AmericanHort Welcomes New Board Members

Jennifer Zurko

AmericanHort announced the election of three new members to the 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 new slate of officers will include the following individuals as new chairman of the board and vice chairman of the board:

• Tom Hughes, chairman of the board, currently serves as president and co-owner of Hughes Nursery & Landscaping (HNL) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a family business that started in 1908.

• Cole Mangum, vice chairman of the board. Cole is vice president of operations for Bell Nursery USA LLC in Elkridge, Maryland, one of the nation’s largest growers of annuals and perennials.

• Susie Raker-Zimmerman of Raker Roberta’s Young Plants will become immediate past chairman of the board.

New AmericanHort board members, who’ve been elected to serve a three-year term, include:

• Mike Gooder is president and co-owner with his wife Rachel of Plantpeddler, located in Cresco Iowa, and has been in business since 1980, with son John joining the business in 2014.

• Ed Overdevest is the president and owner of Overdevest Nurseries, one of the leading nurseries in New Jersey.

• Jonathan Saperstein is CEO of TreeTown USA, one of America’s largest nurseries. GT