The National Hispanic Landscape Alliance selected its new board of directors for the 2017-2019 term.
New to the board are Ray Rueda of Nature’s Dream Landscape, in Pinecrest, Fla., and Alejandro Romo of Green & Clean Landscaping in Greensboro, N.C.
Also elected to new two-year terms are returning directors Mari Medrano, CoCal Landscaping in Denver; Raul Berrios of Rulyscapes in Centreville, Va.; Josh Denison of Denison Landscaping in Fort Washington, Md.; and Rafael Diaz of Diaz Group in Chicago.
“The NHLA has been blessed to have exemplary green industry leaders that care about helping Hispanics achieve greater success and grow as industry leaders,” said Pam Berrios, NHLA president. “Our newly elected directors and those serving unexpired terms have varying backgrounds, represent different regions of the country, possess experience in small, mid-sized, and large companies, and share a deeply rooted passion for our industry. I’m truly excited about working with them, our staff, supporting members, and contractor members as we continue to identify opportunities and develop programs to help others achieve greater success as landscape industry professionals.”
Central Turf & Irrigation Supply appointed Kim Chadwick vice president of operations. Chadwick comes to Central with more than 20 years of industry experience with private and public industry companies including McGinnis Farms, John Deere Landscapes and most recently SiteOne Landscape Supply where she was vice president, human resources. Chadwick’s primary focus at Central will be enhancing current processes to support the field in areas including recruiting, onboarding and talent development.
Bernd Leinauer, professor and extension turfgrass specialist at New Mexico State University, was selected as a 2017 Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy. According to the ASA website only 0.3 percent of the members have an opportunity to be elected as a Fellow. “When I learned that I was to be awarded one of the highest recognitions given out by the American Society of Agronomy, I was surprised, delighted and deeply honored,” said Leinauer. “I may be the individual receiving this prestigious award, but my accomplishments are the result of years of dedication and hard work of the entire turfgrass team, and they deserve equal credit.”
Leinauer received his master’s and Ph.D. from Hohenheim University in Stuttgart, Germany. Leinauer’s studies deal with cold and salt tolerant turfgrasses, irrigation with salt water, subsurface irrigation, showing of low water use and enlarging irrigation system efficiency. He also holds a position at Wageningen University, Netherlands, as an endowed turfgrass chair.
The Aspire Software Co. added Account Manager Stephanie Ryder to the company. Ryder comes to Aspire with nearly 20 years of landscape industry experience. Most recently, she was a best practices/training consultant for Perm-O-Green Lawn Care in north Texas. Her job responsibilities will include training and supporting Aspire clients in all areas of the software during their deployment, go-live and ongoing use.
“Aspire is enjoying a period of unprecedented growth which presents an ongoing need for qualified account managers in our deployment team as well as other employment opportunities throughout the company,” said Aspire Director of Client Services Bryan Mours. “Stephanie’s years of experience in the green industry make her a perfect addition to our expert and growing team.”
In other Aspire news, the company added Gage Roberts to its business development and marketing team. Roberts comes to Aspire with a diverse career in sales and management, including retail store management, marketing company ownership and service as an Ohio State Trooper. His job responsibilities include new business development and expanding Aspire’s market share in the green and snow industries.
The Davey Tree Expert Co. named three new district managers within the residential/commercial division.
Ryan Brick has been promoted to district manager of Maier Tree & Lawn, a Davey company. Brick started with the company in 2014 as a plant healthcare technician and since then has worked on both the office’s tree surgery and sales teams. He holds an associate’s degree in horticulture from Rochester Community & Technical College and is an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborist.
Jeff Delaune has been appointed to district manager of the Hamden office of The Care of Trees, a Davey company. Delaune joins the company with more than 20 years of experience in the green industry. He is an ISA-certified arborist, a Tree Care Industry Association aerial rescue graduate and a certified tree care safety professional.
Bob O’Rourke has been promoted to district manager of Davey’s New Jersey office. O’Rourke started with Davey in 1989 working as a trimmer in Davey’s Columbus, Ohio, territory and transferred to North Philadelphia in 1992. He held roles of increasing responsibility and advanced to assistant district manager in 2016. O’Rourke is an ISA-certified arborist.
LandCare hired new branch managers.
Craig Broberg was hired as branch manager of LandCare’s location in Portland, Ore. Broberg joins LandCare in Portland with 28 years of experience growing landscape management organizations. The CSU-Chico graduate spent five years in the Bay Area before relocating to the Pacific Northwest. Broberg is a long-term BOMA Oregon member and currently serves as a committee chairman.
Bill Horn was hired as branch manager for LandCare’s location in Pleasanton, Calif. Horn brings more than 30 years of landscape management experience and a background with the industry’s leading service providers to the LandCare team. Horn started his career in the Bay Area, and has since worked across California, Texas and the Pacific Northwest. He returns to northern California with experience leading regional landscape operations and is actively serving the industry in leadership roles with state and national associations.
Ken Gray was hired as branch manager of LandCare’s Wilmington, N.C., location.
Gray brings 20 years of experience in business management, and was previously the plant operations director with Angelica Corp. He has also owned a private landscape management business. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, he enjoys spending time outdoors with his fiancé and daughter.
Additionally, Nicole Hill was hired as the branch manager of the Orange County South branch. She was previously the branch manager for the Inland Empire. Casey Black will replace Hill as branch manager of the Inland Empire branch.
Mirimichi Green hired Morgan Green as logistics coordinator. Green has experience in customer service and marketing. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international business and a bachelor’s degree in international studies from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and also studied at the Kedge Business School in Marseille, France.
Moria Rooney took on the role of marketing coordinator. Rooney has a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She has a background in marketing and business development with a focus on managing social media platforms, developing marketing advertisements, building brand awareness and managing an online presence.
