Announcing the Class of 2013: 40 Under 40
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to predict the future? Wouldn’t it be nice to know who the industry’s most influential individuals are going to be in the coming years?
Wouldn’t that make things so much easier?
Looking at the list of individuals on the bottom of this page is kind of like looking into the horticulture industry’s proverbial crystal ball. Gaze at this list of individuals and you will see into the industry’s future.
It is the Class of 2013 of GPN‘s 40 Under 40!
These 15 women and 25 men represent a very bright future for the industry. They were nominated by their peers for their outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the industry — all before they turned 40 (as of the nomination deadline of Jan. 31, 2013).
This year’s class will help determine which direction the horticulture industry is headed in and then help blaze the trail. These individuals are being recognized for their creativity, leadership, wisdom, benevolence and involvement with others both inside and outside of our industry.
Don’t look for a crystal ball for predictions into the future; just look to this list for some answers about where we are headed.
And now without further ado, GPN is proud to introduce the Class of 2013É
Logan Altman, 32
Key Account Manager
Altman Plants, Vista, Calif.
Accomplishments:
•Participated in the creation and implementation of the first large scale drought tolerant/ecologically sustainable plant program on the West Coast
•Has doubled company sales to its largest account and region during his five-year tenure
Off the Clock:
Can’t live without: “Caffeine! I must have a constant infusion of black tea.”
Favorite read: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
She made the list:
Logan’s paternal great-grandmother was blacklisted for being a Communist.
Nick Baker, 32
Head Grower
Baker’s Acres Greenhouse, Alexandria, Ohio
Accomplishments:
•Created a succulent program and is “constantly looking for new and interesting plants to add to the collection”
•Responsible for production of company’s variety list of approximately 4,000
•Renovated company’s growing operations to help increase efficiency and profitability and produce higher-quality plants
Off the Clock:
Can’t live without: “Music. It definitely drives me.”
Favorite flicks: A toss-up between “Caddyshack” and “Jaws.” “I love humor and horror equally.”
And the band played on:
Nick’s dad’s band played at Wendy’s (of the hamburger chain) wedding.
Pamela Baker, 29
Retail Manager, Visual Merchandiser and Hard-Goods Buyer
Baker’s Acres Greenhouse, Alexandria, Ohio
Accomplishments:
•Helped company rebuild/restructure business after downturn in the economy
•Participating member of the OFA Garden Center Committee
•With a degree in fashion merchandising and business management, she has responsibilities in the garden center, back office and greenhouse
Off the Clock:
Married to fellow 40 Under 40 honoree Nick Baker, Pam takes great pride in being able to buy a house “and making it a home.”
Hobbies: Cooking and container gardening.
All hands on deck:
Pam has taught herself to be ambidextrous, and “I can stick up my big toe like a thumb and use my feet like hands.”
Stephen Barlow, 35
President and General Manager
Barlow Flower Farm, Sea Girt, N.J.
Accomplishments:
•Designed and supervised construction and layout of company’s retail greenhouse
•Conceived and created landscape design and installation company within existing garden center business
•Recipient of an MBA from Monmouth University
Off the Clock:
Can’t live without: The ocean. “Growing up near the beach, the ocean becomes a part of you.”
Hobbies: Surfing, snowboarding, mountain biking and hiking.
Reaching new heights:
Stephen plans to climb Mount Rainier this summer.
Trisha Bills, 35
Head Grower
C. Raker & Sons, Litchfield, Mich.
Accomplishments:
•Supervises a team of 16 individuals and manages 11 acres of plugs, liners and finished containers
•Helped develop a training program for employees with no horticulture background to become effective growers
Off the Clock:
Can’t live without: “Coffee — especially during our peak season.”
Favorite vacation spot: Charleston, S.C. “I love the coastal atmosphere and southern food.”
What’s on Trisha’s reading list?
“I have an associate’s degree in literature, but I hate to read.” But she is a big fan of Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan movies. “I’m a hopeless romantic.”
Sarah Brown, 36
Operations Manager
Riverbend Nursery, Riner, Va.
Accomplishments:
•As Operations Service Manager, helped company reach production and efficiency goals in its Distribution Division by strategically planning, executing and adjusting processes
•Revitalized company’s processes for inventory control, production scheduling and purchasing to create a more streamlined production process
•Promoted to Operations Manager in November 2012
Off the clock:
Sarah likes to write poetry and collect hats.
Favorite read: Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins because it is “word candy.”
It pays to keep an extra tool in the
toolbox: Sarah is trained as a family mediator, which has “served as an amazing reference and tool as a manager” in the nursery business.
Crystal Cady, 30
Owner/Founder
Sunflower Acres Farm & Garden, Salem, Ore.
Accomplishments:
•Recognized by the Oregon Association of Nurseries as New Nursery Professional of the Year in 2009 and Retailer of the Year in 2010
•Serves as seminar coordinator for Farwest Show
Committee chair of Portland’s Yard, Garden and Patio Show
Off the clock:
Crystal has every single holiday Barbie doll since they debuted in 1988.
Can’t live without: Sirius Satellite First Wave Radio. “My goal is to see all of my favorite bandsÉthat I was way too little to see in the ’80s.”
You can never ride enough roller coasters: Crystal is a “carnival freak” who loves carnival rides but especially the thrill rides. The carnival at the Portland Rose Festival is her favorite.
Zach Campbell, 33
Production Manager/Grower
Wojo’s Greenhouse, Ortonville, Mich.
Accomplishments:
•Manager of three company departments — propagation, perennials and Christmas greens
•Participates in the conception and creation in company’s advertising programs and business development
Off the clock:
Can’t live without: Chocolate (especially dark chocolate)
Hobbies: Biking, hunting and baking
Not only is he good in the
greenhouse:
Zach has an affinity for creating floral
arrangements and at a young age helped his mother create arrangements for weddings.
Jonathan Cude, 29
President/CEO
Sedan Floral, Inc., Sedan, Kan.
Accomplishments:
•Helped revamp company’s business operations in a down economy
•Created and launched company website
•Designed and implemented company’s new water treatment facility
•Board member of the National Green Center and Kansas Greenhouse Grower Association
Off the clock:
Favorite eats: “Anything from the grill or anything with lots of garlic!”
Best book: Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities. “How can you go wrong with that book???”
The sky is the limit:
Jonathan has a degree in aerospace and mechanical engineering, has his pilot’s license and (in his spare time) is building his own plane.
Nicholas Gapinski, 35
Chief Operating Officer
Heartland Growers, Westfield, Ind.
Accomplishments:
•Responsible for running 30-acre facility with 125 full-time employees while achieving safety, efficiency and profitability goals
•Works with non-profit organizations to help plant vegetable gardens that are helping feed the underprivileged
Off the clock:
Favorite flick: “Hoosiers.” “I love rooting for the underdogÉ”
Hobbies: Golf, skiing, hunting and fishing
Continuing the family legacy:
Nick is the grandson of Aart and Cornelia Van Wingerden and is the oldest of nine children — his youngest sibling is 17 years younger than him.
T. Jay Higgins, 34
President/Owner
Sun-Fire Nurseries, Sarasota, Fla.
Accomplishments:
•Founded company in 2005 and substantially grew the business in a challenging economy
•Community involvement includes helping educate and provide nursery tours to local 4-H, Future Farmers of America, school groups and Master Gardeners.
Off the clock:
At the top of his menu: Pizza
In his spare time: Fantasy football, attending sporting events and golf
What’s on his nightstand?
Nothing. “But I do have books read to me every night by my 8- and 5-year old sons. Lately it has been the Magic Treehouse books. Jack and Annie have some really great adventures.”
Mariah Holland, 34
Director of Marketing
Metrolina Greenhouses, Huntersville, N.C.
Accomplishments:
•Responsible for company’s marketing efforts that combine a keen eye for style and fits within traditional greenhouse parameters
•Spearheaded company’s efforts in collecting consumer data to provide insight into new product offerings
Off the clock:
All-time favorite book: To Kill a Mockingbird
Flexibility is key: By the end of 2013, Mariah will be certified to teach yoga.
Finger-licking good plants?
Mariah’s grandmother worked for the Bunton Seed Co. and sold seeds and rose bushes to Colonel Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Jared Hughes, 25
Retail Manager
Foertmeyer & Sons Greenhouse Co., Delaware, Ohio
Accomplishments:
•Helped company nearly double retail revenue in first two years as manager
•Conducts workshops and presentations for gardening and school groups
•Also owns his own company, The Groovy Agave LLC, to provide unique and unusual succulents and water-wise perennials
Off the clock:
Hobbies: Growing and collecting unusual plants, visiting farmer’s markets, reading and gardening
Life in the fast lane starts early:
When Jared was 12, he started working a paper route to save money to buy a car. Eventually, he bought a metallic blue 1980 El Camino and rebuilt the engine himself.
Liz Hunt, 39
Senior Market Manager-Vegetative
Syngenta Flowers, Inc., Colorado Springs, Colo.
Accomplishments:
•Responsible for product management and marketing of mum program acquired by parent company and helped re-establish and revitalize brand to the industry as well as consumers
•Works with regulators in Washington, D.C., on mum industry issues including Chrysanthemum White Rust and Quarantine 37
Off the clock:
Liz is a “self-proclaimed cooking expert” and has never eaten a McDonald’s hamburger
Unusual talent: Fluent in charades
She’s not running on empty:
Earlier this year, Liz completed a year-long personal goal of running a half-marathon and plans to run in her first marathon by her 40th birthday next January.
Ben Huntington, 30
Yard Manager
Pleasant View Gardens, Loudon, N.H.
Accomplishments:
•Established the company’s Pick-Up Yard in 2009 — a wholesale nursery where customers pick up trees, shrubs, annuals, hanging baskets and perennials when they need them
•Also operates as an independent grower who sells his products to parent company
Off the clock:
In his spare time, Ben likes to build furniture
for family and friends.
Other hobbies: Boating and barbecuing in the summer and snowboarding and snowmobiling in the winter.
You meet the darnedest people:
Before his grandfather founded Pleasant View Gardens, he owned a family produce stand in Connecticut that included Paul Newman and Martha Stewart as customers.
Kevin Hurd, 32
Director of New Products
Proven Winners LLC, Fairfax, Va.
Accomplishments:
•Helped create department that produced an exclusive line of perennials genetics to help differentiate the company in the marketplace
•Bred and introduced to the market more than 30 new perennials over a seven-year period
Off the clock:
Kevin’s favorite book is always changing but currently is The Big Short by Michael Lewis.
Hobbies: Sailing, home improvement projects, reading, traveling and listening to music (see next item)
Can’t stop the music:
Kevin and his wife share a passion for music and spend a lot of time exploring new bands and venues. “It’s not unusual for us to pick where we’re going to live [based] on how close it is to good music venues.”
Jason Jandrew, 35
Plant Breeder
Pan American Seed Co., Guadalupe, Calif.
Accomplishments:
•Participated in the breeding and introduction of 10 new series and numerous viola varieties
•Continues to develop new products and the breeding of various seed crops
Off the clock:
Favorite food: Honey lavender gelato. After relocating, Jason couldn’t find a place that carried it so he learned how to make it himself.
In his spare time: Gardening, hiking, reading, brewing beer É and drinking it!
Continuing a family tradition:
Jason’s grandfather studied horticulture at Alfred University in New York and was known for growing more than 200 dahlias in his garden every year — carefully lifting the tubers each fall, then dividing and planting them again in the spring.
Allison LaHoff, 39
President
Hall’s Garden Center and Florist, Berkeley Heights, N.J.
Accomplishments:
•Oversees a second-generation family business that is one of the largest garden centers in central New Jersey and has guided company into new and interesting markets
•Awarded the 2011 NJNLA Retailer of the Year award from the New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture
Off the clock:
Can’t live without: Coffee!
Hobbies: Cooking and family vacations.
Many people find it hard to believe:
Allison not only works with her husband but also her two brothers and their wives and “we all get along and É really enjoy being together.”
Katie McCarver, 29
Annual Trial Garden Manager
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.
Accomplishments:
•Responsible for receiving, planting, care and evaluation of the extensive collection of new plants for MSU Trial Gardens and publishes the results on MSU website.
•Participates as a vegetable and flower judge for All-America Selections
Off the clock:
Favorite TV shows and snack while she is watching: “Glee,” “Downton Abbey” and “New Girl” with popcorn and “some sort of topping like parmesan cheese, sriracha or cinnamon and sugar.”
On the clock:
Katie once ran the Boston Marathon in 3:24 Ð_ and it was just the second marathon she ever participated in.
Aaron McDonald, 28
Manager of Liner Business
Botany Lane Greenhouse, Denver, Colo.
Accomplishments:
•Responsible for overseeing the start of the company’s liner division from a small local business and expanding it to shipping products nationally
•Works with major breeding company to produce extensive collection of display plants for California Spring Trials as well as major trade shows and other events
Off the clock:
Favorite meal: A grilled ribeye steak paired with a glass of red wine
Favorite book: The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Keeping his head above water:
When Aaron was in high school, he competed in the Junior World Championship for Wildwater Canoeing in Bala, Wales.
Billy C. Morrow, 37
Head Grower
Stacy’s Greenhouses, York, S.C.
Accomplishments:
•Responsible for implementing a new Purchasing Practices program for company’s chemicals and fertilizers that are projected to cut costs by 20 percent
•Works closely with director of production, propagation and planning and head propagation grower to manage crops, space, pests, diseases and workload involved with total production.
Off the clock:
Favorite vacation spot: The Rocky Mountains in Colorado
Can’t live without: University of Texas football
Out of this world:
Billy’s grandfather was one of the engineers at the Johnson Space Center that developed the original map used to track the space shuttle while it is in orbit.
Matthew Nagle, 27
Inventory Manager
Lancaster Farms, Inc., Suffolk, Va.
Accomplishments:
•Serves as the critical link between company’s production and sales personnel
•Developed a process that allows growers to communicate all production data for trees, shrubs, annuals and perennials with inventory control so everyone always receives the correct information
Off the clock:
Can’t live without: “I really do love my coffee; it is the right way to start the day!”
Favorite book: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe “because I know I would be able to survive on an island.”
He’s a crafty one:
Matthew and his girlfriend do a lot of arts and crafts and “even have a whole dresser filled with everything you need to do a first grade project.”
Jennifer Nelkin Frymark, 33
Director of Greenhouse Operations
Gotham Greens, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Accomplishments:
•Designed and is currently operating the nation’s first commercial scale urban rooftop greenhouse
•Has been responsible for running productive greenhouses in varied and extreme climates: in the desert Southwest; the Caribbean; on a barge in the Hudson River; and the South Pole (see below)
Off the clock:
Favorite food: “I feel like I should say salad, but it’s definitely dessert.”
Hobbies: Buddhist studies and meditation
She’ll grow anywhere:
Jenn lived in Antarctica operating greenhouses at both McMurdo and South Pole stations. “I didn’t see the sunset for five months!”
Kelly Norris, 25
Horticulture Manager
Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, Des Moines, Iowa
Accomplishments Author of A Guide to Bearded Irises that received an American Horticultural Society Book Award
•In addition to his “day job,” along with his family he operates Rainbow Iris Farm, a seven-acre specialty nursery and is the editor for the American Iris Society
Off the clock:
Favorite cuisine: “I’m a devout fan of Latin American foods É spicy, mild, saucy or dry, I’m all over it.”
One of his favorite reads: Orchid Fever by Eric Hansen “probably only because I’ve read it like eight times.”
Depending on whom you ask:
Kelly says he is either terribly one-dimensional as “a big ol’ plant geek or a renaissance man” who is an avid patron of the performing arts and has spent a lot of time singing tenor in different choirs.
Clive V. Olson, 35
President
Olson’s Greenhouses, Raynham, Mass.
Accomplishments
•Opened Olson’s Garden Center in Wareham, Mass., when he was 14 years old
•Besides Olson’s Greenhouses and Olson’s Garden Center, Clive is also a partner in Lovely Day Gardens, Klein Greenhouse and Cup 2 Caf.
Off the clock:
Can’t live without: Family and friends, “and when they drive me crazy, I can’t live without an ice cold martini.”
Favorite cuisine: Italian, “but I’ll pretty much eat anything with melted cheese on it.”
His greatest personal accomplishment:
At age 28, Clive and his business partner Matt Piscitelli, bought Olson’s Greenhouses from his dad, Clive H. Olson. This provided “a smooth transition to enjoy his retirement.”
Mark Reiner, 32
Vice President, Retail
Oakland Nursery, Columbus, Ohio
Accomplishments:
•Responsible for marketing, advertising and social media for four retail locations
•In 2011, opened a fourth retail location — an old greenhouse full of broken glass and plastic and an outdoor space covered with weeds and had it operational in just a few weeks.
Off the clock:
Favorite flick: “Major League.” “I’m a lifelong Cleveland Indians fan and it never fails to crack me up.”
Do you have any nursery stock tips?
In his “pre-nursery career,” Mark worked as a trader on Wall Street.
Josiah Raymer, 38
General Manager
Emerald Coast Growers, Pensacola, Fla.
Accomplishments:
•Instrumental in developing the company’s plant selection and trialing program including strict protocols for receiving, recording and trialing plants
•Initiated a detailed field stock selection process for in-house stock program
Off the clock:
Favorite read: The five-book “trilogy” The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
A scholarly education:
A graduate of the University of Florida, Josiah was selected into the school’s esteemed University Scholar program.
Laura Robles, 33
Research and Development Manager
Neal Mast and Son Greenhouses/Mast Young Plants, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Accomplishments
•Selected to be an All-American Selections judge for the bedding plant and vegetable categories
•Helped grow company’s research and development program and is responsible for a wide assortment of plant trials
Off the clock:
Always has a taste for: Thai and Chinese food.
Hobbies: Gardening, fly-fishing with her husband and father, cooking, playing piano and spending time with her family and dogs.
Hanging out in the family tree:
Laura’s seventh maternal grandfather was a scout for George Washington and she is a distant relative of Sequoyah, the Cherokee silversmith who invented the Cherokee alphabet.
Doug Schuster, 25
Greenhouse Manager
Kingwood Center, Mansfield, Ohio
Accomplishments:
•Completed renovation of company’s retail facilities including new benching, improved display areas and expanded sales area. Also implemented new POS and inventory tracking system
•Serves on OFA Next Generation committee
Off the clock:
Can’t live without: Ohio State football
Favorite flick: The Patriot. “I like what the main character stands for.”
Do you remember your first day of school?:
Doug was home schooled so his first day of actually attending school was when he started classes at The Ohio State University.
Emily Showalter, 28
Human Resources
Willoway Nurseries, Avon, Ohio
Accomplishments:
•Recipient of the 2012 Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association’s Young Professional of the Year Award
•Manages company’s internship program as well as all of its human resources responsibilities
Off the clock:
Favorite food/meal: Bacon and eggs. “I could eat breakfast for dinner every day.”
She serves as the team captain for Team Willoway that has raised more than $25,000 for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.
The Buckeyes are in her blood:
Graduates of the Ohio State University, Emily and her husband are big Buckeye fans. In fact, they named their son Grayson after the school’s colors — scarlet and gray.
Lida Sladkova, 33
Trial Manager
Fides Oro, Santa Paula, Calif.
Accomplishments:
•Responsible for managing trial facility and production of company’s varieties that are displayed at California Spring Trials
•Conducts research trials and oversees rooted and unrooted cutting production
•Participates in America in Bloom
Off the clock:
Favorite cuisine: South American
Favorite vacation spot: “Anywhere without cell phone or Internet coverage is a good start.” More specifically — Brazil.
Five months turns into eight years:
An emigrant from the Czech Republic (where her family still resides), Lida came to the United States eight years ago as part of a five-month program at Ohio State University to work on California Spring Trials Ð “And I’m still here!” she declares.
Ty Strode, 35
Vice President and Director of Marketing
Agri-Starts, Inc., Apopka, Fla.
Accomplishments:
•Helped develop an industry cross-over mix of edibles (a mix of berries, other fruiting plants and specialty crops) that work well for wholesale growers as well as the farming community.
•Recently overhauled and relaunched company website
Off the clock:
Hobbies: Surfing, standup paddle boarding, swimming, boating canoeing
Favorite cuisine: Cuban. “I will drive long distances for some good vaca frita and black beans.”
Do count your chickens:
Ty and his daughter keep “a small flock of chickens (OK, only two) that are named Peck and Rock. They produce about 14 eggs per week.”
Matt Taylor, 36
Research Coordinator
Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pa.
Accomplishments:
•Two-time winner of the OFA Alex Laurie Award for applied floriculture research
•Responsible for management of the research budget, the plant curatorial and records office, Longwood Gardens’ plant conservation and exploration programs, tissue culture and soils labs and multiple research projects
Off the clock:
Hobbies: Gardening, skiing, cooking, golf and tailgating before Penn State University football games.
Favorite Flick: Happy Gilmore
Making their house into their home:
Matt and his wife, Elizabeth Taylor, recently purchased a new home and the aspiring handyman is renovating every room in the house himself.
Ivan Tchakarov, 39
Director of Growing
Metrolina Greenhouses, Huntersville, N.C.
Accomplishments:
•Responsible for implementing new grower protocols that builds systemic mastery of every item within the system including weekly photos of how a variety should look in every phase of the process
•Implemented scheduling/growing improvements in plug program that increased yields 20 percent
Off the clock:
Favorite author: Clive Cussler.
“He has a very adventurous type of writing that speaks to me.”
Favorite foods: Fish, sushi and lamb chops.
“Yo, sis!”:
Ivan’s younger sister was once Sylvester Stallone’s personal assistant.
Tara Tischauser, 37
Part Owner
Guthrie Greenhouses, LLC,
Guthrie, Okla.
Accomplishments
•Helped renovate and rejuvenate oldest and largest greenhouse in Oklahoma into successful and profitable enterprise.
•Responsible for developing and marketing company’s own Red Dirt Plants brand.
Off the clock:
Favorite food: Fried cheese. “I grew up in Wisconsin.”
Hobbies: Traveling, warm water and cold beer.
It runs in the family:
Tara is a fourth generation greenhouse owner.
Michael Treiber, 38
Director of Purchasing
Color Spot Nurseries, Fallbrook, Calif.
Accomplishments:
•Responsible for overseeing all purchasing activities at one of the largest wholesale growers in the country
•Develops initiatives to enhance company’s purchasing operations and inventory control
Off the clock:
Hopelessly devoted to: Texas Tech football
Favorite book: Who Moved My Cheese? Ð “It’s a quick read on people’s ability to change in an ever-changing environment.”
Driving down a different road:
Mike is looking at being creative with his “interesting sense of humor.” Instead of just driving his wife crazy with it, he plans to “start writing and see where that goes.”
Aaron Van Wingerden, 30
President
Dutch Heritage Gardens, Larkspur, Colo.
Accomplishments:
•Purchased empty greenhouse with no infrastructure and turned it into a $7 million business in seven years
•Helped create and market company’s own brand of soil media that is sold to consumers
Off the clock:
Favorite cuisine: His wife is Bulgarian and “has an arsenal of AWESOME authentic dishes.”
Hobbies: Skiing and Xball,
a tournament-style paintball game.
You may recognize his last name:
Aaron has 22 siblings, 17 sets of aunts/uncles and well over 100 cousins — and most of the family is in the greenhouse business in some way.
Jenny Wegley, 31
Senior Manager of
Trials and Greenhouse
Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Society, Dallas, Texas
Accomplishments:
•Responsible for managing trialing program with more than 7,000 trial entries looking for the best varieties for extreme climates
•Named as an All-American Selections flower and bedding plant judge in 2012
Off the clock:
Favorite food: “TexMex! Not Mexican. There is a difference!”
Hobbies: Gardening, jigsaw puzzles and watching Dallas Stars hockey games.
Don’t touch her Felco’s:
Jenny has owned her Felco #8 pruners for more than 13 years. She scrimped and saved to buy them very early in her horticulture career while working at a very small nursery and she always knows where they are! “They are my longest relationship to date!”
Justin Woods, 33
Vice President
Dallas Johnson Greenhouse, Council Bluffs, Iowa
Accomplishments:
•Responsible for developing new and nurturing existing customer relationships for one of the largest wholesale growers in the Midwest
•Supervises year-round logistics and routing of company’s trucking capabilities
Off the clock:
Hobbies: Hiking, biking, running, golfing and basketball
Favorite flick: “The Shawshank Redemption”
You had to be there:
Before they were famous, the Grammy-nominated Lumineers performed at his brother’s house down the road from his. “Of course, this happened before they made it big, so there are no pictures or autographs, nothing but the story.”
Paul Westervelt, 38
Annual and Perennial Production Manager
Saunders Brothers, Inc., Piney River, Va.
Accomplishments:
•Adapted company’s annual and perennial production to weather the changes in a down economy and did it profitably
•Five-time speaker at OFA Short Course
Off the clock:
Favorite beverage: That first cup of coffee in the morning in the garden.
Hobbies: Gardening, photography, traveling and dreaming up landscape plans for their newly purchased home.
Any unusual family stories?:
“No. In fact, we’re so vanilla that my mother’s maiden name is Bland!”
Who Will Be In The Class of 2014?
Do you know someone who you think belongs in GPN‘s 40 Under 40 Class of 2014?
This October we will be calling for nominees for next year’s class.
Anyone who has not turned 40 by Jan. 31, 2014 (and was not a member of the Classes of 2012 and 2013) is eligible to be nominated. Previous nominees can be renominated.
Contact Tim Hodson at thodson@sgcmail.com for additional information.
Announcing the Class of 2013: 40 Under 40
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