Eason Horticultural Resources becomes 100% employee-owned through ESOP transition

This new structure promotes a workplace where mutual success is a shared priority and where employees are empowered to actively contribute to its growth, shaping the future of the company as both colleagues and stakeholders, EHR said.

Headshots of three people. On the left is a bald man wearing a grey suit. In the middle is a man with a white goatee wearing a baby blue button up shirt. On the right is a woman with brown hair wearing a tan blouse.
The executive management team includes (from left to right) Mike Pezzillo, Tim Iott and Melanie Byrne.
Photos courtesy of EHR

National horticultural consultant and broker Eason Horticultural Resources has transitioned to a 100% employee-owned company through an ESOP structure, effective Oct. 1, 2024.

The Fort Wright, Kentucky-based company said this new structure promotes a workplace where mutual success is a shared priority and where employees are empowered to actively contribute to its growth, shaping the future of the company as both colleagues and stakeholders.

As of Oct. 1, 2024, the executive management team includes:

  • Mike Pezzillo, president and COO
  • Melanie Byrne, senior vice president of operations and plant product manager
  • Tim Iott, senior vice president and CFO

Jim Eason will serve as chair of the board and head of special projects. Sonney Mosley continues as greenhouse products specialist.

"When EHR was started 31 years ago, the purpose was to create a sales company that offered all employees, as well as customers and vendors, a greater opportunity to be successful," the company said. "This is the natural next step in continuing that legacy."