Landscape Workshop adds new chief revenue officer and director of marketing

Landscape Workshop, No. 39 on the 2022 LM150 list, adds Chris Rance as its chief revenue officer. Rance joins the company’s executive team with almost 20 years of experience in revenue and prospecting strategies. He previously served as senior vice president at PNC Bank, where he built and developed a data-driven approach to prospecting leads.

Rance moved to the United States three years ago from the UK. He attended Bournemouth University, where he graduated with honors in accounting and finance, before earning an accreditation in negotiation from Harvard Business School. 

“As an experienced executive in the industry, we are eager to see what new strategies Chris brings to the table,” said JT Price, CEO of Landscape Workshop. “He is known for his drive and passion for increasing revenue through innovative and creative solutions. We believe that his leadership skills and expertise will pave the way for the company’s continued success. We look forward to seeing the positive impact he has on our team and our clients.”

Taylor Langley as director of marketing. A native of Birmingham, Ala., Langley comes from RealtySouth, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, where she worked on numerous campaigns for both local and national brands.

Langley will oversee the company’s marketing initiatives, including brand awareness, website design and optimization, digital campaigns and more.

“We are thrilled to have Taylor join our team here at Landscape Workshop,” said Price. “With her extensive knowledge in marketing, we know she will be able to contribute valuable insights into our current strategies while helping us expand our online presence.”

PBI-Gordon hires Brent Flander, promotes Conrad Pannkuk

PBI-Gordon recently added Brent Flander as a national account manager and promoted Conrad Pannkuk to a sales representative for Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas.

As national account manager, Flander will manage national accounts in the turf and ornamental markets including landscape and professional lawn care. Flander will lead cross-functional teams to support the development and implementation of strategic business plans with key customers.

Flander earned his bachelor’s in agronomy from Iowa State University. Prior to joining PBI-Gordon, he spent several years as a senior field sales representative for Bayer Crop Science.

“Brent brings more than 21 years of industry experience to this role, including over 14 years of sales leadership experience,” said Tim Demerath, vice president of sales for PBI-Gordon. “We are excited to have Brent on board. Our customers and sales team will benefit greatly from his expertise in customer relationships.”

In his new role as a sales representative, Pannkuk will be responsible for PBI-Gordon product sales to turfgrass management customers in Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas.

Pannkuk earned his bachelor’s in horticulture and turfgrass management from Iowa State University. He joined PBI-Gordon in January 2022 as a sales support representative. Prior to that, he spent eight years in the golf course maintenance industry.

Mike Flynn retires from Felling Trailers

Mike Flynn, Felling Trailers’ northeastern regional sales manager for Felling Trailers, retired after 22 years with the company.

In 2000, he joined Felling Trailers as an independent trailer sales rep for the Northeast region covering Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Delaware.  

At Felling, he grew the company’s dealer base and brand awareness with more than 50 dealers throughout the northeast region. 

“I never thought of my career as work. I had a passion for the challenges of marketing new quality products, meeting new people, and covering the beautiful Northeast,” said Flynn. 

Davey Canada Promotes Holland to Vice President and Controller

Davey Tree Expert Co. of Canada promoted Paul Holland to vice president and controller.

“Paul is hardworking and talented with the ability to communicate effectively with his employees,” said James Doyle, executive vice president and general manager. “In his new role, Paul will continue to manage all aspects of the finance division while also taking the lead on insurance and health care projects.”

Holland joined Davey Canada in 2012 as controller and assistant secretary, leading the finance division, including accounting, payroll, planning and fleet administration functions. Holland earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and a diploma in accounting from McMaster University.

Syngenta added two new territory managers and one technical service representative

Jordan Brazinski joins Syngenta Professional Solutions as the territory manager for western Pennsylvania, western New York and West Virginia, where he will support customers in the turf market. Brazinski previously worked for Syngenta NK Seeds, where he served as a developmental sales representative. Brazinski began his career with Syngenta in June 2022 after graduating from Southern Illinois University and interning with Syngenta in 2021.

Tracy Tudor has been appointed the territory manager for Indiana and northwest Ohio. Tudor received a Bachelor of Science in agronomy and turfgrass science and a Master of Science in agronomy from Purdue University. Before joining Syngenta, Tudor was a co-owner, operator and lawn care specialist at lawn companies in Indiana. He also worked at FMC Corp. as a market specialist and as a key customer manager for the mid-Atlantic region. Before his career in the turf industry, he served as an intelligence analyst with the U.S. Army. In his new role, Tudor will work with customers and distributors in markets including lawn care and aquatics.

“Jordan and Tracy are great additions to the Syngenta sales team as they both have a strong agronomic background and have shown a commitment to exceptional customer support,” said Dave Ravel, head of sales for Syngenta Professional Solutions. “We are excited about the relationships they will build as well as the guidance and innovative solutions they will bring their customers and teams.”

Ron Townsend is the western technical service representative for the turf and ornamental businesses. Townsend completed his

Bachelor of Science in turfgrass science from The Ohio State University and completed his Master of Science in plant pathology from the University of Wisconsin. He worked for SePRO as the Midwest technical sales specialist for two years. In April 2022, he joined Syngenta Professional Solutions in Canada as a technical lead. In his new role, Townsend will provide technical support to turf managers and professional ornamental growers in the Western U.S., conducting customer training and coordinating technical service trials.

“We’re thrilled for Ron to continue his Professional Solutions journey with us,” said Mark Coffelt, head of technical services for Syngenta Professional Solutions in North America. “His impressive industry knowledge and experience working with both research cooperators and customers makes him well suited to continue at Syngenta with present and future innovations while providing our customers with outstanding technical support.”

American Society of Irrigation Consultants announces award winners

American Society of Irrigation Consultants (ASIC) selected Lynda Wightman as its Ivy Munion Langendorff Women in Irrigation Award. The award recognizes women who positively impacted and made a difference in the irrigation industry. Now retired from her 35-year career at Hunter Industries, she’s a past recipient of ASIC’s Sam Tobey Lifetime Achievement Award, STMA’s Harry C. Gill Founders Award and was inducted into the Green Industry Hall of Fame.

ASIC names Tom Wyatt its Roy Williams Memorial Award. Wyatt is the manager of irrigation maintenance at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., and the horticulture owner’s representative for special projects for all Walt Disney World construction projects.  In Wyatt’s 30-plus years with Walt Disney World Resorts, he played a strong hand in the development of irrigation control system features to meet the needs of large and complex, high-end systems. He also influenced irrigation specifications and installation standards upgrades in Florida and beyond.

Tom Gentile will receive ASIC’s Sam Tobey Lifetime Achievement Award, given annually to a person or people whose support of ASIC’s principles and goals deserves special recognition. He joined the irrigation industry in 1976 and formed his own company, Gentile & Associates, in 1986. Through his representation of different manufacturers in the 1990s, he helped establish the use of subsurface drip tubing in the landscape irrigation market. His reputation and relationships with irrigation consultants led to his being approached by many companies wanting to launch a new product and helped introduce many new water-efficient products into the marketplace. 

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Have news about your company’s recent hirings or promotions? Send it to Associate Editor Rob DiFranco at rdifranco@northcoastmedia.net, and we’ll feature it in an upcoming People on the Move.