On the Move

Jennifer Zurko

BioWorks, Inc.
BioWorks announced the appointment of Jeffery Neese as Biological Solutions Advisor for the Great Lakes region. In his new role, Jeffery will work closely with growers, distributors and industry partners across the Great Lakes region to align biological solutions with real-world production needs and provide technical expertise to support effective integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. Based in Portage, Michigan, he’ll support growers and distributors throughout Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri and Nebraska.

Jeffery brings more than 35 years of commercial greenhouse and horticultural experience to BioWorks, with a career spanning crop production, biological pest control, IPM, technical leadership and grower support. Prior to joining BioWorks, he held several senior leadership roles with Costa Farms. Most recently, he served as Senior Technical Director of Horticulture, providing strategic and technical leadership across annual, perennial, young plant and blooming crop programs. 

Jeffery also served as Director of Young Plant Operations and Head Grower, overseeing high-volume young plant production, growing protocols, technology integration, product quality and customer support. Earlier in his career with Costa Farms, he managed a high-volume greenhouse operation with responsibility for crop execution, labor, quality control and profitability, while also leading an 8-acre open-roof greenhouse expansion.

Fine Americas, Inc. 
Fine Americas has strengthened its U.S. agricultural sales organization with two leadership appointments: Chase Edwards joins the company as Pacific Northwest Sales Manager and Rob Stutesman has been promoted to U.S. Ag Sales Manager. 

Chase brings hands-on agronomic and tree fruit production experience to Fine’s Northwest team. Most recently, he served as an agronomist with Allan Brothers, where he helped guide agronomic strategy and integrated pest management programs for tree fruit operations, developed data-driven crop recommendations, managed key production inputs, and supported field teams and farm operations.

Rob earned a B.S. in Integrated Plant Sciences from Washington State University, with an emphasis in Fruit and Vegetable Management and a minor in Agricultural Economics, graduating summa cum laude. He grew up working in his family’s cherry farm, giving him a lifelong connection to Northwest agriculture and a firsthand understanding of the challenges growers face. Rob, who previously served as Fine’s Pacific Northwest Sales Manager, moves into this newly created role, bringing more than 33 years of experience in the agricultural retail industry, with a career spanning sales, marketing, business development and product launches.

Oasis Grower Solutions
Oasis Grower Solutions, a division of Smithers-Oasis, has announced key additions to its team of sales, customer service and product/technical support professionals. 

Eric Waterman has joined the Oasis Grower Solutions team as Territory Sales Manager for the Northeast United States and Eastern Canada. Based in Maine, Eric brings the team more than 15 years of experience in the substrate industry. Though focused on the Northeast, his responsibilities will also include key national/regional distributor accounts.

Kady Herold has joined the team as Customer Service Specialist. Kady’s professional background includes extensive work in logistics, as well as numerous customer-centric responsibilities that will greatly benefit the Oasis Grower Solutions team. She will work closely with the division’s customers and internal teams to ensure a high level of service and support.

Brenton Williams has been promoted to the role of Product & Technical Solutions Manager. With Oasis Grower Solutions since 2014, Brenton has served in research, national and international sales, and technical customer service. This new role will leverage his extensive technical product knowledge and grower relationships to focus on technical support, product solutions and ensuring customers get the most value from Oasis Grower Solutions product lines.

Sun Gro Horticulture
Sun Gro Horticulture has launched a redesigned website (sungro.com) created to help professional growers more quickly access the growing media products, technical resources and expert support they need to make informed decisions. Built around the needs of busy growers, the new site brings product specifications, technical information and access to Sun Gro Grower Specialists together in one streamlined online experience. Visitors can explore more than 100 professional growing media products, including science-driven blends with consistent performance, dependable quality and technical support behind every mix.

A new Product Finder helps growers identify growing media based on their crops and production needs, providing a faster path to products that align with specific growing goals. And professional growers with questions about media formulation or crop performance can connect directly with Sun Gro Grower Specialists through the site. GT