ORANGE, Calif.- -Village Nurseries, the West Coast Division of TreeTown USA, today announced the father and son team of Tom and David House, who built the company into a preeminent wholesale nursery for landscape professionals, will be among eight industry achievers honored for their contributions to the green industry by the Green Industry Hall of Fame at an awards ceremony and dinner to be held May 4, 2019 at the Proud Bird Event Center, 11022 Aviation Blvd., Los Angeles, CA.
Tom House
In 1979, Tom House joined Village Nurseries as general manager, eventually working his way up to president/CEO and managing general partner. Recognizing the industry’s great potential, he began expanding the company in 1989 by purchasing key nurseries and growing fields in southern and northern California to provide landscape professionals with hardy plant favorites, as well as unique and patented plants few competitors carried. He also diversified the company by establishing landscape centers within the state and by signing long-term agreements with national retailers. He died unexpectedly at age 59 in 2003.
Tom House joined the Nursery Growers Association (NGA), became NGA’s director in 1999, and president in 2002. Among his achievements:
- Lobbied the federal government on immigration reform.
- Obtained $5 million to control the spread of the Glassy Winged Sharpshooter (GWSS).
- Started the NGA Theft Committee to deter and prosecute agricultural crimes.
David House
David House joined Village Nurseries in 1980. He became vice president of sales and marketing in 1992, then president/CEO in 2003, succeeding his father. His toughest challenge was successfully guiding the company through the great recession of 2007-09 when many of his competitors failed. The company grew into one of the largest wholesale nurseries in the West and was ultimately sold to TreeTown USA, one of the nation’s leading horticultural companies, in the fall of 2017. House is retiring in Q2, 2019.
As an NGA member he:
- Continued the fight against GWSS in support of the nursery industry.
- Led development of the Approved Treatment Protocol (ATP) program with the support of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the California County Agriculture Commissioners, allowing southern California nurseries to ship product to non-infested counties throughout CA.
- Provided active financial and personal support to programs for the CDFA, NGA, and the California Association of Nurseries and Garden Centers (CANGC) that established a political and organizational voice in both Sacramento and Washington, D.C.
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“I am both humbled and honored to be inducted into the Green Industry Hall of Fame,” House said, “but I am most grateful to see my dad recognized for his achievements in the green industry. Tom was Village’s patriarch; his vision and leadership built the foundation which enabled our executive team to continue to grow the business and carry on his legacy.”
About the Green Industry Hall of Fame
The Green Industry Hall of Fame’s mission is to honor and preserve the contributions of those exceptional individuals who have served the Green Industry. In 2005 Irrigator Tech nominated and sponsored its first inductee. They continued to honor individuals each year at their vendor educational tradeshow in Chino, California. In 2007, Charles Nunley, was nominated and honored into the Green Industry Hall of Fame. Charles, too, had a vision to have a location where we could display the green industry equipment, and items from history, a museum style location to be visited by young children and all individuals who work and plan to make this industry their career. Nunley joined Marcie & Richard Daigle to further develop The Green Industry Hall of Fame. He has contributed in forming the committee and the evolution of this non-profit organization and continues to honor and remember those worthy people who have spent their lifetime in service and giving back.
About TreeTown USA
TreeTown USA, founded in 2001, is a privately-owned nursery business headquartered in Houston, Texas, with 18 growing facilities totaling over 6,000 production acres across Texas, Florida, Oregon and California. With a West Coast Division including Village Nurseries and Hines Growers, the combined company has a coast-to-coast footprint for its broad mix of high-quality plant material that includes more than 5,000 unique plant selections and variations. To learn more about TreeTown USA, visit the company’s website at http://www.treetownusa.com.
