March 16, 2011, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. – Significant leadership changes have taken place at Valleybrook Gardens Ontario with the retirement of senior managers Phil and Brenda Goodfellow.
Phil began as general manager in 1994 with no experience in the nursery industry. Brenda became sales manager a few years later, also without nursery experience. “Their dedication and professionalism have allowed them to lead the nursery through significant growth to become an industry leader,” say Valleybrook owners John and Kelly Schroeder.
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Brenda and Phil Goodfellow
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The nursery is now led by a four-person management team.
• Jason Rekker is the new nursery manager. Rekker grew up working in his family’s retail garden centre, and has worked in the sales, finishing and shipping departments at Valleybrook over the last decade.
• Tracy McAllister is sales manager. She worked in sales at Valleybrook for four years before leaving to manage a large retail garden centre. She returned to work as a territory manager at Valleybrook several years ago.
• Richard Tomlinson is national brands manager, as well as being actively involved in a number of other areas. He joined Valleybrook several years ago as a territory manager in the sales department after a stint as a manager of a landscape firm.
• Keith Wilson continues in his role as production and facilities manager, a function he has performed for more than a decade. Previously, he had extensive experience managing large horticultural firms in the United Kingdom.
“Together these four have over 30 years of experience at Valleybrook, providing the continuity required to successfully lead the company into the next decade,” say the Schroeders.
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