Meet the Team
What's the point of great plants without great people to develop, grow, and sell them? Our team is the heart of our business.
Leadership

Eric Martz
Operations Manager
616-846-4729 x1408
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Favorite Plant Variety: LET’S DANCE® BLUE JANGLES®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Sailing in the Caribbean

Jeremy Deppe
General Manager
616-223-3374
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Favorite Plant Variety: DOUBLE PLAY BIG BANG®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Gladiator

Tim Wood
Product Development & Head of Marketing
616-223-3367
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Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Favorite Book: Dune
Sales

Amy Howard
Account Manager - AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, SC, TN, TX
616-223-3365
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Favorite Plant Variety: LITTLE LIME®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Disney World with my family

David Arsenault
Account Manager - DE, DC, MD, NJ
616-223-3379
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Favorite Plant Variety: LIMELIGHT PRIME®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Trip to the boundary waters in Minnesota

Kaylee Hardy
Account Manager - BC, CA, ID, NV, OR, WA
616-414-7382
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Favorite Plant Variety: WAXWING™ Lime
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Hiking Yellowstone with my siblings

Laura Swanson
Account Manager - IN, MI, OH, WI
616-223-3378
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Favorite Plant Variety: AT LAST®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Vacation to Cocoa Beach, Florida

Monica Esh-Nauta
Account Manager - AB, AK, AZ, CO, IA, KS, MB, MN, MT, NE, ND, NM, SD, SK
616-414-7384
Email
Favorite Plant Variety: OSO EASY DOUBLE RED®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Vacation: Traveling New Hampshire with my husband

Sandy Harmon
Account Manager - AR, IL, KY, MO, OK, WV
616-414-7378
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Favorite Plant Variety: TUFF STUFF AH-HA®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Visiting the Upper Penninsula

T.J. Schumacher
Account Manager - IN, OH
616-223-3376
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Favorite Plant Variety: INVINCIBELLE LIMETTA®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Visiting Costa Rica

Terri Collins
Account Manager - NC, PA, VA
616-223-3377
Email
Favorite Plant Variety: TUFF STUFF™
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Vacationing in coastal North Carolina

Tony Thom
Sales Manager
616-223-3360
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Favorite Plant Variety: DOUBLE PLAY® CANDY CORN®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Amalfi Coast, Italy

Woody Gutierrez
Account Manager - CT, MA, ME, NH, NL, NY, ON, PEI, QC, RI, VT
616-223-3363
Email
Favorite Plant Variety: INCREDIBALL®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Any movie with a Christopher Walken cameo
Licensing

Jane Beggs-Joles
Landscape Program Manager
616-223-3369
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Favorite Plant Variety: TEMPLE OF BLOOM®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Young Frankenstein

Jeff Pipp
Account Manager
616-223-3361
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Favorite Plant Variety: PUGSTER BLUE®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Vietnam and Cambodia

Jodi Griffin
Licensee Account Manager
616-223-3364
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Favorite Plant Variety: INCREDIBALL®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Any place with my family

Josh Vokal
Licensee Account Manager
616-223-3362
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Favorite Plant Variety: KODIAK® Orange
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Slap Shot
Accounting

Alissa Olsen
AP/AR Specialist
616-846-4729
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Favorite Plant Variety: PARAPLU PINK INK®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Vacation to Venice, Florida to scuba for shark's teeth

Charlene Silkworth
Accounting Assistant
616-846-4729
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Favorite Plant Variety: Blue CHIFFON®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Vacationing in Tennessee

Deb Nederhoed
Accountant
616-223-3372
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Favorite Plant Variety: PINKY WINKY®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Safari in Serengeti
Human Resources

Daniela Deppe
HR Manager
616-560-7050
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Favorite Plant Variety: BLOOMERANG® Dark Purple
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: My yearly visit to Croatia
Marketing and New Product Development

Adriana Robinson
Video Specialist
616-846-4729
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Favorite Plant Variety: ‘Miss Molly’
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Exploring Utah, Arizona, and Death Valley

Diane Fullerton
Marketing Assistant
616-414-7380
Email
Favorite Plant Variety: LITTLE DIPPER®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: River cruise through Germany and Austria

Joe Williams
SEO & PPC Specialist
Email
Favorite Plant Variety: LOW SCAPE MOUND®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Kristina Howley
Horticulture Content Specialist
ext. 1207
Email
Favorite Plant Variety: ARCTIC SUN®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Vacation: Ireland

Maddie Boggs
Horticulture Content Specialist
Email
Favorite Plant Variety: PEARL GLAM®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

Miranda Niemic
Horticulture Content Specialist
Email
Favorite Plant Variety: Blue CHIFFON®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Backpacking volcanoes in Guatemala

Natalie Carmolli
Advertising and Public Relations Specialist
616-223-3366
Email
Favorite Plant Variety: WINECRAFT BLACK®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: London & Salisbury in 2011

Shannon Downey
Creative Marketing Specialist
616-223-3368
Email
Favorite Plant Variety: ‘Aphrodite’
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt

Stacey Hirvela
Marketing Manager
616-223-3375
Email
Favorite Plant Variety: GINGER WINE®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: The Art of Eating, M.F.K. Fisher
Growing

Brian Maher
Assistant Growing Manager
616-846-4729 x1412
Email
Favorite Plant Variety: FIRE LIGHT®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Winesburg, Ohio, Sherwood Anderson

Dave Joeright
Head Grower
616-846-4729 x1402
Email
Favorite Plant Variety: FIRE LIGHT®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Boating on the Great Lakes

Denise Sikkema
Assistant Growing Manager
616-846-4729 x1412
Email
Favorite Plant Variety: SPRINTER®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Jitterbug Perfume, Tom Robbins

Freedom Shelley
Assistant Growing Manager
Email
Favorite Plant Variety: Blue CHIFFON®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Tobacco Caye, Belize

Grace Fricano
Assistant Growing Manager
616-846-4729 x1422
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Favorite Plant Variety: AT LAST®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Honeymoon in Europe - especially Greece

Jennifer Cobb
Assistant Growing Manager
616-551-8516
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Favorite Plant Variety: OSO EASY ITALIAN ICE®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Sand County Almanac

Jessica Gulczynski
Assistant Growing Manager
616-846-4729 x1422
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Favorite Plant Variety: BLACK BEAUTY®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Zion National Park
Propagation

Alex Van Soelen
Assistant Propagation Manager
616-846-4729 x1424
Email
Favorite Plant Variety: TATER TOT®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Honeymoon in Costa Rica

Gail Berner
Propagation Manager
616-846-4729 x1404
Email
Favorite Plant Variety: ‘Limelight’
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Kayaking and camping in the Sea of Cortez in Baja, Mexico

Jeff Flickinger
Assistant Propagation Manager
616-846-4729 x1424
Email
Favorite Plant Variety: BOBO®

Jeff Kurtz
Assistant Propagation Manager
616-846-4729 x1417
Email
Favorite Plant Variety: GINGER WINE®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Arizona

Summer Field
Assistant Propagation Manager
800-633-8859
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Favorite Plant Variety: INCREDIBALL®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Hiking Rocky Mountain National Park
Shipping

Bryan Van Kammen
Assistant Shipping Manager
616-846-4729 x1414
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Favorite Plant Variety: BLOOM-A-THON® White
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Captain America: Winter Soldier

John Papes
Shipping Manager
616-846-4729 x1407
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Favorite Plant Variety: ‘Limelight’
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: The Shining

William Tritten
Assistant Shipping & Receiving Manager
616-846-4729 x1414
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Favorite Plant Variety: LITTLE LIME®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Avengers - End Game
Stock Plants and R&D

Alex Pott
Assistant Stock Manager
ext. 1411
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Favorite Plant Variety: PUGSTER® Amethyst
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Movie: Django Unchained

Brigette Porter
Assistant Trial Grower
800-633-8859
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Favorite Plant Variety: DOUBLE TAKE PEACH™
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

Dr. Judson LeCompte
Product Development Assistant Manager
800-633-8859
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Favorite Plant Variety: WINECRAFT BLACK®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Visiting Portland, Oregon

Ginger Carston
Plant Breeding Assistant Manager
616-846-4729 x1413
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Favorite Plant Variety: BOLLYWOOD®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Backpacking Isle Royale National Park

Julie Crone
Micropropagation Plant Breeding Technician
Email
Favorite Plant Variety: PUGSTER® Amethyst
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, and House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

Kara Gregory
Micropropagation & Patent Assistant Manager
616-846-4729 x1413
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Favorite Plant Variety: LET’S DANCE® RAVE®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: The Glass Castle, Jeanette Walls

Matt Carlton
Stock and Research & Development Manager
616-846-4729 x1401
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Favorite Plant Variety: ‘Limelight’
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: My annual ski trip out West with my family

Megan Mathey
Ornamental Plant Breeder
616-846-4729 x1403
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Favorite Plant Variety: TEMPLE OF BLOOM®
Favorite Book, Movie, or Vacation: Backpacking Paria Canyon in Arizona