Familiar Names Take on New Roles in Horticulture Industry
October 13, 2019 
Hugo Noordhoek Hegt, Dummen Orange
Dümmen Orange Taps New CEO, Marketing Director
Dümmen Orange has announced that Hugo Noordhoek Hegt will become the company’s next Chief Executive Officer, effective Jan. 1 2020, replacing the retiring Biense Visser, who will continue to support the company as a member of the Dümmen Orange Supervisory Board. Hugo Noordhoek Hegt has a Master’s degree in Law from Leiden University and has years of experience in a wide range of industries. Most recently, he helped support a start-up company called Fintech Foundry, which makes an innovative digital wallet that facilitates all types of transactions from a mobile phone). In 2018, Hugo was also co-founder of X-Infex B.V., which develops new antimicrobial polymers to complement and expand the arsenal of existing treatments against infections.
“Hugo has been a highly successful executive in a variety of roles and industries” says Jean-Baptiste Wautier, Chairman of the Supervisory Board for Dümmen Orange. “He’s a great fit for Dümmen Orange, having demonstrated strategic agility, business acumen, vision, and leadership throughout his career.
In related news, Dümmen Orange, North America has appointed Chris Berg as its Marketing Director. The new position is a key part of the company’s ongoing drive to develop a more robust regional team located in and focused on North America.
Berg takes on this role with 13 years of experience marketing horticultural products and companies on a global scale. Recently, he served as Product Manager for the annuals category at Dümmen Orange. Prior to Dümmen Orange, through his agency BlueSkye Creative, Chris lead the marketing strategy and campaigns for McHutchison Horticultural Distributors and Vaughan’s Horticulture, each subsidiaries of Dümmen Orange. His new role will be overseeing the marketing efforts internally for all North American held companies, including Dümmen Orange NA, Dümmen Orange Delta, McHutchison Horticultural Distributors, Vaughan’s Horticulture, and Quick Plug.
“Chris’s high-level strategic thinking around positioning, messaging, and building awareness through innovative engagement will deliver Dümmen Orange the awareness required to support and win new partners and customers,” says Keith Cable, President of Dümmen Orange, NA.
Art Cady, Aris Horticulture/Green Leaf Plants
New Grower Operations Manager at Aris
Aris Horticulture, Inc. has hired Art Cady as the Grower Operations Manager for its Green Leaf Plants division in Lancaster, PA. Cady will focus on plant quality, scheduling, and new products throughout propagation, seeding, and growing-on production activities. He will be part of the Senior Leadership Team working under the direction of Blair Hoey, Managing Director.
Cady describes himself as a grower with a mechanical/engineering mindset. He has a BS in Plant Biology-Horticulture from University of New Hampshire and has worked in the industry for more than 20 years. His experience includes growing plugs and finished pots, seeding, logistics, labor planning, and maintenance.
Lee Streitenberger, Oglesby Plants
Oglesby Plants International Has a New General Manager
Oglesby Plants International has brought on horticulture management expert Lee Streitenberger to its team as General Manager. Streitenberger will manage key elements of Oglesby’s young plant production and distribution.
Streitenberger has a distinguished experience in horticulture site and production management. Before joining Oglesby, he was Site Manager for the Syngenta Flowers Alva, FL, operation. Prior to that, Streitenberger worked in various management and advisory capacities for some of the industry’s premier companies, including Color Spot Nurseries in Huntsville, TX, and at various locations in the U.S. and abroad for Yoder Brothers, Inc.
“We’re extremely pleased to have Lee on board with Oglesby,” says Gary Hennen, President of Oglesby Plants International. “With his knowledge and experience in our segment of the industry, he’s a perfect fit for maintaining our commitment to excellence and innovation in all aspects of our business. He’ll be an asset for the company and for our customers.”
“I’m thrilled to be a part of the Oglesby operation,” says Streitenberger. “To lend a hand to one of the pioneers and leaders of horticulture is an honor and pleasure. I’m excited for the work ahead.”
Megan Bowman, Ball Horticultural
American Floral Endowment Names New Trustees
The American Floral Endowment (AFE) has appointed Dr. Megan Bowman of Ball Horticultural Company and Gustavo Gilchrest of Kennicott Brothers Company to its Board of Trustees. Both will serve a three-year term that started in September 2019.
AFE trustees are industry leaders who volunteer their time and talent to help guide Endowment activities and programs benefitting the industry. Both will also serve on an AFE committee related to education, public relations and development, research, or the Floral Marketing Research Fund.
Bowman joins the Board with a robust research background, specifically bioinformatics, molecular plant breeding, and molecular biology. Currently, she is Bioinformatics and Data Analysis Lead at Ball Horticultural Company. She joined the floral industry in 2018, but has many years of applicable knowledge, including having received her Bachelors of Science in Plant Biology from Michigan State University and her Doctorate in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics from University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Gustavo Gilchrist, Kennicott Brothers
Gilchrist is president of Kennicott Brothers Company in Chicago, IL. He has expertise in organizational structure, workforce culture, mergers and acquisitions, and employee stock ownership plans. He graduated from Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, a private university in Medellin, Colombia, with a degree in chemical engineering, and received an MBA from IPADE, the business school of Universidad Panamericana, a private university in Mexico.
Completing their terms on the AFE Board in September are Ken Altman of Altman Plants and Dr. Marvin Miller of Ball Horticultural Company.
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