People and Events

New positions
Tom Stutzman to edible plant and inventory manager, Agri-Starts, Apopka, Fla. 
 
Vito Graziano to service technician, Hamilton Engineering, Livonia, Mich.
 
Mike Proffitt to representative for California, Arizona and Nevada, Proptek, Santa Cruz, Calif.
 
Tom Lemke to president and CEO, Trackwell ADS, Houston.
 
Edward J. Weisberg to director of business development, Keyword Connects, Waltham, Mass.

Business changes
Athens Select, Athens, Ga., has added Magnolia Gardens, Magnolia, Texas, as a licensed propagator.
 
MasterBlend, Elwood, Ill., has moved to a larger, expanded facility in Morris, Ill.
 
Valent USA Corp., Walnut Creek, Calif., formed a new biorational business unit, a team focused on delivering effective biorational crop protection and crop enhancement products.

Anthony Shepherd, Verde Solutions, Silverton, Ore., has partnered with Natural Forces, Davidson, N.C., as northwest region spokesperson.

Associations
Ed Tankard, Tankard Enterprises, Exmore, Va., to president; Mark Maslow, Southern Landscape Group, Evington, Va., to vice president; Steve Grigg, Grigg Landscape Design, Manassas Park, Va., to secretary/treasurer & education; Duane Shumaker, RSG Landscaping & Lawn Care, Concord, Va., to past president, Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association. {Tankard.tiff}

Honors
Jeff Miller was recognized for his 25 years of service as executive director, Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association, Christiansburg, Va.
 
David Austin honored as 2010 Great Rosarian of the World by the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, Calif., and Manhattan Rose Society, New York.
 
Eastern Shore Nursery, Keller, Va., and co-owner Robin Rinaca, received the 2009 ground water award from the Virginia Eastern Shore Regional Ground Water Commission.

Deaths
Dale Bergquist, 91, founder of Green Thumb Nursery in Canoga Park, Calif., died January 5, 2010.

Events

April 2010
10-17, California Spring Trials, various locations; www.ngb.org
15, Invasive Insect and Disease Program, Germantown, Md.; (301) 590-2807
18-21, National Greenhouse Manufacturers Association Spring Meeting, Kahuku-Oahu, Hawaii, www.ngma.com
24, Proven Winners Outdoor Living Extravaganza, Boston; www.provenwinners.com

June 2010
2, California Grown Show, Costa Mesa, Calif.; www.californiagrownshow.com
6-9, North American Horticulture Supply Association Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, N.M.; www.nahsa.com
17, MNLA Field Day, Dawvidsonville, Md.; (410) 823-8684
26-29, Seeley Conference, Ithaca, N.Y.; www.hort.cornell.edu/seeleyconference
27-30, Garden Centers of America Summer Tour, Orlando, Fla.; www.gardencentersofamerica.org

July 2010
18-24, Perennial Plant Symposium, Portland, Ore.; www.perennialplant.org