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AMGUARD Strengthens Specialty Markets Team with New Hires and Promotions

By AMGUARD | OHP, an American Vanguard Company|June 23, 2025
AMGUARD (Top) and OHP (Bottom) company logos.

AMGUARD (Top) and OHP (Bottom) company logos. | AMGUARD and OHP, an American Vanguard Company

AMGUARD Environmental Technologies (“AMGUARD”), the specialty markets division of AMVAC Chemical Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Vanguard Corporation (“AVD”), has announced six appointments to bolster its commitment to serving U.S. specialty market customers.

Frank Fornari

Frank Fornari is promoted from OHP Technical Sales Manager to Director of Sales. Frank has been responsible for achieving record-setting nursery and greenhouse sales performance in Florida and Alabama. Prior to OHP, he worked in the specialty markets with BASF and Valent. In his new role, Frank will be responsible for growing and managing the ornamentals and Controlled Environmental Agriculture (CEA) businesses.

Sam Drahn

Sam Drahn is promoted from OHP Technical Manager to Director of Technical Services. Sam has been responsible for providing technical support and messaging for plant growth regulators (PGRs), herbicides, and specialty products to technical sales managers, growers, and distributors. In his new role, Sam will also provide technical support and messaging for insecticides and fungicides. Sam began his career working as a grower/propagator with one of the largest nurseries in the country, ultimately serving as Director of Research & Development across all locations. Prior to OHP, Sam spent nine years as Director of Research with a chemical manufacturer in the landscape and arboriculture markets.

Eric Ham

Eric Ham joins AMGUARD as Midwest Technical Sales Manager. In this role, he will cover structural pest control in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Tennessee. Eric most recently was a Key Account Manager for the Midwest and South regions with FMC Professional Solutions. Prior to that, Eric served as a Marketing Specialist with FMC for nine years. Eric also has experience with the Nisus Corporation and Forshaw Distribution. He holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture – entomology from the University of Kentucky. Eric is a certified applicator in Kentucky and Ohio and holds a pest control license in Kentucky. Ham will report to Ryan Klein, AMGUARD Director of Sales.

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Joe Grippi

Joe Grippi joins OHP as Southeast Technical Sales Manager. In this role, he will be responsible for the market development and sales of OHP products, including fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, and PGRs in the greenhouse, nursery, and CEA markets. Joe was most recently with UPL Environmental Solutions as a Key Account Manager for Specialty Products. Prior to UPL, he was Business Development Key Account Manager with Bayer Environmental Science/Envu, where he served for 22 years.

Jeremy Sanderson

Jeremy Sanderson joins OHP as Northeast Technical Sales Manager. In this role, he will be responsible for the market development and sales of OHP products, including fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, and PGRs in the greenhouse, nursery, and CEA markets. Jeremy spent over five years at BioWorks, where he led sales operations, grew the Soil Blender business, and supported key accounts, including Hawaiian coffee growers. He also held regional sales roles with Harris Seeds and Harvest Moon Hydroponics, and he ran his own consulting business, Hybrid Horticulture.

Grippi and Sanderson will report to Frank Fornari, OHP Director of Sales.

Eric Rebek

Eric Rebek, Ph.D. joins OHP as a Technical Services Specialist. In this role, he will lead and assist with creating and managing technical projects, protocols, and data in service to developing products and technical information for dissemination to the OHP team, our partners, customers, and growers in the greenhouse, nursery, CEA, and cannabis markets. Eric’s position will focus primarily on entomological and pathological issues to support OHP’s plant health and production portfolio (insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, PGRs, and specialty products). Rebek will report to Sam Drahn, OHP Director of Technical Services.

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AMGUARD Environmental Technologies is a provider of non-crop and specialty technology solutions for the U.S. public health, pest control, ornamental and greenhouse, golf, lawn and landscape, and consumer markets.

  See all author stories here.

OHP Inc, originally Olympic Horticultural Products, was founded with the goal of becoming a provider of technology-based pesticide solutions for the greenhouse and nursery production markets. The OHP team exclusively markets its products, specifically packaged and labeled for the greenhouse and nursery production markets, through a network of distribution partners throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. See all author stories here.