AmericanHort Welcomes Three New Board Members

When the AmericanHort board of directors meets in Columbus, Ohio, at Cultivate’17 in July, they will welcome three newly elected board members to the 13 member board and install a new slate of officers.

The AmericanHort board of directors is comprised of leaders from across the breadth of the horticulture industry and encompasses various experiences, skills, and backgrounds.

The board welcomes newcomers:

● 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, current chairman of the board, will become immediate past chairman of the board. Tom Demaline will assume the role of chairman of the board. Mike Klopmeyer is the new vice chairman of the board and is the current general manager of Darwin Perennials.

Steve Castorani has experience in greenhouse, nursery, and garden center retail. Castorani is co-founder of North Creek Nurseries and the American Beauties Native Plant brand. Tom Hughes is a fourth generation nurseryman, and his business grows nursery stock to support their design/build landscape business. Cole Mangum oversees production at Bell Nurseries, including greenhouse production of an estimated 90 million annuals.

These new board members will be formally inducted to the board of directors at Cultivate’17, July 15-18, in Columbus, Ohio. 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.