Growscape appoints chief manufacturing officer, Brian Cunningham

Growscape, a garden and decor company for growers, retailers, and distributors, announced the creation of a a chief manufacturing officer role and the elevation of Brian Cunningham to the position.

The move is part of a sharpened focus on operational efficiency, quality and cost management, with the company leveraging its North American-owned and operated manufacturing facilities while continuing to expand the flexibility and breadth provided by its global network of contract manufacturing partners.

Growscape was announced in 2025 as a new company combining The HC Companies and Classic Home & Garden. It serves greenhouse, nursery, retail and consumer markets and has headquarters in Ohio and Connecticut.

The newly established role oversees the entire spectrum of manufacturing operations, including strategy, quality, enablement of new product development, cost management and the development of the next generation of manufacturing leaders.

Cunningham brings more than 23 years of progressive experience in manufacturing and quality management, most recently as Growscape’s vice president of manufacturing. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from St. Bonaventure University and a master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Buffalo.

“We are thrilled to unleash one of our top talents to lead this critical strategic initiative that will unlock value for our customers,” said Ed Cooper, CEO of Growscape. “We are relentless about delivering excellence — innovative new products with the highest quality available at a value proposition that can’t be beat. Brian is the right leader to direct our manufacturing efforts.”

Central to the effort is a renewed focus on meeting customer needs and delivering the right product at the right price, with optimized lead times and guaranteed on-time complete fulfillment.

The executive leadership team is elevating operational performance by addressing the root causes of any business challenges and strengthening execution across the organization. Growscape has also invested in enhanced consumer insights and implemented a new product development process.

This approach supports a focused, curated product assortment, providing customers with the right solutions while ensuring its manufacturing operations run at maximum efficiency.

The company is leveraging its recently opened 750,000-square-foot warehouse storage facility in Middlefield, Ohio, supported by a revamped sales, inventory and operations planning process to optimize inventory flow and order fulfillment for key “A items,” ensuring availability for customers heading into next season.

“Opening the new facility highlighted opportunities to improve our ordering process, minimum order quantities, lead times, inventory strategies and safety stock levels,” added Gavin Collier, COO of Growscape. “We’re collaborating with our customer partners to implement solutions that improve service levels while driving efficiency for both sides of the business.”