Ruppert Landscape promoted Luis Carrillo to the position of branch manager in the company’s Charlotte, N.C., landscape management branch.

Carrillo first joined the Ruppert team as a seasonal crew member while studying for his BA in exercise and sports science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Upon graduation, he spent time with the NFL as an athletic trainer for the Carolina Panthers before deciding that a career as a landscape professional would be a better fit for his growing family. He rejoined Ruppert full time in 2017 as a field manager in Charlotte, where he was quickly promoted to enhancement manager and continued to excel and help the team improve their enhancement sales and production. He also took on the responsibility of overseeing the account for the branch’s largest customer.

As branch manager, Carrillo will be responsible for the overall welfare of the branch, including the safety and development of his team, strategic planning and budgeting, training, and day-to-day operations.

Takeuchi-U.S. named Bill Smith of Cobb Country Tractor as Takeuchi Salesman of the Year for his successful sales efforts in 2019. This is the third time Smith has taken top honors for Takeuchi after ranking No. 1 again in retail sales for North America.

Located in Marietta, Ga., Cobb County Tractor is a full-line dealer for Takeuchi. It serves the construction and landscaping industries and offers parts and service. Takeuchi’s southeast region business manager Steve DePriest was on hand in Marietta to present Smith with the much-deserved award.

“Hands down, Bill Smith knows the meaning of a true sales professional. We could not be more pleased of the way he represents our brand,” DePriest said. “He very much deserves to be recognized for his sales efforts, always going above and beyond the customers’ expectations as well as Cobb County Tractor’s expectations. Bill works extremely hard and logs long hours each and every day. Something else that sets Bill apart is how great he listens to customers, always understanding their needs. We are proud to once again present this award to him for his outstanding performance in 2019.”

Horizon Distributors promoted Justin Hamilton and David Rohrer to the position of regional manager.

Hamilton has moved into regional manager in South Texas. He joined Horizon just over a year ago, exhibiting immediate success as national sales manager. Prior to joining Horizon, Justin was in a senior sales role with NCI Building Systems, a large supplier of materials and components for the nonresidential construction industry. Hamilton will be responsible for seven stores in Houston, Austin and San Antonio metro areas.

Rohrer will serve as regional manager for the South Bay and South Valley in California. In the past seven years, David has demonstrated success in each position he has held at Horizon, starting as an outside sales representative and then quickly transitioning into a successful branch manager in Fresno. Most recently, David held the position of zone manager for the San Joaquin Valley. David will be responsible for six stores from Menlo Park to Fresno.

These changes all happen on the heels of Horizon naming a new president in March, Jeffrey Clay. Before Horizon, Clay was founder and president of Belltown Power Texas, responsible for the overall strategy, operations and business execution. Just prior to that, Jeff was the vice president of strategy and corporate development for the Roofing Supply Group based in Dallas, where he led all greenfield efforts resulting in 26 new branches delivering more than $150 million in revenue in just over two years.

“It’s always great when you can promote from within your own organization,” Clay said. “Both Justin and David have been great performers at Horizon and I look forward to seeing their success in their new roles.”

Spring-Green Lawn Care named Brad Johnson as vice president of franchise operations.

Johnson is an accomplished operations professional who has a track record of building and empowering teams. He has spent the last 14 years with The Melting Pot Restaurant, and earlier in his career, he had regional responsibility with the Starbucks Coffee and was also involved in the early stage evolution of the St. Louis Bread Co.

Under Johnson’s direction, his 10-member support team became recognized industry leaders, and he attributes much of this to his proactive work with the organization’s national advisory council and his strong commitment to building lasting relationships with franchise owners.

“I am thrilled to apply my many years of franchise operations experience to a recession-proof service brand as respected as the Spring-Green name is, I look forward to collaborating with the franchise family to drive Spring-Green commitment to enrich the quality of life in local neighborhoods and communities by delivering valued lawn and tree care services,” Johnson said.

Spring-Green Enterprises is long known for its marketing and back-office support teams and was named to the Forbes List of Top 10 Franchises to Buy in 2019.