On the Move

Jennifer Zurko

Ball Horticultural Company/Ball Seed/Darwin Perennials 
Seth Reed has been named Global Sustainability Manager for Ball Horticultural Company. He will lead sustainability strategies, assess environmental impacts, monitor performance and collaborate with Ball locations and departments to integrate sustainable practices. Additionally, Seth will serve as an Account Development Representative, focusing on managing and growing a portfolio of municipal accounts for Ball Seed. He will provide tailored recommendations on perennial, ornamental grass and native species. 

Previously, Seth was Sales and Marketing Manager for Darwin Perennials and to fill that role, Darwin has welcomed Mike Annes back to Ball Horticultural Company. Mike previously served as a sales representative for Burpee Home Gardens and as a Ball Seed Regional Supply Manager covering the Great Lakes and Midwest. After leaving Ball in 2019, Mike expanded his industry expertise through roles in sales, operations and management at an organic landscape company, followed most recently by an outside sales role at a nursery. 

Ball FloraPlant
Niels Dekker has joined the Ball FloraPlant team as an Operations Specialist with a focus on their Las Limas production farm in Nicaragua. He will provide back-up to their YecaFlora Farm in Mexico, as well. 

Niels, who is originally from the Netherlands, earned his Masters Degree in Business Administration—International Business from the University of Amsterdam. He has experience working both as a Business Intelligence and Supply Chain Analyst and as a Global Program coordinator. After meeting his (now) wife during a one-year internship in 2021 in Lake Zurich, Illinois, he made the permanent move to the United States in early 2024. Both Niels’ grandfather and father have a horticultural background and now he’s following in their footsteps.

BioSafe Systems 
BioSafe Systems has hired Matt McGraw to the Horticulture Division as a Technical Sales Representative. He will promote BioSafe Systems’ reduced-risk crop protection, water treatment and sanitation products within the Appalachian Region of the United States for ornamental crops, CEA veggies and greenhouse/nursery industries. In addition, Matt will leverage his extensive industry knowledge to educate growers on the benefits of using sustainable solutions to improve resistance management, decrease labor costs and increase yield. Prior to joining BioSafe Systems, Matt enjoyed a long career in the palm and bamboo growing industry, with a focus on business development and marketing. 

Four Star Greenhouse 
Four Star Greenhouse’s redesigned website—pwfourstar.com—has a fresh new look, enhanced functionality and better navigation to make browsing easier than ever. It features regular updates about plants and programs on the What’s New page, and an updated Plant Search, where you’ll find exactly what you need by plant type, bloom color and light level. You can also get up-to-the-minute availability on the How to Order page, as well as place an order anytime, see order history and track your order all the way through shipping.

HilverdaFlorist 
HilverdaFlorist, breeder and propagator of an extensive range of cut flowers and potted and garden plants, announced the official launch of their new website: hilverdaflorist.com.

At the new website, you can find information about the company and the complete range of potted, patio and garden plants and cut flowers with tailored information for growers and retail companies. Additionally, a new feature allows you to select your favorite varieties and compile them into a PDF overview. This PDF can be shared internally or with customers, making it simple to highlight the varieties you want to add to your assortment.

The new website was developed by eResults, a full-service online marketing agency and online partner of HilverdaFlorist. For the past few years, HilverdaFlorist and eResults have been working together on the online strategy to strengthen the online presence. The next steps are already in place, as HilverdaFlorist plans to launch a career website and a consumer website this year to inspire consumers with their products and how to use them.

McHutchison
McHutchison announced the promotion of Kim Burns to the role of Director of Vendor Management—Nursery. Kim originally joined the company in September 2021 as vendor program manager. Since that time, she’s played a pivotal role in enhancing McHutchison’s vendor programs and driving strategic growth within the nursery category.

In her new role, Kim will continue to lead vendor strategy and program development, driving innovation, efficiency and excellence across the nursery supply chain.

McHutchison also announced the addition of Blair Gabalis as a new sales representative covering Michigan and Wisconsin. In her new role, Blair will support McHutchison customers with personalized service and horticultural solutions tailored to the unique needs of growers across Michigan and Wisconsin. She has a background that includes leadership roles at Uber Eats and Packback. GT