Dow AgroSciences has named Andy Kaler to the position of sales representative and Mike Birtsas as product communications manager on its turf and ornamental team.
Kaler will serve as a resource to distributors and customers in the lawn care, golf and nursery industries in Ohio, eastern Michigan, western Pennsylvania and western West Virginia. He joined Dow AgroSciences in December 2007 after earning a bachelor’s degree in business management from Cornerstone University, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Kaler replaces Marney Dorsey, who will remain a sales representative serving lawn care, nursery and golf customers, but has moved territories. She is now responsible for customers in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Dorsey replaces Brett Garrard, who has been promoted within Dow AgroSciences.
Mike Birtsas has been named product communications manager for the Urban Pest Management business at Dow AgroSciences. He succeeds Nikki Hall, who has become the marketing specialist for the U.S. Integrated Vegetation Management business.
Birtsas began his career in 2003 with The Dow Chemical Company as a production engineer at the Pittsburg, Calif., manufacturing site for three years before joining Dow AgroSciences in 2006. He most recently served as a pest management sales representative in northern Florida. He is a graduate of Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering.
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America, Inc. (FUSO) announced Greg Gusko has joined the team as marketing manager.
Based in Redford, Mich., Gusko is responsible for managing all aspects of marketing communications for FUSO in North America, including advertising, collateral materials, trade show branding, branded merchandise programs, dealer marketing support and direct-to-customer marketing.
Gusko has more than 20 years of diverse automotive OEM and aftermarket experience. Most recently, he served as founder and principal of Trifecta Advertising and Marketing. He has also held senior marketing positions with Webasto North America, and with the marketing agencies for Buick and Dodge Trucks.
Eaton Corporation, diversified industrial manufacturer, announced that John M. Gercak has been named director of information technologies for the truck group. Gercak will be responsible for leading the group's global information technologies (I.T.) function, driving strategy that supports the group's overall innovation and global growth initiatives and building global organization capability.
Gercak joined Eaton in 1997 and most recently served as senior manager, Information Technologies for the Truck Group. Prior to joining Eaton he served in various finance, operational, and I.T. roles for Dana Corporation. Gercak holds a bachelor's degree in finance and a master's degree in operations management from the University of Toledo, Ohio.
Live Oak landscapes, a subsidiary of Estate Landscapes, added a new installation crew to support growing business. Live Oak Landscaping specializes in commercial and residential lawn care maintenance, and the new installation crew will be trained to supplement the expanding business due to its recent acquisition by Estate Landscapes.
The addition of the new installation crew is part of Estate Landscapes overall expansion plan, and the new members of the Estate Landscape team will be compensated above industry standards to promote the continued quality of work. Previous to the addition of the new Live Oak installation crew, Estate Landscapes also added nine other employees through its recent acquisitions.
Profile Products LLC has announced that Michael Robeson, P.E., the company's manager of technical services, has recently been named a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC).
Additionally, Profile's Marc S. Theisen has been accredited as a Certified Professional in Storm Water Quality (CPSWQ). Theisen, who joined Profile Products in 2003, is vice president of erosion control solutions and is also certified as a CPESC.
Robeson was hired by Profile Products in 2007 after working at the Colorado State University Engineering Research Center. He is certified as a professional engineer.
Profile Products also recently announced the hiring of Gary Peterson as a Profile Golf business manager, responsible for overseeing opportunities in the western region and internationally.
Prior to joining Profile Products, he worked as a golf course construction and offsite development manager for Sunrise Colony Company. In this role, he helped oversee construction and development for courses such as Red Rock Country Club in Nevada and Toscana Country Club in California.
"Gary brings some incredible industry experience and knowledge to this new role with Profile Golf," said Joe Betulius, vice president of sales. "As we pursue construction and renovation opportunities domestically and abroad, he will be a key player in driving business, and working as a partner to our customers."
FMC Professional Solutions, a division of FMC Corporation, announced an expansion of its turf (lawn and golf) sales force in the key areas of the Mid-Atlantic and the Texas and Oklahoma regions.
Mike Kellum has joined as territory business manager overseeing nine southern states, ranging from Tennessee to Louisiana. Kellum’s territory includes West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana. Kellum is responsible for the sales of all FMC turf and ornamental products in this geographic area.
“Mike is responsible for overseeing many of our strongest markets in the country on the turf and nursery business,” said John Miller, national sales manager overseeing the turf, nursery and golf course markets. “Mike brings strong end-user and key distributor-partner relationship skills that are core to our customer-focused culture.”
Also new to the FMC team is Judy Wanner, who joined as an independent sales representative covering the important Texas and Oklahoma markets.
“Judy brings a strong turf and nursery background that is tailor made to support our product portfolio” says Maureen Thompson, Turf Segment Manager. We’re happy to have her on board.”
Moana Nursery, Reno's premier nursery and landscape contractor, welcomes Gary Gardarian as a commercial landscape estimator.
Gardarian has 35 years of experience in landscape and irrigation and previously worked at Sun World. He is a 19-year Northern Nevada resident.
Sea Gull Lighting announced the appointment of John Sena as national sales manager, and Eric Korn as northeast regional sales manager.
Sena, a four-year veteran of the company, has successfully led the Northeast Sales Region for Sea Gull Lighting by increasing sales and profitability for our business partners. He brings to his new role a wealth of experience from the electrical industry throughout the Northeast Region. Prior to joining the company, he served as District Sales Manager for General Electric's Commercial and Industrial Division in New England, following various sales roles within GE. He also served in the US Army as a Combat Engineer.
Eric Korn will now serve as the Northeast Regional Sales Manager for Sea Gull Lighting. Korn has been with the company for the past five years successfully serving as a District Sales Manager in the Baltimore/Washington DC area. Prior to coming to Sea Gull Lighting, Korn held various sales management roles with Thomas Lighting and Crescent/Stonco Lighting.