At its annual meeting Jan. 24 in Tampa, Florida, the National Garden Bureau recognized members of the board of directors whose term has expired and elected new members to the board.
Claire Watson of Ball Horticultural Company and NGB president thanked the board for their service and contributions to the industry. Board members whose terms have expired are: Jennifer Calhoun of Ernst Benary of America; Liz Hunt of Syngenta Flowers; Miles Rogers of Seeds by Design, Inc.; and Rudy Westenberg of Hem Genetics BV.
At the meeting, the NGB membership elected Tim Hodson of Scranton-Gillette Publications; Rebecca Lusk of the Dummen Group; and Jeanne Svob of Griffin Greenhouse Supply to the board of directors.
These newly elected directors join Heather Kibble, Sakata Seed America, as vice president; Janis Kieft, Botanical Interests, as treasurer and past president; Layci Gragnani, Greenheart Farms, as director; Jeanine Standard, Proven Winners, as director; and Watson as the NGB leadership moving into 2015.
Additionally, Diane Blazek, NGB executive director, announced that 2015 is the year of the coleus (annual), gaillardia (perennial) and sweet pepper (edible). To help companies plan ahead, she noted that 2016 will be the year of the begonia, delphinium and carrot, respectively.
In her report to members, Blazek said the leadership has been working diligently to increase the visibility of NGB through the use of social media, namely Facebook and Pinterest. The organization has also been very conscious of search engine optimization and customized advertising opportunities based on analytics.
NGB will also continue its efforts with Growing for Futures with grants to be awarded to four or five therapeutic gardens. For more information about Growing for Futures and NGB, visit www.ngb.org.
This meeting was held in conjunction with the American Seed Trade Association’s 2015 Vegetable & Flower Seed Conference.
