David Hoffman receives Outstanding Young Alumni Award from North Carolina State University

The award recognizes former students who have excelled early in their careers and show potential for continued success.


On Friday, Sept. 9, David Hoffman received the North Carolina State University (NC State) College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Outstanding Young Alumni Award. The award recognizes former students who have excelled early in their careers and show potential for continued success. 

Each year, the CALS Alumni and Friends Society, in association with the college, acknowledges distinguished and outstanding alumni for their achievements and ongoing commitment to CALS and NC State University. All alumni award recipients represent the fulfillment of the promise to NC State’s land-grant mission in academics, research, and Extension. 

David Hoffman grew up in the plant industry and joined his parents in the family business. After graduating from NC State with a degree in Horticultural Science, David spent two years working at plant nurseries in Europe. He returned to Hoffman Nursery in 2015, serving as Project Manager and later as Chief Customer Experience Officer. At the start of 2020, he moved into the role of Senior Director of Sales and Operations. In that position he covered day-to-day decisions and facilitated communication among all sectors of the nursery. Continuing his growth with the business, in 2022, David became the Chief Operating Officer. He now oversees long range strategic planning and management of sales and operations. David has received previous awards in the horticulture industry including the Perennial Plant Association’s Young Professional Award in 2018 and Greenhouse Product News’ 40 under 40 award in 2019. 

For more information about NC State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Alumni Awards and recipients, visit https://cals.ncsu.edu/news/2022-cals-distinguished-and-outstanding-alumni-honored/.