People on the Move: Promotions and hirings from Ruppert, John Deere and more

Headshot: Drew Dummann

Ruppert Landscape promoted Drew Dummann to lead the company’s Raleigh, North Carolina location as branch manager.

Dummann holds a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from The Ohio State University and has been with the Ruppert organization for almost 15 years. He worked in the company’s landscape construction division for the first eight years with the Maryland and Virginia landscape construction branches as a production manager. He then transferred to the landscape management division as an enhancement manager in Frederick before relocating with his family to North Carolina and joining the Raleigh team as an area manager.

He has been recognized twice with the company’s Branch Impact Award for his dedication and contributions to the team — in 2007 for the Maryland landscape construction branch and in 2017 for the Raleigh, N.C., landscape management branch. He was also recognized with one of the company’s top honors, the Achievement Award, in 2009 for demonstrating outstanding job execution and high quality results.

Since 2016, he has taken on the responsibilities of associate branch manager, a role which was designed to prepare talented team members to take on future opportunities. As branch manager, Dummann will be responsible for the overall welfare of the Raleigh branch, including the safety and development of his team, strategic planning and budgeting, training, customer service and day-to-day operations.

Ruppert Landscape also awarded the Ruppert Landscape Co. Scholarship to Nick Bianchi of Pennsylvania College of Technology in the amount of $1,000.

Scholarship recipients were recognized at NALP’s 45th Annual National Collegiate Landscape Competition (NCLC) virtual event, March 15-19. Bianchi (age 19) from Scranton, Pa., is a sophomore at Penn College studying horticulture technology with a landscape emphasis. Upon graduation, he hopes to continue his education by earning hands-on industry experience with a landscaping company and aspires to one day own and operate his own landscape construction company.

John Deere named Brayden Johnson, a student at Brigham Young University in Utah, as the 2021 winner of the John Deere Landscape Industry Scholarship.

He will be awarded a check for $2,500 to help further his education and dreams of pursuing a career within the landscaping industry. Johnson was recognized at this year’s National Collegiate Landscape Competition (NCLC) virtual event, taking place from March 15-19. Hosted annually by the National Association of Landscape Professionals, the NCLC aims to foster and develop students to be successful in agriculture and landscaping.

Johnson is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in landscape management. He has a passion for plant sciences and gardening, and also serves as a student greenhouse manager on campus. To further fuel his passion, Brayden also has his own side business of selling and propagating exotic plants. His dream job would be owning his own greenhouse or nursery.

The Davey Tree Expert Co. recently added Scott Heim to market manager, Northeast Ohio operations, Residential/Commercial (R/C) services; Andrew Cunniff to market manager, Northlands operations, R/C services supporting portions of New York, Vermont and New Hampshire; Johnny Page to regional vice president, Gulf region, Eastern Utility services; Zane Raudenbush, Ph.D., to turf and herbicide specialist within the Davey Institute; and Chuck Shouse to market manager, Texas operations, R/C services.

Heim started his career at Davey in 1982 as a groundsperson on the Ohio Edison Utility account. After a series of promotions, Heim transferred to the East Cleveland R/C office in 1992, eventually achieving sales arborist status in 1995. In 2001, he was promoted to district manager of the newly created Northeast Cleveland R/C office. In 2016, Heim transferred to the Akron R/C office as district manager.

Heim is an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist. In 1987, he graduated from the Davey Institute of Tree Sciences (DITS), which is Davey’s flagship training program in biological sciences, safety, tree and plant care and management techniques. Heim is also a past member of Davey’s President’s Council, which brainstorms and researches new ideas related to the company’s operations and presents them to management for review and consideration for implementation.

Cunniff started his Davey career in 2004 as a multiseason intern at the Albany R/C office. In 2014, following career development in account management, sales and supervision, Cunniff was appointed to district manager of the Buffalo R/C office.

Cunniff is an ISA Certified Arborist and Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) Certified Treecare Safety Professional. He graduated from Paul Smith’s College with an associate degree in urban tree management and a bachelor’s degree in landscape contracting from State University of New York – Cobleskill.

Page began his career at Davey in 1996 as a groundsperson on the Tampa Electric account. In 2003, he was promoted to general foreman of the same account, then in 2006 to senior supervisor and in 2008 to account manager. In 2016, Page was promoted to area manager, Eastern Utility services, Southern Operations. In 2020, he was promoted to operations manager, Eastern Utility services, Gulf Region.

In 2004, Page graduated from the DITS. He is a TCIA Certified Treecare Safety Professional (CTSP), an ISA Certified Arborist and holds a Florida state herbicide applicator’s license. Page is also a current member of Davey’s President’s Council.

In his new role, Raudenbush will support and elevate Davey’s turfgrass programs and play an active role in the development of a strategic research plan for the Davey Institute’s new research campus in Kent, Ohio.

Raudenbush obtained a bachelor’s degree in plant science from Rutgers University with a concentration in turfgrass. He then went on to earn his master’s degree and Ph.D. from Kansas State University in turfgrass weed science. Raudenbush’s previous position was at The Ohio State University where he was an assistant professor at the Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster. Prior to working as an apprentice golf course superintendent and assistant superintendent, he also owned and operated his own lawn care business.

Shouse joined Davey in 1993 as a trimmer trainee at the Kansas City R/C office. From 1993 to 1999, he held various foreman positions at the Kansas City and South Chicago R/C offices before being promoted in 1999 to sales trainee for the South Chicago R/C office. In 2001, Shouse was promoted to assistant district manager of the same office. In 2007, he was promoted to district manager of the Milwaukee R/C office and then in 2017 transferred to the East San Antonio R/C office.

Shouse is an ISA Certified Arborist. In 1997, he graduated from the DITS. Shouse holds qualifications in Texas for Oak Wilt, as well as Aerial Rescue and Electrical Hazards from the TCIA.

The Harvest Landscape leadership team welcomed Orange County’s only Certified Expert Water Manager, Max Moreno, as director of water management. Moreno is responsible for overseeing the Water Management Division and various water conservation initiatives throughout Harvest Landscape.

Moreno has been professionally managing high-level projects in Southern California for over 15 years. He is a certified Water Manager Expert through the California Landscape Contractors Association and holds additional certifications as a Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor and Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper. Moreno is proficient in smart watering systems and horticulture practices and has led the management, training and implementation of various water efficiency programs for Southern California resident.

James Stringer has been named general manager of Home Turf Landscapes, a newly-created position within the eastern Virginia-based landscape management business. The move comes in response to significant business growth and increased customer demands.

In the general manager role, Stringer will oversee day-to-day business operations at both the Tappahannock and Williamsburg locations that service a wide swath of the eastern region of the state including Richmond, Fredericksburg and Newport News. He will drive business and financial plan performance, focus on increasing sales and deliver on key performance indicators (KPIs) in the realms of safety, customer retention, growth and profit.

Stringer is familiar with the Home Turf Landscapes business, having joined the 25-person company in 2019 as project manager responsible for projects ranging from $5K to $400K in value. Stringer’s extensive industry background spans more than 20 years with experience in project management, financial management and small business ownership.