Jul 22, 2021

McHutchison Sales Veteran Retires

Daniel Hutton, a longtime sales representative for McHutchison, recently retired after 34 years of servicing customers throughout the southeastern U.S. As a consistent, top sales performer during more than three decades at the company, Hutton was well-known for his high level of professional service and mentoring other sales representatives from both McHutchison and Vaughan’s Horticulture.

Hutton helped shape the careers of many colleagues and industry peers. He has been working with Danny Brooks, his successor, over the past year in his sales territory to ensure a seamless transition for customers.

Hutton was originally hired at McHutchison as the company’s 15th sales representativeb. Upon joining McHutchison, Hutton was influenced by the old school approach to sales that emphasized making long-term commitments with loyalty and integrity while quickly adopting the “sell to sell again” motto.

In addition to cultivating relationships with small growers and some of the largest growers in the southeast, he emphasized order fulfillment and taking great care of customers.

One of the first representatives to embrace seedling plugs, Hutton advised suppliers how to box, package and ship products that customers would buy. By accepting the new vegetative annual trend in the early 1990s, he became the top plant salesperson at McHutchison and Vaughan’s Horticulture for many years. He earned the company’s prestigious Steve Coble Award for being the top sales representative during that time.

As a pioneer in selling unrooted cuttings, Hutton influenced suppliers to reduce the minimum from 500 plants per variety to the current industry standard of 100 plants. This advancement in plant marketing kick-started sales for unrooted cuttings. He was also a confidant and advisor to Proven Winners for shipping to the southeast.

When perennials boomed in the late 1990s, Hutton became known industry-wide as a specialist in the southeast. His close relationship with perennial breeders allowed him to help introduce echinacea and other new cultivars.

He was an outspoken advocate for sales representatives when it came to the flow of information and customer service.

Excited for retirement, Hutton looks forward to spending more time with his wife, family and friends. He even bought a fishing boat to get him started on the next phase of his life.

For more information about McHutchison, visit www.mchutchison.com.