People in the News: Updates from Rachio, Davey Tree and more

Rachio appointed Kim Sentovich as its new CEO.

“After working for years at large corporations, I’m excited to return to a smaller organization that has as much potential as Rachio, helping to lead the company through its next stage of growth,” Sentovich said. “It’s important for me to work with a mission-driven company like Rachio, and I’m deeply connected to the company’s efforts in water efficiency.”

Sentovich is a firm believer in helping women grow in their careers and providing them with the opportunities that she has had in her career. At Home Depot, she started as the Merchant, Paint and Decor Departments, eventually becoming the regional VP of operations after eight years. Following that, she led the Pacific Division at Walmart as an SVP, managing a division of more than 300 stores.

Now as the CEO of Rachio, she hopes to see more women in the C-suite and in board rooms and to see women inspire each other to achieve their goals, within and outside of the workplace. Outside of Rachio, she serves on the Board of Directors for WRAP, One Stop Systems and for the Children’s Hospital of Orange County. She is also an Advisory Council Member for the George Mason University Center for Retail Transformation, a Member of the University of California CEO Roundtable, and an Executive-in-Residence at Miramar Venture Partners.

“Kim joins Rachio at a pivotal time, as we look to continue the momentum of 2020 into 2021 and beyond,” said Chris Klein, co-founder and chief product officer of Rachio. “Kim’s extensive knowledge and experience in all different facets of business operations and growth, along with her understanding of how to scale a business, represents the perfect mix of expertise to lead Rachio into its next phase of transformation.”

Davey Resource Group (DRG), a subsidiary of The Davey Tree Expert Co., promoted Mark Rettig to director of utility vegetation management (UVM) business development and Eastern operations.

Rettig first joined Davey in 2002 as a residential trimmer in Toledo, Ohio. In 2013, Rettig joined DRG as a project developer and then in 2018, was promoted to market manager. Rettig is an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist and Utility Specialist and holds an associate degree in forestry from Hocking College.

Davey Resource Group (DRG) also promoted Vince Mikulanis to director of Western operations.

Mikulanis joined DRG in 2003 as a consulting utility forester on the San Diego Gas & Electric account. In 2005, he was promoted to project manager on the same account, followed by production manager in 2008. In 2018, Mikulanis was promoted to market manager for the Western consolidated business unit.

Mikulanis is an ISA Certified Arborist, Utility Specialist and Municipal Specialist. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in forestry from California State University at Humboldt.

Finally, Davey Resource Group (DRG) promoted Jodie Braskich to director of Midwestern operations.

Braskich joined DRG in 2016 as a Midwest business developer after having worked for more than 14 years with utilities across the Midwest region. In 2020, she was promoted to market manager for the Midwest region.

Braskich is an ISA Certified Arborist, is a member of the Utility Arborist Association and holds a bachelor’s degree in business management with an emphasis on community development from Central Michigan University.

Takeuchi-U.S. has hired Shann Cooke as its new Midwest regional product manager.

Cooke will now be responsible for supporting all of the company’s dealers and national rental accounts in the Midwest region, which includes the states of Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Tennessee and Wisconsin. He will also train the region’s salesforce on product features, benefits, applications and how to perform effective machine demonstrations.

Currently based in Thompsons Station, Tenn., Cooke previously worked as a territory sales manager where he was responsible for lead generation, customer retention and machine maintenance and support. His other work experience includes mobile sales, logistics management and positions as a sales representative and coordinator for an equipment rental dealer.

Ruppert Landscape added Adrian Karver to the newly created position of region safety manager.

In this capacity, he will support the Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia branches to create a safer work environment for the company’s maintenance operations by reducing risk, preventing accidents and promoting safety culture.

Karver holds a degree in landscape architecture from Penn State University and is a Landscape Certified Technician and Certified Pesticide Applicator. He began his career with Ruppert in 1996 as an assistant supervisor in the Forestville, Md., branch. Following the sale of the company in 1998, he stayed on with TruGreen and held several roles including enhancement manager and branch manager, eventually settling in West Chester, Pa., where he still resides. After Ruppert rejoined the industry, he returned to the company in 2007 as an area manager in the Toughkenamon, Pa., branch and went on to help open the King of Prussia office.

Vectorworks named Leslie Majer as the Richard Diehl award winner for the fifth Vectorworks Design Scholarship.

With more than 1,800 submissions, scholarships were awarded to 28 students for 21 projects in the architecture, entertainment, landscape and interior design industries. Winners included both individual and group submissions.

The winning project titled “Badehaus Breitstrom” was submitted by Majer for her thesis studio project at Bauhaus Universität Weimar and focuses on bathhouses and urban facilities. The project includes a historical reference with a focus on contemporary design, construction methods and sustainability. Majer used Vectorworks for drawings and connected them to Maxon’s Cinema 4D to create renderings.

“Leslie Majer’s project is a true gem,” said Vectorworks Product Marketing Director Rubina Siddiqui. “It showcases very impressive work — not just in the graphics and the thoroughness or the detail, but the space that is created through the juxtaposition of simple and heavy elements to create something so massive and intricate is quite an accomplishment. We congratulate Leslie and all this year’s winners for their creative achievements. We hope the scholarships aid these designers in continuing to elevate and progress the design industry with their contributions.”

This year’s winners represented countries from around the globe including the United States, Dominican Republic, Australia, England, Poland, Germany, Switzerland and Japan. Submissions were evaluated based on design quality, concept and originality, the effective use of computer technology, presentation and explanation of design.

American Lighting added Xiaoguang Xiao and Megan M. Tepo to its elite LED product development team.

Xiao, American Lighting’s new product engineer, will lead product design and reviews and conduct extensive testing procedures to ensure design excellence. He will work in collaboration with the company’s quality control team to support the product inspection process and maintain constant oversight of global vendors.

Prior to joining American Lighting, Xiao served as a mechanical engineer for the global Johnson Electric Group and worked in research for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He focused on using IoT technologies to help improve energy efficiency in buildings, developing a people detection system and designing indoor airflow monitoring systems.

As the new product manager at American Lighting, Tepo will be responsible for bringing the latest LED technology to market. Tepo, who was the prior manager of innovation marketing for Acuity’s Global business, also served as the development product portfolio manager, downlighting product manager and senior specifier sales manager. She previously held the role of an associate product manager for outdoor products and an optical engineer at Cooper Lighting.

Buyers Products Co. appointed Charles Gerds as its OEM sales manager. Gerds will be an additional resource for Buyers customers who focus on manufacturing equipment.

Gerds has a long track record of success in the industry, most recently serving as a senior business development representative and national key accounts manager at a prominent LED lighting company. Buyers Products says he understands the complex supply chain needs of large-scale manufacturers, and he is positioned to provide his accounts the service, product quality and value for which Buyers Products is known.

Gerds is currently working from home and gaining a deep knowledge of Buyers and its offerings. He will begin visiting accounts in person as the ongoing situation allows.

Jim Spradlin, Growmark’s CEO since September 2014, announced to the Growmark Board of Directors his intent to retire effective Feb. 28, 2022.

Spradlin joined the FS/Growmark System as an accounting trainee at Schuyler-Brown FS. He has served in many leadership roles over his career including as the general manager of Piatt County Service Company and Ag-Land FS, positions on Growmark’s regional staff and as vice president for Growmark’s Agronomy and Energy business units.

The Growmark Board has initiated a search process for Spradlin’s replacement.