NAPERVILLE, Ill. – McHutchison recently hired Heather Lilja, a rising star in the industry, and Vaughan’s Horticulture promoted Ken Turrentine, an in-house team member, to new positions within the two companies.
Turrentine has been promoted to key account sales manager and western regional sales manager. He joined Vaughan’s Horticulture as a key account sales representative in 2019 after being marketing director for Central Life Sciences and serving in various sales and marketing roles at Griffin Greenhouse Supplies and Syngenta. In Turrentine’s new role, he will lead key accounts and hybrid sales teams along with advising plant sales representatives west of the Mississippi River.
Lilja has joined the McHutchison sales team and will cover the midwestern territory of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. She brings valuable new insight and sales experience to the team having previously worked at Green Lake Nursery and Alta Vista Nursery. Lilja’s industry background also includes working for Karl Klement Enterprises as greenhouse manager and as production line leader for Color Spot Nurseries. She graduated from Southeast Community College with an Associate of Applied Science degree in horticulture and turf grass management in 2014.
“We are excited to promote from within a talented team member like Ken and bring in an experienced industry professional such as Heather to join our expanding operation,” said Nathan Lamkey, president of McHutchison and Vaughan’s Horticulture. “As we continue to grow, we remain steadfastly committed to providing the best products and services for our valued customers while actively searching for new personnel to join both McHutchison and Vaughan’s Horticulture.”
For more details about McHutchison, please visit www.mchutchison.com or Vaughan’s Horticulture at www.vaughans.com.
About McHutchison
Founded in 1902, McHutchison was built on service, quality and dependability. Our company provides the most service-oriented wholesale distribution of plants and related products in North America. The most important resource we have is our dedicated staff, which provide tailored business solutions that drive growth and value for our customers and suppliers. Extensive experience and creative thinking ensure that McHutchison purveys the best suppliers and most sustainable solutions to build any business.
Our virtual store provides online access where customers can select horticultural materials ranging from tissue culture and unrooted cuttings to finished annuals and perennials including trees and shrubs along with supplies. We take pride in maintaining our vision filled with growth and opportunities while staying true to an unwavering commitment to distribute the best quality products and services. For more information on McHutchison, please visit www.mchutchison.com.
About Vaughan’s Horticulture
Vaughan’s Horticulture delivers its customers more insight, worth and support. This objective is embedded in the company’s daily actions and is a powerful call among its employees that unlocks Vaughan’s value to their customers. “Delivering More” is not just a tagline, it is the manner in which Vaughan’s Horticulture does business every day. For more information on Vaughan’s Horticulture, please visit www.vaughans.com.
