support of our editorial and sales teams, I'm excited to jump into elevating our digital presence and multiform storytelling.”

“In the time that Patrick and Emily have been in the Horticulture Group, they’ve tapped into their journalistic prowess, creative flair and careful eyes to build upon and refine the established, trusted brands of Garden Center, Greenhouse Management and Produce Grower,” Simakis says. “I am excited to have Emily leading our digital efforts and Patrick’s extensive experience and innovative ideas helping to shape the next chapter of Garden Center and Greenhouse Management.”

Meet the GIE Media Horticulture Group Team

GIE Media’s Horticulture Group includes Greenhouse Management, Produce Grower, Nursery Management and Garden Center, and its editorial and sales team is comprised of professionals with a combined 50-plus years of experience serving the industry.

Kelli Rodda, Editorial Director

As editorial director of GIE Media’s Horticulture Group publications, Kelli Rodda seeks out and delivers essential information to help green-industry businesses improve their bottom line. She’s visited several hundred nurseries and greenhouses — from mom-and-pops to massive operations — across the globe.

She resides in Azle, Texas, with her husband Jason and daughter Molly, as well as a gaggle of pets. She sometimes bewilders her GIE Media coworkers, who are based in Ohio, with her odd Southern expressions.

Rodda is proud to represent an industry that characterizes hard work, integrity and professionalism. She enjoys being part of an industry responsible for products that do so much for human nature and the environment.

She’s been a professional journalist for more than 30 years, specializing exclusively in business-to-business publications.

Matt McClellan, Editor, Nursery Management

Matt McClellan is editor of Nursery Management magazine. He’s been covering the nursery industry for more than 10 years.

He’s a proud product of Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. He earned his stripes at a daily newspaper before transitioning to business-to-business journalism. He’s a five-time ASBPE award-winner and the caretaker of a decent perennial garden.

McClellan lives in Bay Village, Ohio, with his wife, two sons and their flat-coated retriever. He enjoys playing sports and video games with his kids. He’s a passable rhythm guitarist and veteran of several recreational softball teams.

Brian Wilgus, National Sales Manager

Brian Wilgus joined GIE Media in May 2012 as an account manager for Greenhouse Management and Produce Grower before moving into Nursery Management in 2014. Over the past 12 years, Wilgus has leveraged his positive, can-do attitude and sales skills to build deep relationships within the horticulture industry and become a trusted partner to many clients. He has been a key asset to the GIE Media Horticulture Group and a leader who goes above and beyond to help his team and service his clients’ needs. In 2019, Wilgus was promoted to senior account manager and shifted his focus back to Greenhouse Management and Produce Grower magazines. Recently, Wilgus was promoted to national sales manager of the Horticulture Group and now also serves Garden Center customers.

Katie McDaniel, Assistant Editor, Nursery Management

Katie McDaniel is assistant editor of Nursery Management magazine. Originally from Georgia, she graduated from Georgia College & State University with a Bachelor of Arts in mass communication. Before joining the business-to-business publication industry, she spent several years as a newspaper reporter, magazine designer and writer for several consumer-facing magazines in Georgia's Lake Country.

McDaniel resides in Maryland with her husband, Sam. She enjoys exploring new restaurants, hiking and photographing nature. McDaniel is proud to write about the nursery industry and share the incredible stories of many growers and their operations.

Thomas Vidmar, Account Manager

Thomas Vidmar works across GIE's Horticulture Group publications — Nursery Management, Greenhouse Management, Garden Center and Produce Grower — building strategic go-to-market multimedia solutions. Vidmar joined GIE in 2021 as an account manager, overseeing the company’s sales efforts as part of the Cannabis Business Times team and curating digital lead generation and print campaigns to grow partners’ market share.

About GIE Media

GIE Media was founded in 1980 and has grown over the past 45 years into a leading marketing and communications business-to-business media company serving 18 industries ― including the horticulture industry through its Horticulture Group (Greenhouse Management, Produce Grower, Nursery Management and Garden Center). The company goal of Group Interest Enterprises is to produce the highest quality business magazines, websites, e-newsletters, conferences, reference books and other forms of business media in growth industries, with a quality standard based upon editorial value and market leadership. The company employs more than 100 editors, publishers, sales representatives, marketers and other professionals.