AmericanHort Names New Board Members and Officers for 2017

Cole Mangum

Cole Mangum is one of three new board members for AmericanHort.

The AmericanHort Board of Directors, which includes leaders from across the horticulture industry covering various experiences and backgrounds, will welcome three newly elected members and a new slate of officers at Cultivate’17 in Columbus, OH, in July.

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The new Board members are:
• Steve Castorani, CEO/President of North Creek Nurseries
• Tom Hughes, owner of Hughes Nursery & Landscaping
• Cole Mangum, Vice President of Production at Bell Nursery.

Teri Bates of Bates Sons and Daughters, Inc., current Chairman of the Board, will become Immediate Past Chairman of the Board and continue her involvement by advocating for industry growth, unification, and broader collaboration across all segments of the supply chain.

Tom Demaline of Willoway Nurseries will assume the role of Chairman of the Board and offers deep knowledge of the horticulture industry, as well as a history of dedicated involvement with the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association and the Horticultural Research Institute. Demaline’s vision for AmericanHort is an organization that provides a unified voice for the entire horticulture industry. It’s Demaline’s intention that with a strong voice, AmericanHort can better educate consumers, potential employees, and the government about the economic and environmental significance of horticulture.

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Mike Klopmeyer is the new Vice Chairman of the Board and is the current General Manager of Darwin Perennials. His long involvement with the horticulture industry provides Klopmeyer with perspectives on how it has evolved and where it is going.

“I look forward to continuing my participation on the Board,” Klopmeyer says. “I believe that AmericanHort is the pivot point for bringing together the important segments of our dynamic industry and supporting the continued success of our member community.”

Steve Castorani has vast experience in greenhouse, nursery, and garden center retail. Castorani is co-founder of North Creek Nurseries and the American Beauties Native Plant brand. Castorani’s industry involvement includes roles as President of the International Plant Propagator’s Society, President of the Delaware Nursery and Landscape Association, and member of the Delaware Invasive Species Council. North Creek Nurseries was voted 2015 Grower of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association and 2016 Operation of the Year by Greenhouse Grower magazine.

Tom Hughes is a fourth-generation nurseryman, and his business grows nursery stock to support its design/build landscape business. Hughes has served his community and industry in various capacities including Land Use Committee Chair for the Shueyville United Methodist Church, President of the Prairie (K-12) School District Foundation, industry representative for the Kirkwood Community College Horticulture Advisory Committee, an Agriculture Committee Member for the Iowa State University Foundation, and board member and President of the Iowa Nursery and Landscape Association.

Cole Mangum oversees production at Bell Nursery, including greenhouse production of an estimated 90 million annuals. Mangum has dedicated himself to advocating for various facets of the industry over the course of his career. This includes serving on the National Leadership Cabinet for the Seed Your Future Initiative, as Horticulture Representative for the Maryland Agricultural Commission, and as board member for the Greenhouse Grower Technology Advisory Board. Mangum is committed to keeping the horticulture industry strong and as a viable career path long into the future — both at a local and national level.

The new board members will be formally inducted to the Board of Directors at Cultivate’17. AmericanHort and its members thank Dale Deppe, Terri McEnaney, and Sid Raisch, whose board terms end in July 2017, for their years of dedication to AmericanHort and the entire horticulture industry.

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