And the Nominees Are

Staff

Top candidates vie for GrowerTalks' Young Grower Award

The nominations are in! We're hard at work evaluating this crop of outstanding 2008 GrowerTalks' Young Grower Award candidates. Next month, look for essays from our five finalists. Our panel of judges will carefully review applications and interview these finalists. Then, join us at the OFA Awards Ceremony at the OFA Short Course in July as we announce the winner.

Thanks to all who nominated these talented young people. And thanks, also, to our sponsors: Ball, OFA, and BASF.

The nominees:

Jenni Barnes, 31
Head Grower
Schmidt Bros. Inc.
Swanton, Ohio

Ed Barrow, 31
Perennial Grower
Whiteford Rd. Greenhouse
Toledo, Ohio

Colleen Carlson, 28
Owner
Carlson Greenhouse
Montrose, Minnesota

Kathy Carlson, 28
Assistant Grower
Carlson Greenhouse
Montrose, Minnesota

Sarah Celestian, 27
Propagation Manager
Desert Tree Farms
Phoenix, Arizona

Chad Earles, 31
Co-Head Grower
Nash Greenhouse
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Nancy Gambino, 29
Vice President
Arte Verde Garden Center and Landscape Co.
Poplar Grove, Illinois

Hugh E. Kurtz Jr., 32
Head Grower
Kurtz Farms LLC
Cheshire, Connecticut

Elizabeth Hoffman, 32
Owner/Manager
West End Florist & Garden Center
Evanston, Illinois

Zoltan Kovacs, 34
Vice President Operations
Sunny Border Nurseries
Kensington, Connecticut

Jose Vega Jr, 22
Vice President - Operations
Dream with Colors
Phoenix, Arizona

Jill West, 31
Grower
D.S. Cole Growers
Loudon, New Hampshire

Davy Wright, 29
Vice President
Wright’s Nursery and Greenhouse Inc.
Plantersville, Alabama