Harris Seeds, a leading provider of vegetables, ornamentals and horticultural supplies to both professional growers and home garden customers throughout the United States, announced that the Board of Directors has unanimously elected Ken Wasnock as chief executive officer effective April 4, 2016.
Wasnock will also become a member of the board. Wasnock succeeds current president Dick Chamberlin who will be retiring after almost 29 years of continuous service to the company. Wasnock will assume the title of president upon Chamberlin’s retirement on June 30, 2016. Chamberlin will continue to provide leadership as a member of the Company’s board of directors.
“The management team is the critical ingredient for the success of any company, and the Harris Seeds team is particularly important to the Dickes family who are absentee owners. Dick Chamberlin has been an effective leader, and has built a knowledgeable, efficient management team over the past 29 years,” said Byram Dickes, principal owner and chairman of the board of directors.
Dickes added, “While we will all miss Dick, the company is most fortunate to have found Ken Wasnock. Not only has Ken founded and built successfully several small companies, he knows the Harris Seed products well, having worked on a family owned and operated farm in Western New York. Under Ken’s leadership, Harris Seeds will continue to build on its historical success.”
Wasnock succeeds Chamberlin, who has served as president of Harris Seeds since 1987. He grew the business from a small home garden mail order marketing company to its present success. With close to 40 years of industry experience, he also served in several industry leadership roles, including president of the Mail Order Marketing Association, and on several boards and committees.
Wasnock brings to Harris Seeds an exceptional track record of entrepreneurial leadership in the development and execution of business optimization strategies that drive top and bottom-line growth. As the founder and former CEO of two Inc. 500 marketing services companies, Wasnock has significant expertise in data analytics and marketing methodologies.
“It’s truly a privilege to have the opportunity to lead this historic company as it enters its 138th year in business. Dick has built a world class organization defined by a talented group of people who are passionate about delivering exemplary customer service and outstanding products to their loyal customers. I look forward to working with the Harris Seeds team and our customers as we write the next chapter of the company’s long continuum of success,” Ken Wasnock said.
