Jun 14, 2018

New Officers, Board Members Announced at AmericanHort

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’18, July 14-17, 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 & CEO of AmericanHort. “We also sincerely appreciate the dedication and commitment of our officers.”

The new slate of officers include:

Mike Klopmeyer, chairman of the board — Klopmeyer joined Ball Horticultural Co. as corporate plant pathologist in 1989. Beginning in August, Klopmeyer will serve as president of Ball FloraPlant after serving for ten years as general manager of Darwin Perennials. While his focus is devoted to breeding and product development in vegetative perennials, Klopmeyer has extensive experience in plant pathology, plant propagation, vegetative production and phytosanitary/regulatory issues across greenhouse, nursery and landscape segments. He has been on the AmericanHort Board of Directors since 2015 and has most recently served as Vice Chairman of the Board.

Susie Raker-Zimmerman, vice chairman of the board — Raker Zimmerman currently serves as vice president at Raker-Roberta’s Young Plants and has been on the AmericanHort board of directors since 2015. She has experience in purchasing, sales, and as general manager working with management staff to implement KPI’s and structure. She was previously on the board of the Ohio Florist Association (OFA) and a board member of the Michigan Greenhouse Council.

New board members include: Rob Lando, Agrinomix;  Jon Reelhorn, Belmont Nursery;  and Chris McCorkle, McCorkle Nurseries, Inc.

AmericanHort’s outgoing board members are Dan Batson, GreenForest Nursery Inc.; Mark Sellew, Prides Corner Farms; and Terri Bates, Bates Sons & Daughters Inc.