Rain Bird, DuPont Top Personnel News

Rain Bird Promotes Dave Magner to Director of Accessories Division

Rain Bird Corp. promoted Dave Magner to director of its Accessories Division in Tucson, Ariz.  Magner has been with Rain Bird for more than five years and previously held the marketing manager position for Rain Bird's Contractor Division.

As director of the accessories division, Magner is now responsible for the overall direction and general management of Rain Bird’s quality accessories products. Rain Bird offers a range of irrigation accessories including rain sensors, root watering systems, swing pipe, spiral barb fittings, swing assemblies, valve boxes and many others.

Magner received a Bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of California at Los Angeles.

DuPont Professional Products Hires New Marketing Manager

Nancy Schwartz joins the DuPont Professional Products team in the position of marketing manager - turf and ornamentals.
         
In this newly created position, Schwartz is responsible for developing and implementing marketing strategies designed to expand the DuPont portfolio of products in the golf and lawncare markets. She brings more than 20 years of experience in marketing new products, including recent endeavors in professional pest management and the green industry, to DuPont.
         
“We are pleased to add Nancy to our growing team of professionals,” says Mike McDermott, global business leader, DuPont Professional Products. “Her experience in the industry, coupled with her success in bringing new products to market, will be a valuable asset as we expand our presence in the green industry.”

Compact Power Promotes Walters, Hires Vinroe, Harrison

Compact Power promotes George Walters to national sales manager and appoints Kevin Vinroe as Notheast regional sales manager of its Compact Brands Division and Bobby Harrison to the role of vice president of sales for the PowerHouse Equipment division. 

Walters has served Compact Power over the last year in the role of Western and Central regional sales manager. As the national sales manager, he is charged with managing the company’s regional sales representatives along with supporting CPI’s eight manufacturing rep groups. His leadership and passion for the compact utility industry has proven to be an asset to Compact Power.

Compact Power also welcomes Kevin Vinroe to the role of Northeast regional sales manager. Vinroe comes to Compact Power with more than 20 years of sales and management experience. He will be responsible for assisting and managing regional dealers and manufacturing representatives to ensure the regional sales budget is met within the Compact Brands Division. The Compact Brands Division specializes in the development of the Boxer and Kanga Brands both nationally and internationally through independent dealers and national accounts.

Additionally, PowerHouse Equipment, a division of Compact Power, appointmented Bobby Harrison to the role of vice president of sales for the division. Harrison brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience from the rental and equipment industry.  He comes to PowerHouse from The Home Depot where he served as regional rental manager and has previous management experience with Hertz and NES Rentals.  In his new role, Bobby will be responsible for ensuring the PowerHouse divisional sales budgets are met along with developing and maintaining national accounts.

Performance Nursery Announces Thomas J. Stribling as General Production Manager

Tom Lucas of Performance Nursery in Moorpark, Calif., announced the hiring of Thomas Stribling as general production manager of its three California growing grounds.

The Stribling name is not new to the nursery business. Stribling brings with him four generations of nursery growing experience. He is past president of CANGC Channel Island and Yosemite chapters, has been a Certified Nursery Professional for 35 years and dons a Bachelors degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Cal Poly Pomona.

"Our principle goal is to modernize production, improve growing techniques and aid in day-to-day activities," Stribling says. "Our initial concentration will be aboriculture. We move a large variety of trees. Accepting the challenge of developing better nursery stock than what we have now will benefit nurseries and landscapers statewide."

Performance Nursery boasts one growing yard in Moorpark and two in Somis, totaling 115 acres of one gallon container stock up to 48-inch boxed specimen trees.