On The Move

Jennifer Zurko

EMERALD COAST GROWERS
Jonathan Babikow has joined Emerald Coast Growers as general manager/head grower for the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, location. Jonathan, a cousin to Emerald Coast Growers’ current owners, grew up in the family business, starting as a teenager in his father’s greenhouse, GreenLeaf Enterprises. By his 20s, he was a range manager supervising up to 20 people at different locations. By his 30s he was an owner and the vice president of vegetative production of perennials, overseeing all propagation of unrooted cuttings.

After Yoder Brothers purchased the business in 1996, Jonathan continued in the same role for five years before eventually moving to Esbenshade’s Greenhouses to launch their perennial program. After 11 years, there, he decided it was time to come back into a Babikow family business, this time managing production for Emerald Coast Growers’ Lancaster, Pennsylvania, location.

HENRY F. MICHELL CO.
Michell’s has brought on Nora Lozada for the Colorado, Wyoming and Montana territory. Nora has been in the industry for over five years and formerly worked at Welby Gardens in Denver, Colorado, as a Sales Representative.

lēf FARMS
Kyle Scamman has been hired as lēf Farms’ Production Manager. Kyle will be responsible for running the growing and harvesting system, while working through updates and process improvements. He also will be accountable for coordinating production schedules and implementing the company’s food safety plan, with a focus on maintaining an efficient use of resources and producing a clean and safe product.

PHILIPS LIGHTING
Philips Lighting announced the recent addition of Ray Houweling as a Key Account Manager for Canada for the horticulture LED lighting segment. With a long history in horticulture, Ray has held a number of positions, including most recently with Agrozone International, in which he sold Ozone systems to the horticultural industry for water and air treatment. Prior to Agrozone, Ray had broad horticultural experience in the industry through the mechanical sectors, energy fields and extensive time as a grower and owner/operator.

Ray will collaborate with an established network of certified horticulture partners, as well as Philips Lighting Plant Specialists and Application Engineers to bring LED solutions to Canada greenhouse growers in multiple segments, including high-wire fruits and vegetables, floriculture and specialty crops. GT