Washington, D.C.— Greg Schaan, President and CEO of Imperial Nurseries (CT), assumed the presidency of the American Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA) during their Annual Meeting in Columbus,OH. He brings a unique perspective combining non-industry, corporate experience and his 12 years with Imperial Nurseries. At his inauguration Schaan stated, “I have now served for four years with a board [ANLA’s] that while dealing with the current issues of the day, keeps one eye fixed toward the future. We are cautious to jump on a passing fad, but act resolutely when we perceive a sea change.”

After earning a degree in business administration and marketing from the University of North Dakota, his home state, Schaan worked in sales and management for Cenex/ Land O’Lakes. He then moved to Terra International, Inc. where he worked in strategic planning and new business development. In 1992, Schaan, and his wife Ellen, moved to Connecticut where he joined Imperial Nurseries as Vice President of Sales and Marketing, and was named President and CEO in October, 1999. During his tenure in the nursery and landscape industry he has served on the executive committee of the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI), the Horticultural Distribution Committee – the predecessor of ANLA’s Landscape Distribution division, and as President of the New England Nursery Association (NENA).

At ANLA’s Annual Meeting, where he was sworn in, Schaan stated, “Our industry is certainly facing many challenges right now, but there is good news. We are part of an industry, and, as members of ANLA, an organization, that has weathered these business cycles for 132 years. We understand the need to continue to invest in our businesses even during difficult economic times. While we will make adjustments to help weather the storm, the very nature of our business requires that we think long term. We must always be preparing for when we return to better times – and they will return.”