PRO Notes: January 2008 - GMPro

New positions

Travis Johnson to regional sales manager, East Jordan Plastics Inc., East Jordan, Mich.

Marla Faver to field development scientist; and Joe Gionta to director of sales, BioWorks, Victor, N.Y.

Josh Ogden to sales representative, Cleary Chemical Corp., Dayton, N.J.

Peter B. Johnsen to board of directors, Absorbent Technologies Inc., Beaverton, Ore.

Brian Sullivan to president, Ivy Acres, Baiting Hollow, N.Y.

Jeff Raska to branch manager, Skinner Nurseries, Carrollton, Texas.

Jim Bethke to floriculture and nursery farm adviser, University of California Cooperative Extension, San Diego County.

Jack Neeway to sales manager, Zelenka West Nursery, Cornelius, Ore.

Beth Lowry and Carl F. Melchior IV to national sales representatives, Sunlawn Inc., Fort Collins, Colo.

Fran Chismar to sales manager; and Glenn Rogers to head propagator, Pinelands Nursery and Supply, Columbus, N.J.

John Alden and Matthew Kennedy to business development managers; and Shannon Berkheimer to landscape division administrator, Ruppert Nurseries, Laytonsville, Md.

Shahin Ashraf to western regional sales manager, Fafard Inc., Agawam, Mass.

Jennifer Windrum to public relations manager; and Laura Liggett and Lynette Petersen to public relations associates, Swanson Russell Associates, Lincoln, Neb.

Honors

Jim and Kathye Rietkerk, Kallisto Greenhouses, Fontana, Calif., were named Outstanding Persons of the Year by San Diego County Flower and Plant Association.

Margery Daughtrey, Cornell University Department of Plant Pathology-Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center, Riverhead, N.Y., received the Gold Medal of Horticulture Award from New York State Nursery and Landscape Association.

America In Bloom award winners: Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Ball Horticultural Co. Floral Displays Award; Norwich, Conn., Meister Media Worldwide Heritage Preservation Award; Beloit, Wis., Project Evergreen Landscaped Areas Award; Kirkwood, Mo., American Horticultural Society Community Involvement Award; Peoria, Ariz., Scotts Co. Turf and Groundcover Areas Award; Red Wing, Minn., Gardens Alive! Environmental Awareness Award; Greendale, Ind., Lesco/John Deere Landscapes Tidiness Award; and Ithaca, N.Y., J Frank Schmidt & Son Co. Urban Forestry Award.

Society of American Florists award winners: Rocky Pollitz, formerly of Teleflora, Floriculture Hall of Fame; Edgar Engert , Paul Ecke Ranch, Encinitas, Calif., Paul Ecke Jr. Award; Drew Gruenburg, Society of American Florists, Alexandria, Va., John H. Walker Award; Henk van Dam, Triflor B.V., Netherlands, Gold Medal Award; James Moyer, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, Alex Laurie Award; Olympia Hearns Flower Shop, Bronx, N.Y., Century Award.

Associations

Yule Tree Farms, Canby, Ore., and Holiday Tree Farms, Corvallis, Ore., formed the Coalition of Environmentally-Conscious Growers, dedicated to sustainable farming practices and consumer education.

Business changes

Fischer USA, Boulder, Colo., and S&G Flowers, Lisle, Ill., are realigning to create two separate organizations after Syngenta acquired Fischer.

Griffin Greenhouse and Nursery Supplies, Tewksbury, Mass., acquired the greenhouse and nursery supplies division of Penn State Seed Co. Inc., Dallas, Pa.

Sun Gro Horticulture Income Fund, Vancouver, Canada, acquired Grow Best Holdings LLC, Orlando, Fla., which owns Florida Potting Soils Inc. and Sunshine Peat Inc.

Chase Horticultural Research Inc., Mount Aukum, Calif., added an online store to its Web site, www.chasehorticulturalresearch.com.

Zylstra Greenhouse, Kalamazoo, Mich., joined the Hort Couture grower network.

Smithers-Oasis, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, established the Floralife Research Laboratory, ‘s-Gravenzande, Holland.

Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer, Holland, and TransFRESH, Holland, launched a new alliance, Fresh Flower Solutions, which focuses on storage and transportation of floriculture products.

Deaths

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Dan Milaeger, founder of Milaeger’s Garden Mart, Racine, Wis., died Sept. 12. He was 82.

Ray Isamu Kitayama, founder of Greenleaf Wholesale Florist Inc., Brighton, Colo., died Sept. 29. He was 83.