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Belmont Nursery
Jon Reelhorn is owner and president of Belmont Nursery in Fresno, Calif. Like many successful businesses, Jon’s company values come from the top down. Belmont Nursery is a third-generation business that loves being part of their local community and includes nursery growing, greenhouse growing, and a retail garden center. Jon is a graduate of Fresno State University with a degree in Plant Science, a graduate of the California Ag Leadership Program and a graduate of EAGL, the Executive Academy for Growth and Leadership. Jon is very active in his industry having served as a board member with the farm bureau and California Nursery and Landscape Association (now Plant California Association), he held several committee roles with the American Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA), and has been chairman of the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI). He enjoys hiking, golf and travel and is passionate about plants, baseball, and his dog Crash.
AgriNomix, Oberlin, OH
Western Roots, Mills River, NC
In professional circles, Rob Lando is best known for his co-founding and building of Ohio based AgriNomix, North America’s largest supplier of automation to nurseries and greenhouses. At the start of 2022, AgriNomix and Zwart Systems joined forces to become part of the newly formed AdeptAg where Rob continues to be involved with business development and R&D projects.
In 2022, Rob formed Western Roots LLC of Mills River, North Carolina. His longtime relationships within the horticulture and pharmaceutical industries allowed him to assemble a highly talented team to undertake a challenging task; to grow and provide highly specialized plant material to a top tier pharmaceutical company for use in vaccine production. This highly compliance driven sector is new territory for any Indoor Ag company but one thing doesn’t change, everything revolves around what’s best for the plants.
In addition to his day jobs, Rob currently serves the horticulture industry as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of AmericanHort, the industry’s national trade association with offices in Columbus, Ohio and Washington, DC.
Rob is a former board member and current finance committee member for Neighborhood Alliance, a Northeast Ohio non-profit which provides essential services to Lorain County residents in all stages of life. He is a Vancouver native, and a US/Canadian dual citizen who moved to the US when he was 19. Prior to Western Roots LLC & AgriNomix, Rob served as Senior Vice President responsible for sales and service at Bouldin & Lawson of McMinnville, TN, and he started his journey in the horticulture industry with Langley Peat Moss of Fort Langley, BC in 1980. Rob and his wife Julia reside in Southern California, in close proximity to their two adult daughters.
Treasurer, AmericanHort
Harvey Cotten is a garden writer, designer, and consultant. After 22 years with the Huntsville Botanical Garden, most recently as vice president and chief horticulturist, he retired in 2014. He continues to present workshops for the Botanical Garden, Master Gardener Associations, Garden Clubs and other botanical gardens and arboreta while lecturing across the southeast on various garden topics. Harvey is very active in the industry. He currently serves as president of the Alabama Nursery & Landscape Association and is past president of the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) and Alabama Invasive Plant Council. Harvey co-authored a popular book “Easy Gardens for the South” published in 2009. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Mississippi State University. Prior to joining the Huntsville Botanical Garden staff, he was general manager of Monmouth Plantation in Natchez, MS, and co-owner of Chase Nursery Co in Huntsville.
Bell Nursery USA LLC
Cole Mangum is vice president of operations for Bell Nursery in Elkridge, MD, one of the nation’s largest growers of annuals and perennials. Cole oversees operations across 8 facilities as well as coordinating a team of category managers who manage shipping of finished product. A graduate of Salisbury University, Cole has dedicated himself to advocating for various facets for the industry over the course of his career. He has served on the National Leadership Cabinet for the Seed Your Future initiative, as Horticulture Representative for the Maryland Agricultural Commission, and is a board member for the Greenhouse Grower Technology advisory board. Cole joined the AmericanHort board of directors in 2017 and remains committed to keeping the horticulture strong and as a viable career path long into the future – both at the local and national level. He and his wife live in the Annapolis, MD area with their two young children.
Kurt Becker is Executive Vice President (EVP) of Dramm Corporation, located in Manitowoc, WI, which has been a leader in watering tools and accessories for over 75 years. As EVP of Commercial Products Sales & Marketing, Kurt has decades of experience collaborating with growers on pest management, irrigation systems, humidity management and air movement. In addition to managing the commercial business for Dramm, Kurt leads marketing for the group and has been instrumental in Dramm’s support of Cultivate and AmericanHort. Kurt’s industry activities have included serving as a director for Bedding Plants Incorporated, Ohio Florist Association, and America in Bloom.
President of Arbor Valley Nursery
Matt Edmundson, President of Arbor Valley Nursery in Brighton, Colorado, is a second-generation nurseryman and third generation business owner of Arbor Valley Nursery. Arbor Valley Nursery is a hybrid supplier growing balled and burlapped shade and ornamental trees as well as container grown woody shrubs, western natives, perennials, and ornamental grasses. Their facility offers the latest technology in irrigation and water quality management as well as scale for producing, holding, and shipping products to markets including landscape projects and retail garden centers. Matt is a graduate of the University of Colorado-Boulder and has served in various leadership roles with the Colorado Nursery and Greenhouse Association, the Colorado Nursery Research and Education Foundation and the GreenCo legislative committee.
President & Chief Executive Officer
Prior to joining AmericanHort in May 2016 as AmericanHort President and CEO, Ken spent 20 years in senior management positions leading industrial and consumer products companies including Managing Director of a Lone Star Funds portfolio company, a leading private equity firm; President and CEO of Elmer’s Products, an international consumer products company; Vice President of Poet-Ethanol Products, LLC the largest marketer of ethanol in North America; Senior Vice President of The Coleman Company, a global outdoor consumer products company; and various senior leadership positions within Koch Industries, Inc., a large multinational corporation.
Ken holds an MBA from the W. Frank Barton School of Business and a BS in Chemistry from Wichita State University.
President at Fullmer’s Landscaping, Inc.
Kent Fullmer is President at Fullmer’s Landscaping, Inc. in Dayton, OH, a residential landscape design and build company. Kent’s father started the business in 1962, Kent assumed ownership of the company in 2005 and continues to lead the second-generation company with passion and integrity. Kent brings high energy to the art of landscaping and his goal to provide positive personal experiences to Fullmer’s Landscaping’s clients. Kent has considerable experience working across the industry as he has served on the board of directors of the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association, is currently serving on the AmericanHort Landscape Contractor Committee, is a certified arborist as well as a member of the International Society of Arboriculture.
Plantpeddler Inc., Cresco, Iowa
Mike Gooder is president and co-owner with wife Rachel of Plantpeddler, located in Cresco Iowa, and has been in business since 1980, with their son John joining the operation in 2014. Plantpeddler’s Young Plant division is a major propagator of vegetative genetics with industry leadership in Begonias. The wholesale division focuses on premium retail-ready products from Spring through Christmas. Mike is a graduate of horticulture from Iowa State University and is involved in several industry groups, including the AmericanHort Greenhouse Community Connector and Advocacy committees. Mike is a recipient of the National Horticulture Leadership Award and speaks on a wide range of horticultural and business topics regionally and nationally.
Mostardi Nursery
Steve Mostardi is owner and general manager of Mostardi Nursery, a retail garden center located in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. He is a third-generation nurseryman and a Pennsylvania Certified Horticulturist with a lifelong interest in the world of plants. In addition to growing up in the nursery business, he attended the Arboretum School of the Barnes Foundation, as well as the Ambler Campus of Temple University.
He is currently a member of the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, while also serving as Chairman of the P.H.S. Gold Medal Plant Award Committee. In addition, he is honored to serve as one of the judges for horticultural exhibits at the Philadelphia Flower Show. On a national level, he recently served as president of the Horticultural Research Institute, the AmericanHort Foundation. In his spare time, he and his wife are busy taming two acres of woodlands and wildlife at their home in Media, PA.
Loma Vista Nursery
Lyndsi Oestmann grew up in the nursery business started by father, Mark Clear. She pursued a degree in Business from Kansas State University with no intention of returning to the nursery. However, in 2004 she began her full-time career in the nursery industry and has worked in all aspects of the nursery from field production and learning the art of pruning young trees, to accounting and payroll. Lyndsi now serves as president of Loma Vista Nursery where she oversees all strategic and operational responsibility for 300-acres of container production, 500 acres of field production with sales predominately focused on the Midwest and mountain states. Lyndsi prides herself in being an active and highly involved participant in the green industry. She served as a 5-year board member of Kansas Nursery and Landscape Association and as board president in 2016. She is a member of AmericanHort Community Landscape Connector group, member of Johnson County Community College Horticulture Advisory Board, member of the Western Nursery and Landscape Association board, recipient of WNLA’s State Association Leader Award in 2017, and Horticultural Industries Leadership Awards Class of 2020. Our of concern for both the present and future of horticulture, Lyndsi is dedicated to recruiting youth into the industry. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her two daughters and husband, teaching Sunday School, leading her daughters’ Girl Scout Troop, coaching softball, and reading.
Overdevest Nurseries LP, New Jersey
Ed Overdevest is the president and owner of Overdevest Nurseries, one of the leading nurseries in New Jersey. Upon graduating from Cornell University, Ed returned home to become a partner in the family business, which he and his wife Gail later purchased from his parents in 1978. He and his wife led the company through a vigorous expansion and product diversification process and are proud to have their son Ryan join in the team as a third-generation partner. With production facilities encompassing 290 acres, the nursery produces over 2,000 varieties of perennials, shrubs, and trees for east coast garden centers. Exemplary practices in conservation, labor relations, and community involvement has earned the business a sustainability certification. The nursery’s clients include independent garden centers and distributors within a 300-mile radius of Bridgeton. Ed has received numerous honors over the past thirty years, including Young Farmer of the Year, Young Farm Couple, Nurseryman of the Year, Business of the Year, Grower of the Year, and several marketing awards. He has held leadership positions in local, state, and national community, business, and trade organizations.
Everde Growers, Texas
Jonathan Saperstein is CEO of Everde Growers, one of America’s largest nurseries. Everde produces more than 33 million plants a year on over 6,000 acres amongst 14 facilities located in Florida, Texas, California, and Oregon. Jonathan firmly believes that employee, vendor, and customer relationships are the driving force of any successful business. Under his leadership Everde’s employee base has grown to over 2,000 associates, establishing the company as an industry leader. Jonathan currently serves as a trustee on both the Texas and Florida Nursery and Landscape Associations’ Political Action Committee boards and is an active member of the Young Presidents’ Association. Among his many honors, Jonathan was a recipient of the 2017 Forbes 30 under 30 award within the manufacturing & industry category, was recognized by Houston Business Journal as one of Houston’s most admired CEO’s and named the 2018 Gulf Coast Region EY Entrepreneur of the Year. He also received the Southern Nursery Association’s David E. Laird Award in 2019.
President of Home Nursery Inc.
Ann Tosovsky is President of Home Nursery Inc. a field and container production nursery headquartered in Albers, IL. The business includes production facilities in Illinois and Tennessee and distribution centers in Illinois and Missouri. Ann is a third-generation owner and leader of the business that celebrated their 100th Anniversary in 2021. Not thinking this was the life for her, Ann attended Eastern Illinois University and pursued a degree in business. Ann worked her way around the company and learned the processes and procedures of the business gaining experience in sales, marketing, and administrative tasks. She transitioned to the role of president in 2012. Ann has considerable experience working across the industry and the community having served on a variety of industry boards and organizations including the Illinois Green Industry Association Board of Directors, Madison County Extension Education Foundation Board, Hortica Advisory Council and Hortica Insurance Board Member, The Gardens at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Advisory Board, and the Rotary Club of Edwardsville Board of Directors.
