Oct. 3, 2013, Columbus, OH — Many of the faces are familiar but the brand is fresh. "AmericanHort" will debut in January 2014.
Members of OFA – The Association of Horticulture Professionals and the American Nursery & Landscape Association (ANLA) have voted in overwhelming support of the consolidation of the two organizations into a new, national trade association to serve the entire horticulture industry.
The announcement followed a 30-day open ballot and today's in-person vote for OFA's members, held in Columbus, Ohio.
With the consolidation, the new trade association will have the largest national nursery, greenhouse, and garden retail membership of any horticulture association in the United States.
Those communities will join together with breeders, distributors, interior and exterior landscape professionals, florists, students, educators, researchers, manufacturers, and all who are part of the supply chain to represent the industry with one, strong voice and a greater base of volunteer, staff, and financial resources.
American Horticulture Association
The new trade association, named the American Horticulture Association, will be known as AmericanHort, and will begin operations by January 1, 2014.
The mission of AmericanHort is to unite, promote, and advance our industry through advocacy, collaboration, connectivity, education, market development, and research.
The association will have its primary office in Columbus and an office in Washington, D.C., to facilitate government relations and research activities.
The inaugural board of directors was appointed by the legacy organizations. For the first year, the board will have equal representation from OFA and ANLA.
The board includes the following leaders:
- Chairman – Mark Foertmeyer, Foertmeyer & Sons Greenhouse, Delaware, Ohio
- Vice chairman – Dale Deppe, Spring Meadow Nursery Inc., Grand Haven, Mich.
- Treasurer – Lisa Graf, Graf Growers, Akron, Ohio.
- Past chairman – Mike McCabe, McCabe's Greenhouse & Floral, Lawrenceburg, Ind.
- Past chairman – Bob Terry, Fisher Farms, Gaston, Ore. President & CEO – Michael V. Geary, CAE, AmericanHort.
Rounding out the board are Joe Burns (Color Burst, Grayson, Ga.), Terri Cantwell (Bates Sons & Daughters Inc., Lake Placid, Fla.), Tom Demaline (Willoway Nurseries Inc., Avon, Ohio), Bob Jones Jr. (The Chef's Garden, Huron, Ohio), Terri McEnaney (Bailey Nurseries Inc., St. Paul, Minn.), Dan Mulhall (Mulhall's Nursery, Omaha, Neb.), Morris Newlin (New Garden Landscaping & Nursery, Greensboro, N.C.), Cari Peters (JR Peters Inc., Allentown, Penn.) and Sid Raisch (Horticultural Advantage, Hillsboro, Ohio).
Click here for more on the new organization.
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