May 24, 2023

AmericanHort welcomes new board members and officers

AmericanHort announced the addition of three new industry leaders to the AmericanHort board of directors, along with the incoming slate of board officers. “We are pleased to have these respected industry members join the AmericanHort board to share their expertise and perspective as we continue to deliver on our mission,” said Ken Fisher CEO & president of AmericanHort. “The board plays an important role in shaping the future of the organization and we thank those who volunteer to serve the industry in this way for their dedication to the advancement of horticulture.”

The new slate of officers for 2023-2024 include Rob Lando as the incoming board chairman, and Ed Overdevest as the incoming board vice chairman. Jon Reelhorn of Belmont Nursery will become the immediate past chairman and J. Harvey Cotten will continue to serve as board treasurer in a non-voting position.

Rob Lando is best known in professional circles for his co-founding and building of Ohio based AgriNomix, a North American supplier of automation to nurseries and greenhouses. During 2022, AgriNomix, Zwart Systems, Bellpark Horticulture and Plantech Control Systems joined forces to become AdeptAg where Lando continues to be involved as the new entity grows. He also consults and coaches with other firms within the horticulture industry.

Ed Overdevest is the president and owner of Overdevest Nurseries, a New Jersey nursery that sells to independent garden centers and distributors within a 300-mile radius of Bridgeton. With production facilities encompassing 290 acres, the nursery produces over 2,000 varieties of perennials, shrubs and trees for east coast garden centers. The company has earned a sustainability certification due to their practices in conservation, and they are known for their labor relations and community involvement.

The AmericanHort membership has elected the following new board directors:

Derek Clark is director of sales for South Central Growers, a second-generation family-owned greenhouse in Springfield, Tennessee, producing annuals and perennials for big box retailers. He began working in the horticulture industry in 2005 and held several key account management roles before joining South Central Growers in 2013. Clark is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill  as well as a graduate of EAGL, the Executive Academy for Growth and Leadership. He is passionate about helping strengthen the industry for future generations.

Brian Lloyd is CEO of Olson’s Greenhouse, a fourth-generation, family-owned group of companies growing, distributing, and merchandising bedding plants to mass market retailers throughout the western U.S. Lloyd has degrees in marketing and ornamental horticulture from Utah State University and an master’s from the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University. He is an active member of YPO International, a worldwide leadership community of chief executives, and an alum of the Harvard Business School Owner/President Management program.

Emily Showalter is the chief of human resources at Willoway Nurseries in Avon, Ohio, a third-generation family-owned business and a wholesale growers of quality nursery stock in the Midwest. Emily grew up in the family business, graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelors in agriculture, completed the Goldman Sachs 10k Small Business Program, and is a graduate of EAGL, the Executive Academy for Growth and Leadership. Emily served as president of the Ohio Green Industry Association in 2020 and serves on area horticulture program advisory boards

These new directors will join current board directors Kurt Becker, Dramm Corp., Wisconsin; Matt Edmundson, Arbor Valley Nursery, Colorado; Kent Fullmer, Fullmer’s Landscaping, Ohio; Steve Mostardi of Mostardi Nursery, Pennsylvania; Lyndsi Oestmann, of Loma Vista Nursery, Kansas; and Ann Tosovsky, Home Nursery, Illinois.

AmericanHort and its members express appreciation to outgoing board members, Mike Gooder, Plantpeddler, Iowa and Jonathan Saperstein, Everde Growers, Texas who each served a three-year term from 2020-2023; and Cole Mangum, Bell Nursery USA, Maryland who served on the board from 2017-2023 and was board chairman during his tenure.