AmericanHort Names New Board Members and Officers for 2017

Posted on Mar 17, 2017 in news

Tom Hughes, Hughes Nursery & Landscaping

The AmericanHort Board of Directors, which includes leaders from across the horticulture industry covering various experiences and backgrounds, will welcome three newly elected members and a new slate of officers at Cultivate’17 in Columbus, OH, in July.

The new Board members are:
• Steve Castorani, CEO/President of North Creek Nurseries
Tom Hughes, owner of Hughes Nursery & Landscaping
• Cole Mangum, Vice President of Production at Bell Nursery.

 

Teri Bates of Bates Sons and Daughters, Inc., current Chairman of the Board, will become Immediate Past Chairman of the Board and continue her involvement by advocating for industry growth, unification, and broader collaboration across all segments of the supply chain.

Tom Demaline of Willoway Nurseries will assume the role of Chairman of the Board and offers deep knowledge of the horticulture industry, as well as a history of dedicated involvement with the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association and the Horticultural Research Institute. Demaline’s vision for AmericanHort is an organization that provides a unified voice for the entire horticulture industry. It’s Demaline’s intention that with a strong voice, AmericanHort can better educate consumers, potential employees, and the government about the economic and environmental significance of horticulture.

Mike Klopmeyer is the new Vice Chairman of the Board and is the current General Manager of Darwin Perennials. His long involvement with the horticulture industry provides Klopmeyer with perspectives on how it has evolved and where it is going. “I look forward to continuing my participation on the Board,” Klopmeyer says. “I believe that AmericanHort is the pivot point for bringing together the important segments of our dynamic industry and supporting the continued success of our member community.”

Tom Hughes is a fourth-generation nurseryman, and his business grows nursery stock to support its design/build landscape business, Huges Landscape & Nursery LLC in Cedar Rapids, IA. Hughes has served his community and industry in various capacities including Land Use Committee Chair for the Shueyville United Methodist Church, President of the Prairie (K-12) School District Foundation, industry representative for the Kirkwood Community College Horticulture Advisory Committee, an Agriculture Committee Member for the Iowa State University Foundation. Tom is a long time member of the Iowa Nursery & Landscape Association.

The new board members will be formally inducted to the Board of Directors at Cultivate’17. AmericanHort and its members thank Dale Deppe, Terri McEnaney, and Sid Raisch, whose board terms end in July 2017, for their years of dedication to AmericanHort and the entire horticulture industry.