Meet 2025 HILA winner Tom Knezick

Photo © Addison Geary

Read the full profile on Tom here.

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

Tom on why he’s proud to supply plants for environmental restoration projects:

“I constantly paraphrase Aldo Leopold’s quote: ‘Being an ecologist is like living in a world of wounds.’ You’re constantly seeing the issues we’ve caused, and we’re trying to say, ‘It’s not too late. We can fix this if you put forth the effort.’”

Tom on his parents, Don and Suzanne:

“They put so much blood, sweat and tears into starting a new business. And even if you give it everything, so many of them fail just because the market is not ready for it. They were just so persistent, and there was enough of a market that they were able to form a foothold.”

What others are saying:

“Tom is a tremendous leader for the New Jersey state association, numerous conservation/native plant associations and a graduate of the EAGL program from Texas A&M and Dr. Charlie Hall. He also hosts Native Plants, Healthy Planet, a podcast that is consistently one of the top science and environment podcasts nationwide.” — Jake Pierson, Pierson Nurseries (2021 HILA winner)

Meet the rest of the HILA Class of 2025:

Bill Dewar, Dewar Nurseries

Belal El-Hassan, Hendriks Greenhouses

Heather Gronek, Plant Development Services, Inc.

Gary Neels, Qualitree

Susie Raker, Raker-Roberta’s Young Plants

John Gaydos, Proven Winners, Lifetime Achievement Award

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