Dow AgroSciences names new T&O sales representative
Dow AgroSciences named Saumya Verma as the new sales representative for the turf and ornamental market in Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and eastern West Virginia. Verma replaces Bill Davis, who has recently retired. In her new role, Verma will be a resource to distributors and customers in the lawn care, golf and nursery industries. She will also be responsible for creating awareness for Dimension, Gallery, Snapshot and Showcase specialty herbicides, MACH 2 specialty insecticide and Eagle 20EW specialty fungicide.
|
|
She joined Dow AgroSciences in 2006 as a sales trainee for the turf and ornamental business, where she coordinated and conducted several research trials with Gallery. Verma graduated from Indiana University in 2005 where she earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a minor in biology.
Customers in her area may contact her at 410/931-2182 or by e-mail at sverma@dow.com.
Learn more at www.dowagro.com.
Hunter sales team adds Great Lakes, Central States representatives
Hunter Industries added Eric Simmons to the company’s growing roster of national sales representatives. Simmons will work under the direction of senior sales manager of market development Jon Truttmann and will handle specification sales and support duties for the Great Lakes region.
|
|
A graduate of the University of Illinois, Simmons is a registered landscape architect (RLA) in the state of Illinois and comes to Hunter with 17 years employment in the landscape industry. In addition to being an RLA, his experience includes managing the start up of a brand new subsidiary of a major Midwest sod producer that is licensed as the region’s exclusive grower and distributor of RTF tall fescue sod and seed.
For six years, Simmons worked for the largest landscape contractor in the Chicago area, handling a wide range of commercial and residential projects. About 90 percent of those projects included irrigation, and Simmons was in charge of purchasing all horticulture and plant materials, as well as the irrigation products. These responsibilities enabled him to develop strong relationships with many distributors, contractors and landscape architects in the region—relationships that he anticipates will be a great benefit to his new position with Hunter.
Simmons currently resides in the Chicago suburb of Oswego with his wife, Tracy, and the couple’s three children—Matthew, 11; Michael, 10; and Hailey, 8. He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association, as well as a member of the Oswego Planning Commission.
|
|
Hunter also added Cary Glasse to its sales team. Glasse will work under the direction of Central States regional sales manager Don Neely and will handle distributor, contractor, and municipal duties. His territory covers southern Kansas, Oklahoma, and western Arkansas.
Glasse comes to Hunter from Treetop Nursery and Landscaping in Wichita. When he came to Treetop in 1999, one of his primary responsibilities was to help create and develop the company’s new irrigation division. Prior to that, he was employed by Wichita Pump and Supply since 1994.
Irrigation has long been a part of Glasse’s life. He first became involved in the business when he was in eighth grade, operating a lawn mowing service with his father. In 1977, he installed his first irrigation system for a customer and that part of the business quickly grew. The customer base expanded enough that his father left his position with a credit union to make the irrigation business a full-time operation.
Glasse is a member of the Irrigation Association and holds both CLIA and CID certifications. He currently resides in Wichita with his wife, Lori, and the couple’s three children—Steve, Ally, and T.J.
For more information, visit Hunter Industries at www.HunterIndustries.com.
Target expands sales team in Southern California
Will Harrison is Target’s newest account representative for the vegetation management and landscape markets in southern California.
|
|
Harrison graduated from California Polytechnic University, Pomona with a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy. He is also a licensed Pest Control Advisor in all categories, and a Certified Crop Advisor.
Before joining Target, Harrison was the Manager of Grower Services at Sunrise Growers in Placentia, Calif. Additionally, he is the Owner/Operator of Harrison & Associates, a private consulting and materials procurement company.
Harrison is a member of the California Plant Health Association and is a past president and vice-president of the Orange County Farm Bureau.
“Will is a great asset to our team and an ideal resource for the landscape and vegetation management markets,” says Regional Manager Rich Records.
Will Harrison can be reached by calling Target’s Santa Fe Springs office at 800/352-3870 or via email at will.harrison@target-specialty.com.
Spectrum hires new international business director
Spectrum Technologies, a manufacturer of weather stations and data loggers, introduced the newest member of the Spectrum management team: David Lau, International Business Director.
|
|
Lau more than 20 years of management and international business experience to his new role as International Business Director. He has lived and studied abroad, and directed the international business activities for a leading manufacturer serving the horticultural and agricultural industries. His background has also included positions in broadcast meteorology and meteorological consulting, as well as in management consulting with Ernst & Young, LLP.
Lau has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and German from Stanford University and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. As International Business Director, he will work to identify and develop new international markets for Spectrum and strengthen the company’s network of international distributors.
For more information, contact Spectrum Technologies, 12360 S Industrial Dr. East, Plainfield, IL 60585, toll free 800/248-8873, 815/436-4440, fax 815/436-4460, or at www.specmeters.com.
Organizational changes at FMC Professional Solutions sharpen company’s focus on the turf industry
A new organizational structure at FMC Professional Solutions, a division of FMC Corp., will increase the company’s resources dedicated to the turf industry and sharpen its focus on this important market segment, according to Professional Solutions top management.
“The turf industry is a core focus for FMC Professional Solutions,” says Dan Rosenbaum, director of FMC Professional Solutions. “In order to support our philosophy of delivering Customer-Driven InnovationSM to this marketplace, we wanted to put the resources in place to allow us to serve the turf industry more effectively. Our structure now reflects the more intense focus on this important market segment.”
In addition, Rosenbaum reports that FMC Professional Solutions is preparing for the launch of two new turf products within the next 6 to 9 months.
Among the organizational changes being announced are:
- The appointment of Karen Westcott as Marketing Manager, FMC Professional Solutions
- The appointment of Rick Ekins as Product Manager – Turf Products
- The appointment of Maureen Thompson as National Sales Manager – Turf
- The appointment of Rick Lewis as Marketing and Sales Support Manager – Turf
- The appointment of Ken Hutto as Technical Service Representative - Turf residing in the Midwest
- The creation of a dedicated turf field sales team
- The appointment of Julie Spagnoli to the position of Manager of Regulatory, Planning and Government Affairs
“In addition to these improvements in our personnel structure, we are investing substantial funds into the tools and processes that we need to support our organization, and help create success for our customers,” says Rosenbaum. FMC Professional Solutions has also implemented a new innovation model, the goal of which is to increase the speed and cost-efficiency of the innovation and development process. This innovation model is fully integrated with the company’s Innova organization, which was launched in 2005.
Innova Solutions brings key global functions such as research and development, regulatory affairs, licensing and acquisition and global product development under one umbrella, in order to increase the focus, alignment, collaboration and efficiency of the company’s discovery process. The company’s goal is to shorten the development cycle for products from the traditional 10 to 15 years to between two to four years.
HydroPoint Data Systems recruits industry veteran
HydroPoint Data Systems announced that Charles N. Zaher joined the Company as business development manager. Chief among Zaher’s responsibilities will be increasing the accessibility of the proven WeatherTRAK smart controller product line to irrigation specifiers and landscape architects.
Prior to joining HydroPoint, Zaher was the director of Commercial Products for Signature Control Systems, where he was responsible for developing and growing the national turf commercial business. His responsibilities included building distribution to support the growth of the product line as well as developing consultant relationships and design specifications with end users.
Prior to Signature, Zaher held management positions with Rain Bird. Zaher joined Rain Bird in 1993 as a district manager in Southern California and was promoted to international brand manager for the Commercial division. Mr. Zaher subsequently served as specifications manager in Southern California and finally as international sales regional manager for Turf products.
Zaher has also served as an area manager for Hardie Irrigation and as an area specification manager for Thompson Manufacturing. There, he created specifications for consultants and public agencies. At Irridelco Corporation, Zaher supported agricultural equipment products in several overseas markets including Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey and Algeria.
Zaher holds a B.S. in agricultural engineering from the American University of Beirut (AUB), Lebanon and a M.S. in Soils, Irrigation and Machinery Management, also from AUB. Additionally, Zaher is a member of the Irrigation Association and a past board member of the American Society of Irrigation Consultants.
A native of Lebanon, Zaher resides in Orange, Calif., with his wife and three children.