Lisa Lacy

We had the opportunity to connect recently with Lisa Lacy, director of product management at PanAmerican Seed, an internationally renowned breeder and producer of seed-raised flowers and vegetables. Lisa began at Ball Horticultural Company, the parent company of PanAmerican Seed, in the Seed Department of Ball Seed® as a marketing trainee. Following her time at Ball Seed, she worked in several roles at Syngenta Flowers, where she started her career in product management in 1997. Her work in product management continued upon joining PanAmerican Seed 20 years ago. We asked her to share her experience and her views on the industry and her place within it.

GM: What does horticulture mean to you?

LL: People with a passion for plants. Most people in our industry truly enjoy talking about what we do and sharing our knowledge with others. 

GM: What makes you most excited about coming to work?

LL: Many things — the diversity of projects, the possibilities of what is being developed, the engagement with so many within and outside of the PanAmerican Seed/Ball Horticultural organization, being in the greenhouse and field trials evaluating plants, working on challenges and opportunities. I particularly enjoy the time in trials with the breeders where we brainstorm what’s coming next and get to see a first test cross of the next ‘it’ variety.

At the end of the product development and launch processes, I really enjoy sharing new products and ideas with California Spring Trials (CAST) visitors.

GM: What do you like best about what you do?

LL: For more than 25 years, I’ve been involved with product development at Syngenta Flowers and PanAmerican Seed. Product management has afforded me opportunities to work and connect with breeders, sales personnel, production farms, growers and retailers from around the world. It’s been a great gift to have these interactions, to experience new cultures and ultimately to bring new genetics to market.

GM: What would you like to see happen in the industry?

LL: I’d love to see our industry continue to expand engagement with people from other businesses — to have them get involved and connect with plants. 

GM: We heard you’ve been working with Wave® for many years. What has been your favorite part?

LL: Working with the Wave petunia brand has been a wonderful experience and one of the highlights of my years with PanAmerican Seed. I’m truly grateful for my time with this program, the products and the people involved that make the brand a success.

I’m very excited this year as we are unveiling a new addition to the Wave Pansies line. NEW Top Wave™ Pansies will debut at CAST at the Santa Paula location.

GM: Tell us about Wave’s 30th anniversary in 2025.

LL: Even at the 30-year mark, there’s much more on the horizon for Wave petunias and the Wave brand. We now have an official consumer holiday — May 3 is National Wave Day! Check panamseed.com for a list of festivities as we count down to the big day. It’s going to be an exciting year!

GM: What are you looking forward to in the future in your work?

LL: It’s been a great gift to collaborate with all the teams that I have known over the years. What we all look toward are more breakthroughs in new genetics.