Mangum Returns To Bell Nursery As CEO

Mangum Returns To Bell Nursery As CEO

Bell Nursery’s cofounder and former vice president Gary Mangum has returned to the helm of the organization as president and CEO. Based in Burtonsville, Md., with satellite production facilities in Ohio and Virginia, Bell ranks at No. 11 on our Top 100 Growers.

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Over the last 17 years, Bell grew its business serving Home Depot and is known for its high-service merchandising and contract growing models. The company is among the largest suppliers of annuals, perennials, tropical, roses, orchids, shrubs and trees in the United States. Regions Bell serves include the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and the southern Ohio Valley.

Mangum had moved into an advisory role at the end of December. At that time, his long-time business partner and brother-in-law Mike McCarthy, who managed operations and finance, retired. Two industry outsiders were hired as CFO and CEO and Adam Stewart was promoted to Executive Vice President. CFO Steve Crider remains at Bell. Rand Krikorian, who was brought on as CEO, is no longer with the company.

“He (Krikorian) did many good things for our business,” Mangum says. “The struggle related to controls during the summer months that impacted retail store appearance. His involvement in our business will be a net positive as he brought us many new tools and ways to look at things.”

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Home Depot and Bell’s board of directors supported the change in leadership. “We’re at a juncture where in-store service and product innovation, cornerstones of our history, are keys to our future,” Mangum says. “Together we decided the best way to move ahead and best align with our customer needs is if I re-engage to work with the strong team we have and lead the company.”

Roles will change to support customer satisfaction and growth. “Gary’s genuine concern for the people in our business and long past as a leader in the evolution of in-store service, combined with his well-known focus on quality puts us in an excellent position to grow our business,” Stewart says.

Bell Regional Market Manager Mary O’Connor says Mangum’s mantra always has been, “Act like you own it.” She says, “With that message of empowerment, he brings a real sense of urgency for continued improvement in every area of our business.”

Mangum takes pride in his experienced team. “We will utilize every team member we have to achieve our goals,” he says. “We are adding resources where appropriate and expect to attract and invest in additional talent as we move forward.”

Editor’s Note: We’ve observed the largest operations have struggled bringing in high level executives from outside the industry to run nursery operations. Prime examples include leaders returning to fix the business after companies were purchased by outside investors. This has happened at Color Spot Nurseries and Hines Nurseries in California and Young’s Nursery & Greenhouses in Tennessee. Past rollups by companies like Ralston & Purina and Weyerhaeuser didn’t work out either. A deep personal commitment at the top is vital.

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