January 2024 - 10

HEADLINES/CALENDAR
Industry
mourns
Rick
Schoellhorn
Richard ( " Rick " )
Richard ( " Rick " ) Kent Schoellhorn
Kent Schoellhorn,
retired director of
new products for
Proven Winners,
died after a twoyear
struggle with
lung cancer. He
was 66.
In 1989, Schoellhorn completed a bachelor's degree
in horticulture at Colorado State University. He moved
to Gainesville, Florida, to pursue graduate study, and
in 1995, completed a doctorate degree in horticulture
from the University of Florida. He served as a professor
until 2005, when he joined Proven Winners as director
of new products.
Proven Winners has renamed its grower scholarship
to honor him. The new name for the scholarship is The
Rick Schoellhorn - Proven Winners Grower Excellence
Scholarship. It's one of three $5,000 scholarships that
Proven Winners offers to students in four-year universities.
" It's perfect because it honors Rick both as a
plantsman and as an educator, " said Kevin Hurd, vice
president of product development for Proven Winners.
" He has a passion for growing and he's worked in all
aspects of the industry. So we felt it was important
to memorialize him and remember his legacy as that
educator and strong horticulturalist. It's a nice gesture
for the industry to keep his name going and active, and
then it's also a really nice gesture for his wife and son. "
Once Schoellhorn retired, he began to cultivate
begonias. With this new endeavor, he traveled and began
writing a book on begonia cultivation and was active in
the American Begonia Society.
Schoellhorn is survived by Linda, his wife of 39 years,
son Eran, brother Carlos, sister Janine, granddaughters
Lydia and Cora, and a community of extended family,
friends and colleagues. He was preceded in death by his
sister Paquita and his parents Henry and Sara.
Monrovia adds
to New Plants
team
We are Here!
NEPTUNE'S HARVEST
ORGANIC FERTILIZERS
INCREASE YIELD & QUALITY
HEALTHIER SOIL & CROPS
GROW NUTRIENT DENSE FOOD
BULK & RETAIL AVAILABLE
WE HAVE LOTS OF GREAT PRODUCTS!
LIQUID FISH FERTILIZER,
FISH & SEAWEED BLEND,
CRAB & LOBSTER SHELL
AND MORE!
For everything you grow!
Fela Lafi
Georgia Clay
Monrovia has
expanded its New Plants
program team, with
Fela Lafi taking on the
role of new plant trials
manager and Georgia
Clay as plant selections
manager. This expansion
intends to allow
Monrovia to trial and
test more plant material
and bring more new
plants into the market.
Clay will be focusing
on new plant choices,
bringing selections
to market, managing
intellectual property
and developing breeder
relationships. She
will also continue
her consumer outreach, participating in Monrovia's
webinars and plant care videos. Clay joined Monrovia
in 2019 and has been an integral part of the company's
plant hunter team.
Lafi joins the plant hunting team and will manage plant
trials at all Monrovia nurseries, work with data collection
and explore new plant testing opportunities with breeders.
Family Owned and Operated Since 1965 Made in Gloucester, MA
10 | LAWN & GARDEN RETAILER | JANUARY 2024
http://neptunesharvest.com
January 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2024
