Sep 6, 2011
Color Spot CEO DiesSource: San Francisco Chronicle

Color Spot Nurseries’ founder, chairman and CEO, Michael Vukelich, died from brain cancer on Aug. 26, 2011.Michael F. Vukelich, founder, chairman and CEO of Color Spot Nurseries, Inc. in Fallbrook, Calif., died on Aug. 26, 2011. Vukelich, 61, was diagnosed with brain cancer earlier this year.

Color Spot Nurseries, Fallbrook, Calif., was founded in 1983 by Vukelich and Jerry Halamuda. Over the years, Vukelich and Halamuda built Color Spot into one of the largest production operations in the United States by strategic acquisitions.

Vukelich pretty much grew up in the nursery business when he started working for his father’s family nursery as a child. According to San Francisco Chronicle, during his 40+-year career he helped introduce many different innovations such as upscale packaging, point of sale merchandising displays, impulse signage and plants delivered on rolling racks.

Halamuda told the San Francisco Chronicle “Mike Jr. was the consummate professional with incredible instincts, relationship building skills, domain knowledge, and financial expertise, he had no match in the nursery industry.”

You can learn more about Vukelich and Color Spot, in this article that appeared in GPN’s Big Grower.

In lieu of flowers the family has requested that donations be made to “Get Your Head in the Game” at The National Brain Tumor Association in Michael’s name. Donations may also be sent to the National Brain Tumor Society, 124 Watertown Street, Suite 2D, Watertown, MA 02472.

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