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Canadian growers among 2025 HILA honourees
Hendriks’ Belal El-Hasan and Qualitree’s Gary Neels receive one of the industry’s highest accolades for dedication to mentorship, vision, and fostering positive workplace culture
August 13, 2025
By Greenhouse Canada
Recipients of the Horticultural Industries Leadership Awards (HILA) were celebrated recently at Cultivate ’25 and among this year’s honourees are two well-known Canadian growers.
Belal El-Hasan, head grower at Hendriks in Beamsville, ON, and Gary Neels, CEO at Qualitree in Rosedale, B.C., were among seven North American professionals awarded the 2025 HILA, an initiative spearheaded by U.S.-based publications Greenhouse Management and Nursery Management.
The annual honour, now in its ninth year, seeks to highlight the work of individuals across the greenhouse and nursery growing sector. According to the award website, HILA recipients are selected based on their significant contributions to the horticulture industry.
The Class of 2025 is recognized for exemplifying values such as mentorship, risk-taking, and vision, leaving a legacy in the operations they’ve shaped, the people they’ve empowered, and the standards they’ve raised.
In a supplement highlighting this year’s honourees’ contributions, El-Hasan’s foundational approach to training staff in the greenhouse, as well as his successful efforts to foster a positive working environment are touted.
“What sets Belal apart is his willingness to provide thoughtful, constructive feedback on new products and ideas while maintaining an open mind,” wrote Trevor Goulding, of Ottawa’s Gold Leaf Technologies, in support of El-Hasan’s nomination.
Neels is celebrated for his leadership philosophy, which is focussed on developing the people around him to lead and ‘getting out of people’s way.’
“I’m just constantly telling people, ‘If you need support, I’m here, but I’m not going to tell you how to do anything,’” Neels says. “And then letting them go make mistakes like I did over all the years and learn from those things. That’s my philosophy now.”
Other HILA 2025 honourees include:
- Bill Dewar, Dewar Nurseries
- Heather Gronek, Plant Development Services, Inc.
- Tom Knezick, Pinelands Nursery
- Susie Raker, Raker-Roberta’s Young Plants
- And the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, John Gaydos, Proven Winners
Read more about the award and this year’s recipients here.