HOUSTON– TreeTown USA CEOJonathan Saperstein today announced David Kirby has been appointed to the position of executive vice president of TreeTown USA/Village Nurseries/Hines Growers.
Kirby will report directly to Saperstein in the newly-created position while based at the company’s Western Division headquarters in Orange, Calif.
His career spanned nearly 30 years, most recently at Azusa, Calif.-based Monrovia Nursery Company, where he acquired a wide-ranging knowledge of plants and growing conditions. This experience was instrumental in creating successful retail programs throughout the country.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity to join such a great team of experienced industry professionals who have the knowledge, commitment and resources to become the #1 nursery in America,” Kirby said. “With the combined experience in the rewholesale, landscape, mass merchant and IGC retail market segments, TreeTown USA is in the best possible position to develop the right plant mix and customer programs to grow with our changing industry.”
“After an extensive national search, we were fortunate to recruit David Kirby as our new executive VP,” Saperstein said. “He’ll assume responsibility for a number of key functions including leading our national sales team. David has built an enviable reputation as an extraordinary leader with a thorough knowledge of the nursery business. He will become a key executive in what I consider one of the strongest leadership teams in the industry.”
Kirby is an active member of the California Association of Nursery and Garden Centers. In 2014 he was honored by Texas Tech University’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources as a distinguished Alumni. The award is bestowed on graduates whose careers bring distinction to the college and to their professions in agriculture and natural resources.
In conjunction with the Kirby appointment, David House is retiring after 37 years with the company, first as Village Nurseries CEO, then president of the West Coast Division of TreeTown USA.
“I believe the sale of the company to TreeTown USA is the best thing that could have ever happened to Village Nurseries,” House said. “We are now part of a much larger family, one that continues to grow under the leadership of Jonathan Saperstein. While the company continues to grow, it still maintains the same family-like culture we shared at Village which is something everyone should be proud to be a part of. On a more personal note, I am certain that my father, Tom, who started the company and has since passed, is proud of all of our accomplishments and certainly where the company is heading.”
Saperstein commented, “David House’s industry knowledge and proven leadership abilities helped propel Village Nurseries into one of America’s most successful wholesale nurseries dedicated to landscape professionals. Bringing him into the TreeTown USA family was one of the major factors in acquiring his company. We wish him a wonderful, productive, and stress-free retirement from the nursery industry.”
About TreeTown USA/Village Nurseries/Hines Growers
TreeTown USA, founded in 2001, is a privately-owned business headquartered in Houston, Texas, with 18 growing facilities totaling over 6,000 production acres across Texas, Florida, Oregon and California. With its recent acquisition of a West Coast Division, including Village Nurseries and Hines Growers, the combined company now has a coast-to-coast footprint for its broad mix of high-quality plant material that includes over 5,000 unique plant selections and variations. To learn more about TreeTown USA, visit the company’s website at http://www.treetownusa.com.
