After three decades as CEO and president of Costa Farms, Joche Smith Sr. is promoting his son, Jose (Joche) Smith Jr., to president as part of the company’s leadership transition. In this new role, Smith will oversee day-to-day operations across Costa’s domestic and international business units and lead strategic initiatives that position the company for continued growth and innovation.
Smith Sr. will continue as chief executive officer and member of the board of directors, providing strategic oversight. He will also continue to lead the legal and human resources functions, with Arianna Cabrera de Oña, chief people officer and general counsel, reporting directly to him, allowing Smith Sr. to continue shaping company culture.
“Joche Jr. has an innate understanding of our customers and our mission to bring plants to every home. He’s ready to lead us forward with clarity and purpose,” said Smith Sr.
A fourth-generation member of the Costa family, Smith’s promotion marks the next chapter in the company’s long-term leadership vision. With more than a decade of experience at Costa Farms, he has played a pivotal role in expanding the company’s national retail presence and enhancing its merchandising programs across major accounts. As senior vice president of sales and commercial operations, he led teams responsible for strategic planning, product placement and customer engagement, ensuring Costa’s plants reached millions of consumers in stores nationwide.
Costa Farms also announces that Juan Rodriguez, formerly director of sales for Lowe’s, has been promoted to senior vice president of sales and commercial operations, where he will lead customer-facing strategies and support cross-functional alignment across major retail accounts, as well as leading the commercial teams of category management, demand planning and marketing.
Develon North America appoints new CEO
Woohyun (WH) Kim has been appointed CEO of Develon North America and the Develon brand of heavy and compact construction equipment. Kim brings extensive experience in leadership, sales and finance to his new role, according to the company.
“I look forward to building on our success in North America and growing the Develon brand,” Kim says. “We’ve made significant progress in recent years, changing the brand and expanding our construction equipment lineup. We will continue to grow with reliable and productive heavy and compact equipment, with the help of our more than 200 dealers in the United States and Canada.”
Most recently, Kim served as director of sales operation and programs for the Develon brand.
From January 2023 to December 2024, he was the director of commercial planning and sales operations. In that capacity, he helped lead sales planning, product management, financial planning and remarketing. Additionally, he was responsible for opening the new North American Customer Utilization Plant near Savannah, Ga.
Kim’s career with Doosan and then HD Hyundai Infracore spans 25 years in sales, business management and human resources. His roles included sales and leadership positions in Seoul, South Korea; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Atlanta, Ga. He began his career with Doosan in December 2001 as a human resources manager.
Kim graduated from Korea University in 2001.
“Woohyun’s sales and leadership positions in the past two decades will culminate in his new strategic role in North America,” said Jaeyoung Moon, head of the construction machinery business division at HD Hyundai Infracore.
Amguard makes six key hirings and promotions
Amguard Environmental Technologies, the specialty markets division of Amvac Chemical Corporation, made six new appointments aimed at reinforcing its commitment to U.S. specialty market customers. The move includes two internal promotions and four new hires, reflecting a broader industry trend of investing in technical expertise to address evolving market needs.
Frank Fornari, previously OHP technical sales manager, has been promoted to director of sales, where he will oversee ornamentals and controlled environmental agriculture businesses. Sam Drahn moves up to director of technical services, expanding his technical support role to include insecticides and fungicides. Both bring experience from companies such as BASF, Valent and roles in large-scale nursery operations.
New hires include Eric Ham as Midwest technical sales manager, Joe Grippi as Southeast technical sales manager, Jeremy Sanderson as Northeast technical sales manager and Eric Rebek, Ph.D., as technical services specialist. Their backgrounds span leadership roles at FMC Professional Solutions, UPL Environmental Solutions, Bayer Environmental Science/Envu and BioWorks.
The specialty markets sector — which includes greenhouse, nursery, CEA and structural pest control — has seen increased demand for technical support and innovative solutions.
Amguard‘s expanded team positions the company to better serve its diverse customer base, including those in the golf sectors. As CEO Shayne Wetherall noted, the changes aim to deliver “exceptional service” to customers across key regions.
Davey Tree elects Joe McNeely to board of directors
Joe McNeely has been elected to the board of directors for The Davey Tree Expert Company.
McNeely served as president of the Plant Nutrient and Industrial Group at The Andersons, a diversified agribusiness, until his retirement in December 2024. He became president in July 2020 and previously served as president of the Rail Group at The Andersons from 2018 to 2020. Prior to that, he served as president and CEO of FreightCar America and had additional positions at Mitsui Rail Capital and GATX Corporation.
“Joe’s experience with leadership and his strategic approach to growth makes him an ideal addition to this board,” said Pat Covey, chairman, president and CEO of Davey Tree. “With his background in agriculture and industrial operations, Joe is familiar with the green industry along with Davey’s mission and will do great things in this role.”
McNeely earned a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Illinois State University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame. He is a certified public accountant and a current member of the Toledo Zoo board of directors and the Illinois State University College of Business Advisory Council.
Weed Man appoints new chief marketing officer
Weed Man, an North American lawn care company, appointed Laura Baker as the company’s new chief marketing officer (CMO).
“We are thrilled to welcome Laura to our executive team,” says Weed Man CEO Jennifer Lemcke. “Laura’s impressive background as a results-oriented leader in marketing brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Weed Man brand. She is an excellent addition to our team as we continue to drive growth and build momentum toward our vision of being a billion-dollar company.”
In her previous role as the CMO of Home Hardware Stores Limited, Baker displayed a strong track record of understanding customers and stakeholders to drive sustainable revenue growth, according to the company. Baker’s focus on brand loyalty and driving traffic to the 1,000-plus locally owned stores was pivotal in driving the Scene+ partnership and revitalizing the BeautiTone paint private brand. Before joining Home Hardware, Baker was the head of marketing for Edward Jones Canada, the senior vice president of marketing at Sleep Country Canada and led digital marketing at Tim Hortons.
“I am thrilled to join the Weed Man team,” Baker said. “The brand is a leader in the market, and I look forward to continuing to support homeowners with their lawn care needs.”
Within the past year, Weed Man has also appointed several Weed Man veterans into strategic leadership roles in the corporate team.
