Bailey Nurseries Appoints a New CEO

Chris Beytes

For the first time in the company’s 120-year history, Bailey Nursery will be led by a non-family CEO. Jorge Becerra is the man taking the top spot; current CEO and fourth-generation family member Terri McEnaney will transition to Board Chair.

Terri McEnaney is handing over the reins of her family’s business to Jorge Becerra. 

Jorge is a native of Ecuador, with a strong background in agriculture; his father expanded the family’s cattle ranch to include one of the country’s first commercial shrimp farms. To support that new effort, Jorge earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in aquaculture from Texas A&M University. Later moving on from the family business, he joined Cargill, where he spent 25 years, including many in leadership roles within their Animal Nutrition and Health business units.

“What drew me to Bailey was the culture and values. It resonated with me at a very personal level—the way I was raised, the way I’ve conducted business my whole career,” said Jorge in the company press release. “After spending my career focused on producing food that nourishes our bodies, I’ve come to see horticulture as a different kind of nourishment: one that improves lives and brings beauty to the world. That’s incredibly inspiring to me and I’m honored to help shape the future of a company with such a meaningful legacy. I’m especially looking forward to connecting with our customers and industry partners to learn from them and support their continued success.”

“This moment is the result of years of planning to evolve our structure while continuing to support the Bailey Nurseries team, our customers and partners, and our core values,” said Terri of their first non-family CEO. “Jorge brings not only deep global experience in agriculture, but also a genuine curiosity, a people-first approach, and strong alignment with who we are and where we’re going.”  GT