People on the Move: Updates from Arborgold, Arborjet | Ecologel and more

Donny Duke (Headshot courtesy of Arborgold)

Arborgold Software, a field service business management software for the lawn, tree and landscape companies, added Donny Duke to its sales division.

As director of sales for Arborgold, Duke leads by example with more than 35 years of residential and commercial landscape and hardscape estimating and design experience. Prior to his role with Arborgold, Duke worked for Engledow Estates as director of design, where over the course of 24 years, he estimated and installed millions of dollars of custom landscape and hardscape custom designs.

An ICPI Authorized Instructor, member of ICPI’s board of directors, with certifications including Certified Concrete Paver Installer, Advanced Residential Specialist, Certified Nurseryman and NCMA Certified Segmental Retaining Wall Installer, Duke continues to serve on several industry committees, and he participates in a variety of task groups as he co-develops custom technology onboarding plans for some of the industries largest companies and educates landscape and hardscape professionals all over North America on estimating best practices.

Arborjet | Ecologel hired Rob Baughman as Midwestern regional technical manager.

Baughman will cover the states of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky, where he will be responsible for meeting with distributors, end users and municipalities offering hands-on training and webinars to promote the company’s innovative products and services. With Rob’s industry expertise, Arborjet | Ecologel also hopes to expand its reach within the field of landscape architecture.

Baughman previously worked as a senior landscape designer with The Barn Nursery & Landscape Center, a design/build firm in Hawthorn Woods, Ill. He specialized in large properties with unique features, starting with the design of the property and working his way through complete installation. While working with Barn Nursery & Landscape, he won four ILCA design awards.

Baughman received his bachelor’s degree in architecture from South Illinois University, where he triple majored. He currently resides with his family in Woodstock, Ill.

Scag Power Equipment, a Division of Metalcraft of Mayville, promoted Dennis Opalacz to vice president of sales.

Opalacz started with Scag as a regional sales manager in 2006, based out of Chicago. In 2008, he moved to Wisconsin upon accepting a sales manager position in the Mayville corporate office.

Weathermatic welcomed Miguel Quino as regional sales manager to lead business development in the Southern California region.

Quino brings more than 12 years of green industry experience in manufacturing firms ranging from Netafim to Rain Bird. Quino will be responsible for working with the company’s partner contractors to grow their business, developing new business opportunities with professionals in landscape design, construction and maintenance and supporting our network of wholesale distributors.

The Davey Tree Expert Co. promoted Lawrence Eckart to district manager of Davey’s Richmond Residential/Commercial (R/C) services office.

Eckart started his career at Davey in 1989 as a sales and service coordinator at the Baltimore R/C office and in 1996, was promoted to sales arborist. In 2002, he was promoted to assistant district manager of the same Baltimore R/C office. Eckart helped lead the development of Davey’s presence in the Chesapeake region. He has most recently been a regional business developer with the Commercial Tree Care team serving the Maryland and Washington, D.C., markets.

Eckart is an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist and holds licenses as a Maryland Tree Expert and Maryland and Washington DC Pesticide Applicator.

In 1991, Eckart graduated from the Davey Institute of Horticultural Sciences and in 1993, from the Davey Institute of Tree Sciences, which is Davey’s flagship training program in biological sciences, safety, tree and plant care and management techniques.

DLF Seeds, a provider of forage and turfgrass seed, promoted Ben Addington to director of marketing for its North America strategic business unit.

Addington’s background includes more than 15 years of marketing and communications experience, most recently as manager of marketing and customer experience for La Crosse Seed in La Crosse, Wis. He is also a member of the American Seed Trade Association communications committee and the National Agri-Marketing Association. Addington is based in La Crosse, Wis.

Douglas Plant Health has appointed Mick Messman as the company’s new CEO. Douglas Plant Health provides nature-based biotechnology, soil fertility and other agronomic solutions for growers of row crops, fruits and vegetables, and turf and ornamental crops.

Messman joins Douglas Plant Health from his most recent role as COO at Clarke, an environmental services company. He has also held executive roles in leading agribusiness companies including director of seed-applied and biological technologies at Corteva AgriScience, director of U.S. product marketing at DuPont Pioneer and chief commercial officer at GreenLight Biosciences.

Messman will lead the growth of the Douglas Plant Health team as it expands its strategic relationships and product offerings in agriculture, turf and ornamental crops.