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- John Rader, Chief Operating Officer
- Gerald Church, Chief Executive Officer
- Minerva Ramirez, Production Manager
- Luke Besmer, Propagation Manager
- Brian Lee, Client Service Manager
- Ron Newble, Sales Manager
- Linda Toomey, Northwest Regional Sales Manager
- Sharon K. Gravitt - Warschauer , Midwest & Northeast Regional Sales Manager
- Nicole Jackson, Southwest Regional Sales Manager
- Doug Parkinson, Southeast Regional Sales Manager
- Heike Franzen , Specialty Crop Plant Sales Manager
- Craig Southwick, Financial Controller
- Bree Cummings, Marketing Manager
John Rader, Chief Operating Officer
Chief Operating Officer
John Rader started EuroAmerican Propagators in 1992 after purchasing the business from his former employer, Weidner's Gardens, where he served as liner production manager. With Gerald Church as financial partner, Rader formed EuroAmerican Propagators. He then co-founded Proven Winners, an international marketing cooperative, and has been instrumental in the success that group has achieved. As managing member of EuroAmerican, Rader oversees the growing, marketing and sales departments. He also works in plant breeder relations.
Educated at Brigham Young University, Rader received his B.S. in Horticulture in 1981 and his M.S. in the same field in 1983. With expertise in the areas of entomology and propagation he is particularly skilled in giving instruction on the care and growing of plants to audiences of all levels. To this end, Rader has spoken at numerous consumer and grower meetings and seminars nationally and internationally. Additionally, he has given presentations to numerous brokers and sales groups as well as retail garden centers.
Rader has written several articles on new plant introductions and their uses for such industry magazines as GrowerTalks, Greenhouse Grower and GM Pro magazine. He has been a guest on television and radio shows. An energetic supporter of his industry, Rader is a member of the Society of American Florists, the San Diego Flower & Plant Association, the San Diego Horticultural Society, the Perennial Plant Association, and the Ohio Florists' Association.
Rader has dedicated his horticultural career to enhancing people's lives by making available to everyone superior plants and sharing innovative uses of those plants.
Gerald Church, Chief Executive Officer
Chief Executive Officer
Gerald (Jerry) Church co-founded EuroAmerican Propagators with John Rader in 1992. Church was a silent partner until 1998, when the company's success in the horticulture industry grew to a point where it became necessary for him to join EuroAmerican Propagators on a full time basis to allow Rader to concentrate fully on plant selection, marketing and sales. As Chief Executive Officer, Church handles accounting, finance, acquisitions (property/nurseries), construction, and property development. Prior to taking this position, Church retired from Western Farm Service, in San Diego and Santa Ana.
A Naval Aviator during the Vietnam War, Church has a degree in accounting from San Diego State University, and has owned his own companies since he graduated. He owned and ran Southwest Growers Supplies, a fertilizer and crop protective chemical producer, then sold the company to Western Farm Service, which he managed for ten years. Under his leadership, Western Farm Service became a $16 million-a-year business.
Church maintains affiliations with professional organizations including California Agricultural Production Consultants Association (CAPCA) and is a licensed Pest Control Advisor.
Church and his wife reside in Oceanside and have three grown children in the San Diego area. When he has free time, Church enjoys playing the flute.
Minerva Ramirez, Production Manager
Production Manager
Production manager Minerva Ramirez thrives on the daily challenge of working more efficiently. She is in charge of all production aspects, which results in shipping over two million young plants per week all over the country during EuroAmerican's busiest times. Part of the challenge in keeping up with this hectic schedule lies in taking it "one tray at a time," she says.
Minerva earned a degree in ornamental horticulture from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo and began her career as an assistant production manager at Seacoast Greenhouse in Leucadia, California. Minerva wanted to work at EuroAmerican because she was seeking a career that constantly pushed her to learn more, she says. She truly is at the center of the storm as she and her team of supervisors are in charge of over 200 employees. Under her advisement, her talented staff oversees the production of all plants, handles shipping orders, labeling, and packing.
Luke Besmer, Propagation Manager
Propagation Manager
Luke was educated in biology and botany at Humboldt State University; with 6-years of hands-on laboratory and field experience Luke is a premiere
expert. With a background in business and resource management along with experience in various settings, including production, publishing, and
customer service; Luke has more than proved himself as an elite Propagation Manager. Luke’s other personal interests include sub-tropical and
native Californian varieties.
Brian Lee, Client Service Manager
Client Service Manager
Brian’s belief is that there is always room for improvement which is what he has brought to Euro American Propagators. With 10 years of customer
service experience in the horticulture industry, Brian definitely brings new and more efficient methods to the client service department. Brian came
to Euro with the intent to become the number one supplier to our customers through ease by working with our Client Service Team to meet their needs
and by constantly seeking new methods for improvement. With the growth of Euro American, Brian is the ideal addition to this rapidly evolving company.
Ron Newble, Customer Service Manager
Customer Service Manager
After nine years in customer service - four of them at Euro - Ron knows that listening answers more questions than talking. But when he does have something to say, it's based on a thorough understanding of the industry and the demands growers have to deal with all day , everyday. Even though he has plenty to deal with, Ron has a the-glass-is-half-full attitude. If anyone here has a problem, he's the first to lend a hand.
Linda Toomey, Northwest Regional Sales Manager
Northwest Regional Sales Manager
linda@pweuro.com
Phone: 888-323-0730 or 760-731-6029
Cell: 760-802-0240
Fax: 760-731-3054
Territory:
Alaska, Northern California, Iowa, Idaho, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, Minnesota, Montana, Wisconsin, Wyoming
With Euro Since:
1996
Education:
Horticulture – John Rader, Business – Jerry Church
Experience:
Protea Grower Sales Representative, three years
At EuroAmerican:
Bookkeeper, four months (John stole me from Jerry)
Customer Service, one+ years
Office Manager, three+ years
Key Accounts Manager, three years
Northern Regional Sales Manager, two tears
Areas of Expertise:
Cool Crops programs. New PW and PS varieties.
In Her Own Words:
“The most successful growers work with their retailers to promote the PW brand to consumers. They also stay currents on consumer trends so they can create opportunities instead of waiting for them.”
Sharon K. Gravitt-Warschauer, Midwest & Northeast Regional Sales Manager
Midwest & Northeast Regional Sales Manager
sharon@pweuro.com
Phone: 888-915-6464 or 717-671-1761
Cell: 717-574-9174
Fax: 717-671-8717
Territory:
Connecticut Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas,
Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and West Virginia
With Euro Since:
2003
Education:
B.S. in horticulture with second major in agronomy, Purdue University
Experience:
Euro Eastern Regional Sales Manager, two years
Owner, Global Retailers’ Source, LLC, two years
President, DGT-Volmatic North America, eight years
General Manager, BioPropagation Inc., 10 years
Areas of Expertise:
Helping wholesales and retailers identify and implement the PW programs that best fir their needs. Creating individualized programs for “pull-through” product interest from wholesaler to retailer to consumer.
In Her Own Words:
“I value the customers I have met and contacts I have made during my twenty-three years in the horticulture industry. It is especially rewarding to share in planning and implementing their ideas, and to see them evolve into success stories. I am grateful to have EuroAmerican’s unique plant selection and PW marketing programs as my tools to increase the success of present and new customers alike”
Nicole Jackson, Southwest Regional Sales Manager
Southwest Regional Sales Manager
nicole@pweuro.com
Phone: 888-323-0730
Cell: 760-497-1087
Fax: 760-731-3054
Territory:
Arizona, Southern California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah
With Euro Since:
2001
Education:
B.S. in horticulture, Colorado State University
Experience:
Euro Marketing Coordinator, three years
Retail Floral Designer, five years
Areas of Expertise:
Cost-effective marketing for both growers and retailers. Providing insight on new program development. Selecting the best plants for the growers’ climate, timing, and profitability.
In Her Own Words:
“Having worked and studied in the Southwest for over ten years, I now think of this region as my home. Besides hands-on experience, my seven years at Euro have given me a unique perspective of our rapidly changing industry. I love sharing ideas with my customers through lectures, trade events, and visits to greenhouses. I am lucky to work with such a dynamic group of people at both Euro and Proven Winners, and to provide my customers with the finest plants and program in the industry.”
Doug Parkinson, Southeast Regional Sales Manager
Southeast Regional Sales Manager
doug@pweuro.com
Phone: 888-323-0731 or 330-874-2943
Cell: 330-806-8785
Fax: 330-874-4913
Territory:
Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas
With Euro Since:
2004
Education:
A.S. in nursery management, ATI/Ohio State University
Experience:
Vendor Coordinator, Yoder Brothers, Inc., eight years
Manager, Green Thumb Nursery, Canton OH – Retail Garden Center, five years
Areas of Expertise:
Establishing and strengthening relationships between brokers, wholesale growers, and retail garden centers. Cost-effective retailing strategies for increasing market share. Pull-through marketing programs.
In His Own Words:
“Although new to Euro, I see the Southeast’s year-round production and our year-round supply as a win-win situation. This year I am traveling throughout the region meeting growers and learning about their businesses, and I will work to develop programs to increase their profits.”
Heike Franzen, Specialty Crop Plant Sales Manager
Information coming soon...
Craig Southwick, Financial Controller
Craig Southwick came to EuroAmerican in November 2003 armed with a BS in Accounting from Brigham Young University, 22 years of experience in small business management and finance, and a strong desire to work within a new industry. His experiences have taught him that the only way to learn is to roll up your sleeves and get dirty which made for a perfect match at EuroAmerican. By diving into, and helping to refine, such ongoing projects as budgeting, costing and pricing, he has learned to work with all aspects of the business from the inside out and has developed a great working relationship with everyone at EuroAmerican from the field workers to the owners. He also supervises our great accounting staff and works closely with Jerry Church in managing the financial affairs of the company.
Craig and his wife of more than 28 years, Valorie, live with their two cats in Temecula. They are the proud parents of five grown children and have two beautiful grandchildren.
Bree Cummings, Marketing Coordinator
Marketing Coordinator
A new edition to the horticulture industry; Bree looks to revolutionize EuroAmerican by introducing fresh marketing concepts. With a Bachelor’s
of Art degree with emphasis in Marketing and Graphic Design from The Art Institute of California; Bree brings a new level of style and creativity to
EuroAmerican. Bree spent five years as an Event Marketing Coordinator in the Southwest region, before she became a wholesale sales representative
in the Northeast for the retail fashion industry.
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