Spring Brings New Faces, New Roles Throughout the Horticulture Industry
June 13, 2020 
Heath Piore (Bailey) and Bryan Bravenec (HIP Labels)
Despite the challenges of a most unusual spring, the horticulture industry continues to invest in its people. Here is a rundown of several individuals taking new leadership positions at growing operations, industry suppliers, and associations.
Bailey Adds to Brand Management Team
Heather Poire has joined Bailey’s brand management team in the newly created role of Brand Representative, supporting Bailey’s consumer brands: Endless Summer Hydrangeas, First Editions Shrubs and Trees, and Easy Elegance Roses. She will serve as an advocate for independent garden centers, ensuring they have the marketing resources and tools necessary to drive consumer sales.
“I am thrilled to transition into this role so that I can help connect the dots between Bailey’s Consumer Brands, our licensed Network Growers, and independent retailers,” Poire says. “We have developed, and will continue to provide, a deep well of resources for garden centers to increase sell through and profitability. And I’m excited for the opportunity to dedicate my focus to this full time.”
Poire started at Bailey more than eight years ago as a Territory Sales Representative in the Northeast region of the U.S. Prior to joining the team at Bailey, Poire has industry experience leveraging brands in garden centers, ensuring their employees have the training and tools necessary to sell those products. This combination of experience made Poire a perfect fit for this newly created position.
“Heather’s energy, enthusiasm, and experience connecting retailers, growers, and brands is a natural next step for us,” says Brand and Business Development Manager Natalia Hamill. “We’ve been working with Heather as a sounding board for various retail programs previously, so we are thrilled to have her on board full time as a bridge builder between garden centers and our consumer brands’ Network Growers.”
Poire can be reached at [email protected].
Gloeckner Appoints National Sales Manager
Ricardo Campos has been appointed the North American National Sales Manager for Fred C. Gloeckner & Co. Inc., an international supplier of horticultural products with a nationwide sales force in the North America and sales representatives in Central and South America. Campos is also the LED Solutions Manager for the company. For the past five years, he has been leading a partnership with Signify/Philips to assist flower and vegetable growers, research institutions, and the cannabis and hemp community in adapting innovative lighting technologies.
Andrew Lee, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, says Campos’ expanded responsibilities are the result of the company’s further expansion in key areas and regions where management has identified opportunities to grow its sales and market share.
Campos can be reached at [email protected].
HIP Labels Hires Industry Veteran Bryan Bravenec For Business Development And Account Management
HIP Labels, LLC, Greensboro, NC, has announced the addition of horticulture business veteran Bryan Bravenec to the company, starting July 1, 2020. Bravenec will work nationwide on behalf of HIP to develop business and manage accounts with the industry’s leading nursery and greenhouse growers. With 25 years of printing experience and more than 15 years in horticulture identity and branding, Bravenec is widely recognized for his expertise in print technology and senior-level client relationship.
Bravenec’s career in horticulture packaging began with Horticultural Printers in Mesquite, TX, in 2004. He has remained with the company, now known as Orora Visual, through various corporate transitions and job roles until accepting his new position as National Accounts Manager with HIP Labels. Over the years, Bravenec has worked with premier plant producers and garden retailers in the U.S. and Canada, managed a portfolio of dozens of accounts, and consistently met and exceeded sales goals. He is versed in all aspects of plant labeling, packaging, and signage and has a proven resume for business development and maintaining strong client relationships.
“We’re extremely pleased for HIP and current and potential customers to have Bryan join our team,” says Bob Lovejoy, President and Owner of HIP Labels. “His work experience, industry contacts, and knowledge of printing and marketing make him uniquely qualified to offer the innovation and solution we want HIP Labels to be known for.”
Dramm Adds DRAMMwater Engineer and Project Manager
Dramm has added Travis Ouradnik and Dan Teeters to its DRAMMwater Team. Ouradnik joins Dramm after working in process design engineering for fertilizer equipment manufacturer FEECO and for the City of Manitowoc. He brings his experience in process flow and mechanical systems to Dramm’s design team and will be helping growers design complete water management systems. Ouradnik will also be part of the DRAMMwater customer support and installation team.
Teeters comes to Dramm with experience in retail store design and project management. As the new DRAMMwater Project Manager, he will oversee the delivery and installation phase of Dramm’s water management projects. He will work with customers, the design team, vendors, and manufacturing and installation support teams to ensure a coordinated, on-time, and well-managed project.
“Both Travis and Dan have already added greatly to our capabilities, offered new ideas and solutions, and continue to help Dramm grow as a leader in Complete Water Management for Horticulture,” says Kurt Becker, Executive Vice President of The Dramm Corporation.
Sakata Seed America Adds New Manager of Elite Propagation to Ornamentals Group
Sakata Seed America welcomes Andor Gerendas to the role of Elite Propagation Manager for the company’s ornamental business group. Andor brings an extensive background in growing, greenhouse operations, propagation, stock management, and systems development to his new role with Sakata.
Andor’s resume includes Production Manager at Ecke Guatemala, Logistics Manager at Beauty Line (Danziger) Guatemala, and Head Grower at Costa Color, Dominican Republic. As a native Guatemalan, he also speaks fluent Spanish and has supplemented his Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering with extended studies in plant physiology and propagation.
In Andor’s new role, he will oversee the elite propagation program for Sakata’s innovative vegetative ornamental varieties. He will be based out of Sakata’s Salinas Research Station facility.
“I am very excited to join the team at Sakata. From my experience in the industry, I know Sakata as a company with great integrity and exceptional genetics. I look forward to a bright future ahead at Sakata for myself and the elite propagation program,” Andor says.
Sakata Seed America continuously comes to market with quality ornamental offerings that drive the industry forward and provides a great experience for the end consumer.
“We at Sakata are very passionate about developing new and high-quality products that not only bring success to our customers and industry partners, but also spark innovation and bring solutions to the garden. In order to create the best possible products, we need an incredible team. We’re confident that Andor’s extensive experience and expertise will be instrumental in driving us forward as an industry leader,” says Joe Cimino, Director of Ornamentals and Solutions Business Groups at Sakata Seed America.
AmericanHort Welcomes New Board Members
AmericanHort is pleased to announce the election of three new members to its Board of Directors, along with the installation of a new slate of officers. These individuals are leaders from across the horticulture industry and encompass various experiences, skills, and backgrounds. The official welcome will take place during Cultivate’20 Virtual, the online event debuting on July 13.
“We are excited to welcome this diverse group of new members who bring experience, creative thinking, and an entrepreneurial spirit to the AmericanHort board,” says Ken Fisher, President & CEO of AmericanHort. “We also sincerely appreciate the dedication and commitment of our officers and all board members for their invaluable leadership.”
The new slate of officers will include the following individuals as new chairman of the board and vice chairman of the board:
Tom Hughes, Chairman of the Board, currently serves as President and Co-owner of Hughes Nursery & Landscaping (HNL) in Cedar Rapids, IA, a family business that started in 1908.
Cole Mangum, Vice Chairman of the Board. Cole is Vice President of Operations for Bell Nursery USA LLC in Elkridge, MD, one of the nation’s largest growers of annuals and perennials. Cole oversees operations across seven facilities as well as coordinating a team of category managers who manage shipping of finished product.
Susie Raker-Zimmerman of Raker Roberta’s Young Plants will become immediate Past Chairman of the Board.
New AmericanHort board members, who have been elected to serve a three-year term, include:
Mike Gooder is President and Co-owner with his wife Rachel of Plantpeddler, located in Cresco IA, and has been in business since 1980, with son John joining the business in 2014. Plantpeddler’s Young Plant division is a major propagator of vegetative genetics with industry leadership in Begonias and their wholesale division focuses on premium retail-ready products.
Ed Overdevest is the President and Owner of Overdevest Nurseries, one of the leading nurseries in New Jersey. With production facilities encompassing 290 acres, the nursery produces more than 2,000 varieties of perennials, shrubs, and trees for East coast garden centers.
Jonathan Saperstein is CEO of TreeTown USA, one of America’s largest nurseries. Along with its subsidiaries, Village Nurseries and Hines Growers, TreeTown produces more than 30 million plants a year on more than 6,000 acres amongst 15 facilities located in Florida, Texas, California, and Oregon.
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