Ft. Lauderdale, FL — The Plantscape Institute of America (PIA) is pleased to announce four newly elected members to the Board of Directors. New members include: Vice Chair Shane Pliska, President of Planterra Corporation; Secretary-Treasurer Eric Westerduin, Partner and Finance Director of Suite Plants; Social Media Chair and Legal Counsel Amber Mufale, Director and the head of Legal and Media also of Suite Plants; Membership Chair Toni Fitch, Concierge for Ambius-Dallas
“PIA’s new leadership team is reflects and reflects the geographic diversity of PIA’s membership” says PIA Chairman Tim Konig.
The newly elected board members join these returning board members: Expo Tradeshow Chair Suzette Upchurch, Sales Manager at Bristol Botanics; Executive Chair Tim Konig, Owner of European Gardens; Education Chair Heddy Salerno, President of Insdie Plants; Vision Chair Joel Pesapane, CFO at Growing Green, Inc.; Awards Chair Elliott Bennett, Owner and Vice President at Air Strength Canada; Education Liaison Dr. John Peterson, Department Head, Horticulture and Crop Science at Cal Poly State University; Cal Poly Endowment Chair Joe Haslett, Lecturer at Cal Poly State University; and PIA Cares Chair Joan Archibald, Business Development Director at Old Town Fiberglass.
The board’s significant activities this year include recommitting PIA to its original mission as an educational organization beginning with rebranding PIA as the Plantscape Institute of America, accompanied by the launch of a new website designed to enhance the plantscaping community’s access to PIA’s education and networking tools. Another significant activity has been creating PIA @IGC as the venue for PIA’s annual conference and product Showcase. This move greatly expands the conference attendee’s exposure to design ideas and new products.
Outgoing Board Members include: Todd Ferguson, Area Manager and Vice President at Ambius; Bill Meade, National Sales Manager at Architectural Supplements; Karin Horn, Human Resources Consultant and Principal at Viktory Lap; Tony Caruso, past Vice President of Decorative Plant Services; Eli Goldman, Chief Operating Officer of Sunborne Nursery.
The Plantscape Institute of America (PIA), formerly Plantscape Industry Alliance, is a community of experts who design, install and maintain plants in the interior environment. Dedicated to bringing nature indoors, PIA advocates the use of living plants in interior landscapes to enhance human well-being. PIA produces PIA Seminars for Plantscapers, a series of regional educational seminars held throughout the year, the International Plantscape Awards by PIA and the PIA annual trade show and conference. The 2014 PIA@IGC will take place August 19 – 21 at the Navy Pier in Chicago. For more information, visit piagrows.org.
Source: Plantscape Institute of America
