People on the Move: Hirings and promotions from Buyers Products, Jain Irrigation and more

Matt Pitzer (Photo: Buyers Products)

Buyers Products appointed Matt Pitzer as its original equipment manufacturer sales manager. Pitzer will be an additional resource for Buyers’ customers who focus on manufacturing equipment.

“As Buyers continues to mature and expand, it’s essential that we bolster support for our customers with specific needs,” said Dave Zelis, director of sales and marketing at Buyers. “We’re thrilled for Matt to give these accounts the time and attention they deserve and for him to continue building already established relationships.”

Pitzer has more than a decade of experience in the mobile equipment manufacturing market, making him well equipped to take on this newly created position. He has the experience to understand the complex supply chain needs of large-scale manufacturers and is excited to exceed those needs with the service, product quality and value for which Buyers Products is known, according to the company.

Jain Irrigation hired veteran water management sales executive Dave Laybourn as enterprise sales manager for its ETwater smart irrigation control products and services subsidiary.

Laybourn will bring his more than 20 years of experience in commercial, industrial, agriculture and landscaping sales to focus on development of the enterprise strategy, along with managing the Fortune 500 customers of ETwater.

Before joining Jain Irrigation, Laybourn was at Olson Irrigation, where he was responsible for the go-to-market of an automatic self-cleaning water filter for agriculture. Prior to Olson, he worked at Rain Bird in field sales and product management that included being named on two U.S. patents for drip irrigation. He has a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.

Manuel Gutierrez joined K-Rain Manufacturing as a regional sales manager in the Florida area.

Working in a variety of management positions, Gutierrez has successfully led the charge to grow business through training and education. Gutierrez will be actively promoting the use of K-Rain Intelligent Flow Technology irrigation products in his home state of Florida.

HPC Fire Inspired hired Palani Ammasai as QLS (quality, lean safety) manager and Jeff Kochersperger as production manager. In these roles, Palani will lead HPC’s quality, lean and safety programs and Jeff will lead the production team.

Ammasai earned a variety of technical engineering degrees, including a Master of Technology in aerospace engineering. Palani brings us a range of experience in new product development, quality, safety and lean. Kochersperger earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Phoenix. He’s held a variety of operational roles including quality manager and interim plant manager.

LandOne added Tobias Bell to its expanding team.

Bell has more than 10 years of experience in the SaaS industry. Most recently, he served as regional sales manager for Comdata. Before that, he was a senior account executive with Sage Software. In his new role with LandOne, Bell will focus on developing customer relationships and matching potential customers with this powerful service.

Bell’s expertise aligns with LandOne’s mission to become the top choice for takeoff software for landscaping businesses across the country. He plans to approach this job with the creativity and vigor he always brings to his roles.

Nicolock Paving Stones, a hardscape manufacturer, appointed Jeremy Mutschler as its director of marketing. Mutschler will oversee all marketing, including advertising, promotions, events and public relations.

Mutschler is a seasoned marketing expert. He was the founder and managing partner of Long Island-based Promotion Associates for more than 20 years. In addition, he served as director of operations for the International Student Exchange. He is a graduate of St. John’s University and Dowling College, where he received his MBA. Mutschler also taught marketing and advertising as an adjunct professor.

Fecon hired Robert Soehner as vice president of operations and Mike Kucharski as vice president of dealer development, both new positions within the company.

Soehner has served in a variety of continuous improvement and leadership roles including positions of increasing responsibility at GE, Henny Penny, Harmon and most recently as vice president of operations at Skillcraft. He holds a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering from the University of Cincinnati, and an MBA from Xavier University. In his new role, he will lead the purchasing, quality and manufacturing teams.

Kucharski, who has extensive experience in dealer development, has spent the past 16 years with Caterpillar or its dealers, most recently working on the post-purchase experience for Caterpillar. He holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Southern Illinois University. In addition to his responsibilities for establishing, training and growing the dealer network, Kucharski is also responsible for all marketing activities including internal and external communications, trade shows, advertising, e-commerce, website and digital solutions.

Kent Greenhouse & Gardens recently hired Brian Cossari to serve at the helm of Kent Greenhouse & Gardens, bringing with him more than 20 years of industry experience. This move fills the vacancy left by the retirement of the company’s original owner.

Kent Greenhouse & Gardens recently was acquired by Wilton-based Hoffman Landscapes, where Cossari began his career as a college intern. Licensed to practice landscape architecture in Connecticut and New Yoork since 2001, Cossari has won more than a dozen national awards for his designs. During his tenure at Hoffman, the University of Massachusetts alum helped to establish the company’s design/build branch and develop it to the powerhouse it is today, well known and trusted by local homeowners and industry professionals alike.

In addition to his work at Hoffman, Cossari has been an active volunteer with the Connecticut chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects since 2003, holding a variety of roles ranging from a member at large to the residential education program chair.