May 24, 2019

AmericanHort Board Installs New Officers, Adds Three New Members

AmericanHort has announced the election of three new members to its board of directors, along with the installation of a new slate of officers. These individuals are leaders from across the horticulture industry and encompass various experiences, skills and backgrounds.

The official welcome will take place at Cultivate’19, July 13-16, in Columbus, Ohio.

“It’s important that all segments of our industry are represented on the board and we are excited to welcome this diverse group of new members,” said Ken Fisher, president and  CEO of AmericanHort. “We also sincerely appreciate the dedication and commitment of our officers and all board members for their invaluable leadership.”

The new slate of officers will include the following individuals as new chairman of the board and vice chairman of the board:

• Susie Raker-Zimmerman, chairman of the board, currently serves as vice president at Raker-Roberta’s Young Plants and has been on the AmericanHort board of directors since 2015. Susie has experience in purchasing, sales, and as general manager working with management staff to implement KPIs and structure. She was previously on the board of the Ohio Florist Association (OFA) and a board member of the Michigan Greenhouse Council. Raker-Zimmerman is also an alumnus of GPN’s 40 Under 40.
• Tom Hughes, vice chairman of the board, currently serves as president and co-owner of Hughes Nursery & Landscaping (HNL) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
• Mike Klopmeyer of Ball FloraPlant will become immediate past chairman of the board, and Lisa Graf of Graf Growers serves as treasurer.

New AmericanHort board members, who have been elected to serve a three-year term, include:

• Gerry Docksteader, vice of operations for Master Nursery Garden Centers for more than six years..
• Joe Hobson, president and COO of Midwest Trading Horticultural Supplies, Inc., a Peter Orum Company, in Virgil, Illinois.
• Amy Morris, head grower at Heimos Greenhouses and the owner of Millstadt Young Plants.

AmericanHort and its members would like to thank outgoing board members Tom Demaline of Willoway Nurseries Inc., who is completing a five-year term including helping with the transition to AmericanHort and serving as board chairman; Lisa Minter-Bustin of  Minter Country Garden, Ltd., who is completing a three-year term; and Seth Reed of Grow It!, who has served a three-year term.