Respected green industry professional receives 2013 ONLA Distinguished Contribution Award
WESTERVILLE, USA, February 14, 2013: It is with great pleasure that the ONLA Board of Directors announces the 2013 Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association’s (ONLA) Distinguished Contribution Award Winner, Gary Thornton of Thornton Landscape in Maineville, Ohio. The purpose of the ONLA’s Distinguished Contribution Award is to recognize and celebrate outstanding contributions to the nursery and landscape industries. Any Ohio resident who has significantly contributed to any aspects of the horticulture field is eligible.
Gary was born in 1941 in Cincinnati, Ohio to Bill and Hilda Thornton, sharing the house with older brother Bill and younger sister Marlyn. Gary’s agricultural roots run deep: his family was originally involved in vegetable production and in 1946, Gary’s father started a garden store in Montgomery, Ohio where he and his siblings worked after school.
Graduating from the Ohio State University in 1963 with honors, Gary was involved in many groups on campus. He was president of his fraternity Alpha Gamma Rho, and then was awarded the prestigious “Gainer Cup” his senior year as outstanding fraternity man on campus. While in college, he met his future wife Sharon. They immediately married upon graduation in June of 1963 and had two daughters Leanne and Merrilaine.
After graduation, Gary moved back to Cincinnati to join his brother Bill at Thornton Landscape. They ran a very successful landscape operation for almost four decades and, in 1979, he served as President of the Ohio Nurserymen’s Association, now ONLA. In 1993, he served as President of Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA), which became PLANET. Gary became a Registered Landscape Architect in 1989.
During his tenures at both ONA and ALCA, Gary was instrumental in championing certifi cation programs at the state and national levels. He earned the title of Chartered Certified Landscape Professional, (CCLP). Gary served as the first initial chair of the Certification Board of Governors for ALCA and chaired the Insurance Committee and the Education Committee. He was a 20-year-member of the Crystal Ball Committee, which looked on a yearly basis into the future of the industry and published its fi ndings. In 1988, he was the recipient of ALCA’s top award, the Lifetime Leadership Award.
In 1983, he began Thornton Computer Management Systems which eventually became SLICE Technologies. He was instrumental in the computerization of our industry and, to this day, SLICE still stands out as one of the most comprehensive software programs in the Green Industry. The ONLA is pleased and honored to present the 2013 Distinguished Contribution Award to Gary Thornton.
The ONLA’s annual convention, the Central Environmental Nursery Trade Show (CENTS), is scheduled January 13-15, 2014, at the Greater Columbus
Convention Center and Hyatt Regency Hotel, Columbus. The trade show is open only to persons in the nursery and landscape industry, with registrants numbering over 7,000 at the 2013 show.
ONLA elects new President & Board Members
WESTERVILLE, USA, February 12, 2013: The Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association (ONLA) elected new board members at its Annual Business Meeting & Luncheon on January 15, 2013, at the Hyatt Regency Columbus. The ONLA president is Jim Searcy from Hyde Park Landscaping, Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio. Searcy has served on ONLA committees for over 15 years, as well as a previous two-year term on the board of directors. He is looking forward to serving as the association president in 2013 and working for Ohio’s green industry.
Andy Harding from Herman Losely & Son, Inc. in Perry, Ohio will be serving on the board as Immediate Past President with Dave Richards from South Ridge Farms in Ashtabula, Ohio serving as 2013 President Elect.
Returning board members include: Stephen Maddox from Rice’s Nursery & Landscaping, Inc. in Canton, Ohio; Dr. Hannah Mathers, representing The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio; Mark Reiner from Oakland Nursery, Inc. in Columbus, Ohio; Mike Satkowiak from Markman Peat in Westerville, Ohio; and Kevin Thompson Executive Director of The Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association.
New board members for 2013 include Jason Bornhorst from JB Design Group, LLC in Hilliard, Ohio; Bill Mainland from Klyn Nurseries, Inc. in Perry, Ohio; and David Listerman from Listerman & Associates, Inc. in Xenia, Ohio.
The ONLA’s annual convention, the Central Environmental Nursery Trade Show (CENTS), is scheduled January 13-15, 2014, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center and Hyatt Regency Hotel, Columbus. The trade show is open only to persons in the nursery and landscape industry, with registrants numbering over 7,000 at the 2013 show.
The Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association (ONLA) leads, promotes and facilitates the success and growth of green industry businesses. ONLA is a non-profit trade association, incorporated in the State of Ohio, representing the interests of the state’s nursery, garden center and landscape industry. Membership is comprised of nursery stock growers, landscape contractors and maintenance firms, garden centers, arborists and allied suppliers. With over 1,300 members, ONLA seeks to enhance the environment and quality of life for all.
The ONLA president is Jim Searcy.
Grodan appoints new export manager
ROERMOND, the Netherlands, February 11, 2013: Grodan, a leading supplier of stone wool substrates, today announced the appointment of Jan Wijgerse (56) as its new Export Manager. The 56-year old Wijgerse will help build the business and investigate new markets. Wijgerse brings with him over 30 years of experience in the horticulture sector, mainly in the area of sales in both existing and new markets. Jan previously fulfilled the position of Business Development Manager Horticulture within Priva and has a wealth of experience in the fields of automation in greenhouses and the development of turn-key projects and
cultivation systems. Jan: “I am happy to be a part of the GRODAN team and I look forward to supplying innovative, sustainable substrate solutions to the horticultural sectors in export markets.”
Wojciech Sekalski, Sales Director Eastern Europe and Export markets: “We are convinced that Jan Wijgerse’s broad experience will prove to be a great asset in our aim to further expand the GRODAN Group’s export activities. We wish him every success in his new job."
Lezio Losi dies at 84
MONTEVARCHI, Italy, February 1, 2013: Lezio Losi, founder and owner of the floral wholesale company, Losiflores from Arezzo, Italy and an active participant in the horticultural industry, died on December 16, 2012, aged 84. Lezio Losi, who was in the proud possession of the honorific title of Knighthood (‘Cavaliere’) earned a strong reputation in horticulture and contributed actively to the sports world. He was chairman of the Montevarchi football team for over forty years and was widely considered as being one of the pioneers and great inventors of the Italian ornamental horticulture.
He started his business in the 60s. During a business trip to Holland he met Phyllis, who was to become his wife. Lezio Losi was one of the first to import and introduce Belgian Azaleas on the Italian market while he sourced his foliage plants and a wide range of cut flowers from Holland. Over the years, Losiflores has been a launching ground for some of the newest plant varieties, signage and packaging products, and merchandising programs and concepts for supermarkets as well as big box stores.
Lezio is survived by his wife Phyllis and daughters Letania, Leontine and son Lisandro who together will continue to operate Losiflores as a family business.
Carnival song pokes fun at Floriade director
VENLO, the Netherlands, January 31, 2013: Dutch carnival singer Greet van de Naald’s “Weej gaon de bloome boete zette” (wij gaan de bloemen buiten zetten) video has a record Youtube and Facebook views and counting, and it’s easy to see why. No Limburg dialect skills are needed to enjoy the entertaining performer’s gondola ride (referring to the 30-metre high cable car of the 2012 Floriade) and the video’s odd series of misadventures. Beneath the antic surface of her song, however, is a sharp social commentary about the €9 million loss and the money-grabbing board of directors of the world horticultural exhibition that was held last year in Venlo, Limburg, on the border with Germany.
Meanwhile former Floriade director, Paul Beck has expressed his anger that Greet’s is dragging his name through the mud. Beck, who as of March 1 will take up a new position to set up a theme park in Sochi, Russia, clearly has little or no sense of humor.
Here’s a look at Greet’s top song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Sv46u571k
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