Sep 30, 2011
Monrovia’s Resendez Named Horticulturist of the YearSource: Monrovia

Gilbert Resendez, a long-time craftsman at Monrovia, was honored last month by the South California Horticulture Society as an outstanding individual and named Horticulturist of the Year for 2011.

Gilbert Resendez, a long-time craftsman at Monrovia, was honored last month by the South California Horticulture Society as an outstanding individual and named Horticulturist of the Year for 2011. An awards banquet was held in his honor at the Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino.

Resendez began his long career with Monrovia Growers working in the nursery as a pruning craftsman in 1962. He then moved into sales and quickly rose through the ranks to become vice president of sales and marketing where he helped build Monrovia’s sales force. After being promoted to executive vice president of the company, Gilbert spent 10 years in that position before serving as Monrovia’s president from 2004 to 2007.

Throughout his career Gilbert has helped introduce superior new plants to the industry, several being his own discoveries, with the goal of providing gardeners exceptional plants that will flourish in their gardens. Under Gilbert’s leadership, Monrovia sharpened its focus on working with independent retailers, including supporting Monrovia’s unique branding program consisting of packaging, detailed labeling and other information resources that help gardeners get the best results with their plants.

Today, Gilbert serves as Monrovia’s managing director, continuing to contribute in an advisory role in operations and long-term planning. Widely known for his tremendous knowledge and love of plants, his interest in natives led him to become a member of Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont, where he eventually served on their Board of Overseers from 1994 to 2000. In 2002, he was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation where he currently serves as president.

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