Meet 2025 HILA winner John Gaydos

Photo © Brad Ziegler

Read the full profile on John here.

Watch a video of John from the Horticultural Industries Leadership Awards at Cultivate'25 here.

John on his legacy:

“I enjoy helping people realize their potential and then achieve it. Whether that is helping a young kid find enjoyment in work, helping a seasoned grower find answers to production challenges or whether it’s helping someone plant a rose and know what to do with it once it’s in the ground. If you’re going to perform well in this industry, you have to constantly keep learning. I learn as much as I possibly can and pass on that information.”

John on his time at Proven Winners:

“I was Proven Winners’ first employee, and I started as the administrator for the organization. I was chief cook and bottle washer. I did the financials, I did the marketing, the advertising, and I managed the breeder contacts. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was managing the growth that was coming on so fast and furious in the early days. We were changing the scope and the direction of how growers were operating.”

What others are saying:

“John has always looked out for the entire industry, and that altruism is really inspiring. He has always been open and transparent and shared as much as he could without giving away trade secrets. And it’s that openness that allows the industry to continue to improve.” — Kevin Hurd, Proven Winners

Stay tuned for a full profile of John!

Meet the rest of the HILA Class of 2025:

Bill Dewar, Dewar Nurseries

Belal El-Hassan, Hendriks Greenhouses

Heather Gronek, Plant Development Services, Inc.

Tom Knezick, Pinelands Nursery

Gary Neels, Qualitree

Susie Raker, Raker-Roberta’s Young Plants

From the Sponsor: A legacy of growth

From the Sponsor: Partners in every season