Everde Growers announces sales leadership changes

Everde Growers has announced several key changes in its sales management team. The restructure comes nearly four months after the strategic acquisition of La Verne Nursery.

Meredith McLeod was promoted to Vice President of Sales, Independent, and Landscape, in which he will oversee national landscape and independent garden center customer sales channels. McLeod began his career with TreeTown USA in 2007, and over the past 15 years, has been instrumental in the development of the sales team and many of the inventory and planning processes that Everde Growers uses today. He has worked in virtually every facet of the sales department, first solidifying business in the Texas region with National Accounts and most recently as Sales Director of the South Central region. McLeod participated in the inaugural class of the Texas Nursery & Landscape Association Leadership Bootcamp in 2021, where he further developed his unique leadership style.

In conjunction with McLeod’s promotion, Andy Bristow was hired on October 1 as Director of Sales, South Central region. Bristow worked for Bonnie Plants for over 27 years, beginning his career in 1995 as a Regional Sales Representative, working his way up to National Sales Manager, and most recently serving as their Regional Operations Manager. He brings great experience in both sales and operations to the Everde Growers team. An Alabama native, Bristow attended Auburn University and currently lives outside of Dallas, Texas.

Rick Stiles, Director of Landscape Sales, Southwest region, retired as of October 1 after a 33-year career with Everde Growers and formerly Village Nurseries. Stiles began his career in 1989 in the sales department at Village Nurseries’ Puente location in Brea, California. Stiles rose to be one of the leading experts in the California nursery and landscape industry and was a trusted source of information for his team, customers, partners, and competitors. Stiles played an integral role during the acquisition of Village Nurseries by TreeTown USA in 2017, growing business during the company’s rebrand to Everde Growers while maintaining core local business.

Following Stiles’ retirement, Spike Mitchell was assigned as Director of Landscape Sales, Southwest region. Mitchell is based in Southern California and was formerly Director of Sales at La Verne Nursery (now Everde Growers’ Piru, California farm). Mitchell has a great knowledge of the California nursery industry, as well as independent garden centers and the landscape side of the business.

Lorena Garcia was assigned as National Program Coordinator. Garcia, previously a Program Manager for La Verne Nursery, will be responsible for developing and documenting best practices and protocols for all aspects of select national programs. Her first area of focus will be Everde Growers’ edibles programs, after which she will focus on holiday programs and the company’s proprietary brands, such as Patio Tropics and Boldscape. Garcia’s role will align efforts across the company and further position Everde Growers as a leader in the edible category, including citrus, fruit trees, and small fruit.

The Northwest and Southwest independent garden center sales regions were combined under the leadership of Pat Hughes. Hughes is an experienced sales leader with over 30 years of experience in his career working for Hines Growers, ColorSpot, and Everde Growers. He is well-versed in the independent garden center business and an expert user of Everde Growers’ sales software systems. Hughes is based in Northwest Oregon.

Rachal Franek was assigned the role of National Inside Sales Manager, in which she will oversee the entire Inside Sales team across the country. Franek previously managed the Inside Sales team in the South Central region. She began her career 28 years ago as a customer service representative for Hines Nurseries, moved up to Customer Service Manager, and worked in the distribution department before joining TreeTown USA as an Inside Sales Representative in 2006.

“As we continue to grow as a company, placing equal focus on each of our geographic and customer channels is increasingly important,” states David Kirby, Executive Vice President of Everde Growers. “With Meredith McLeod at the helm and key players in the right position, we will strengthen areas where we have the potential for continued growth.”