Meet AmericanHort’s New Officers & Board Members

Chris Beytes

AmericanHort announced the election of three new members to its Board of Directors, plus the installation of new officers. The new Board members (each of whom will serve a three-year term) are:

• Gerry Docksteader, VP of Operations for Master Nursery Garden Centers, Vacaville, California

• Joe Hobson, President and COO of Midwest Trading Horticultural Supplies, Inc., a “Peter Orum Company,” Virgil, Illinois

• Amy Morris, head grower at N.G. Heimos Greenhouses, Millstadt, Illinois (and a GrowerTalks columnist)

The new Chairman of the Board is Susie Raker-Zimmerman, vice president at Raker-Roberta’s Young Plants in Litchfield, Michigan. She’s been on the AmericanHort Board of Directors since 2015. Susie was previously on the board of the Ohio Florist Association (OFA) and a board member of the Michigan Greenhouse Council.

The new Vice Chairman of the Board is Tom Hughes, President and Co-Owner of Hughes Nursery & Landscaping (HNL) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a family business founded in 1908.

“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 and all board members for their invaluable leadership.” GT