January's Personnel Roundup

Bayer Environmental Science announced that Peter Farno has joined the BES Global Headquarters in Lyon, France. He has been named the Global Portfolio Manager for the Green Industry.

Farno will manage the Green portfolio in key regions and countries, liaise with Bayer CropScience to bring new technology to the green markets and oversee key active ingredients to ensure adequate supply and cost of goods. His responsibilities will span the golf, lawn care, nursery/greenhouse and industrial vegetation management (IVM) markets.

Farno, former director of marketing for the company’s U.S. Professional Pest Management (PPM) business, has 21 years of experience in the industry. He has a bachelor’s degree in administrative management from New Hampshire College (Southern New Hampshire University).

North Carolina State University (NCSU) announced Dr. Tom Rufty has been named the first Bayer Environmental Science Professor of Sustainable Development.

Rufty currently serves as director of the Center for Turfgrass Environmental Research and Education and is a professor of Environmental Plant Physiology in the Department of Crop Science. His areas of research include resource acquisition by plants and plant communities and plant responses to environmental stress.

Target Specialty Products announced Joe Schmitt as its equipment specialist in its office in Santa Fe Springs, Calif.

Schmitt will work closely with Target’s sales team to make recommendations and research equipment solutions for specific customer needs. He previously worked as a sales and customer service representative for Spraying Devices in Visalia, Calif.

Spectrum Technologies has named Johann S. Buck, Ph.D., to the newly formed position of horticulture specialist.

Buck’s responsibilities will include consulting, educating and promoting research to the fruit, vegetable and greenhouse industries. He has an educational background in agronomy, greenhouse and hydroponic vegetable production.

Gary Langford has been appointed Nexxus Lighting’s new chief financial officer.

Langford most recently owned and operated two small businesses and served as chief controller for epvalue.com, a joint venture between Sun Microsystems and Accenture. He has a Bachelor of Arts in economics and business from Vanderbilt University and a Masters in business administration from the University of Chicago Graduate School Of Business.

Q-Tran has appointed Electric Representatives West (ERW) as its new sales agency in the western section of Washington State and the lower counties of Alaska.

The company will represent Q-Tran products for the commercial, industrial and residential market. For 30 years, the firm has promoted lighting products to the commercial design and distributor markets.

Janet Moyer Landscaping, a residential landscaping company in San Francisco, Calif., announced that Executive Vice President Michael Hofman has completed the California Landscape Contractors Association Water Management Certification Program.

Hofman's attainment required passing a written test and then demonstrating proficiency at required levels for one year on actual landscape sites prior to achieving full certification status.