Plant Brokers Enhance Vendor Focus With New Vendor Management Department
November 26, 2021 
Jessica Montgomery
As part of the ongoing expansion efforts of plant brokers McHutchison and Vaughan’s Horticulture, the two companies have created a new vendor management department. With this move, department personnel will now support both organizations’ customers, vendors, and growers.
The new vendor management department allows for McHutchison and Vaughan’s Horticulture to establish closer partnerships with vendors while facilitating more innovative solutions and enhancing product support for customers and sales teams throughout North America.
“We are rapidly expanding and very excited about growing our vendor management department,” says Nathan Lamkey, President of McHutchison and Vaughan’s Horticulture. “This move will allow us to develop customer solutions through vendor partnerships with a focus on regional opportunities to better serve growers.”
Overseeing this new vendor management department is team director Jessie Montgomery, a McHutchison sales representative prior to transitioning into this senior management role. Given her strong background in project management and product development as well as sales experience, she will ensure that customer-driven decisions directly address all concerns and the end grower will benefit. Prior to joining McHutchison in 2015, Montgomery managed trial gardens and worked on product development for Ball Horticultural Company, was a grower for Family Tree Nursery, and grew up helping her family with its business, Pleasant Valley Garden Center.
The vendor management department will build preferred and exclusive vendor programs as well as facilitate strategic breeder and vendor partnerships. This new department is comprised of an experienced group of horticultural experts with a strong emphasis in floriculture.
A certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Kelly Uchneat joined McHutchison in 2019 and is now the vendor program manager who focuses on Dümmen Orange. Her background in supplier relations as well as breeder associations and genetic knowledge gives Uchneat a strong industry awareness. She brings a high level of professionalism to the new team.
Pamela Straub joined McHutchison in 2020 and is now a vendor program manager who focuses on root and sells, seeded plugs, and bare root suppliers. She gained 15 years of experience in sales, promotions, and product positioning while previously working for Emerald Coast Growers. Straub will create new opportunities for partnerships with some long-tenured suppliers among other things.
Christy Dresser is the vendor program manager who specializes in tropicals and tissue culture suppliers. Working for Vaughan’s Horticulture over the past 20 years, she understands the importance of clear and efficient communication among suppliers, vendors, and sales representatives. Developing and managing the importation of off-shore shipments for McHutchison and Vaughan’s Horticulture, Dresser possesses a wealth of knowledge regarding logistics and new international opportunities.
Having served in multiple, impactful nursery roles since joining McHutchison in 2014, Mark Feier will primarily focus on the West Coast, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast regions as a vendor program manager. He will continue to support operational efforts of the nursery division as needed. With the vendor management department, Feier will offer new and current nursery vendors even more support which is required by the continual industry demand.
Kim Burns, a new employee and vendor management department team member, was recently hired as a vendor program manager. With 25 years of industry experience, she has worked in a high-volume purchasing environment and gained extensive knowledge in vendor relations, negotiations, logistics coordination, and inventory management. Burns previously worked in a variety of roles at SiteOne Landscape Supply and Shemin Nurseries prior to joining McHutchison and Vaughan’s Horticulture. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science from the State University of New York at Purchase (SUNY – Purchase).
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