William Hildebolt, founder and owner of Nature’s Select Premium Turf Services, died on March 28, 2020, in Winston-Salem, N.C., after a long battle against lung cancer. He was 76.
According to his bio on Nature Select’s website, Hildebolt was a Certified Landscape Technician (CLT), a Certified Turfgrass Professional (CTP) and proud member of the industry that “creates and maintains the quality of life” in communities all across America. Certified Turfgrass Professional (CTP) is the certification mark awarded by Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) — now known as the National Association of Landscape Professionals — and represents evidence of the industry’s highest standards of land care professionalism. He also served as president of PLANET.
Hildebolt received his Ph.D. from Ohio State University. After graduating from Ohio State in 1969, he joined the Campbell Soup Company in Camden, N.J., where he eventually rose to be vice president of product & development. During his time at Campbell Soup, he helped develop several products, most notably Prego tomato sauce which became one of the most successful grocery product launches of the early 1980s.
He spent seven years as vice president of research and development at R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. In 1994, he used his continuing interest in renewable agricultural practices to develop Nature Select’s “biologically-enhanced” lawn care and tree and shrub programs. Over his professional career, Hildebolt was awarded more than 20 patents.
A full obituary can be found here.
