Syn-RG hires new executive director

Raleigh, North Carolina - The collaborative initiative behind the Handpicked for You trustmark program, Syn-RG has contracted with Woody Bibens & Associates, Inc. to provide executive director and management services.  Emily Bibens Chung, vice president of Woody Bibens & Associates, Inc., will serve as Syn-RG’s first executive director.

“I’m excited to work with Syn-RG as they launch the Handpicked for You trustmark program,” says Bibens Chung. “The plant selection that is available to consumers can be overwhelming, particularly for new and younger gardeners.  Knowing that the plants in the Handpicked for You program are backed by multi-year trials conducted by growers and independent garden centers will provide the reassurance and proven track record new gardeners need to be excited and confident about their plant purchases.”

Tom Demaline, a founding member of Syn-RG and President of Willoway Nurseries is pleased to have Bibens Chung involved with Syn-RG.

“The past two years have been an exciting period as we talked with plant introducers, growers and Independent Garden Centers about the Handpicked for You trustmark concept. We are pleased with the interest and support Syn-RG and Handpicked for You have received from the industry and are excited to report that the initial batch of plant introductions are in the first year of trials. Having Emily join us as executive director is one more key step in sending the first plants to market bearing the Handpicked for You trustmark.”

Emily Bibens Chung has worked with Woody Bibens & Associates, Inc. since 2009 where she serves also as the education and marketing manager for the Western Nursery & Landscape Association. Previously, she has served as the chapter administrator of MGMA of Greater St. Louis and the executive secretary of the Hort Co-op of Metro St. Louis. Bibens Chung has a MPhil Management degree from the University of Cambridge and is a Certified Association Executive.

The Syn-RG mission is to bring together plant introducers, independent growers and independent garden centers, in a coordinated manner to better evaluate new plant varieties. The ultimate focus will be a certification program that provides consumers with the assurance of success they value when buying plants. Much like the Good Housekeeping seal of approval, research shows that the Handpicked for You certification will resonate dramatically with consumers by bringing their decision down to the personal level of interaction they have with their local garden center.  Syn-RG is led by five founding members – Prides Corner Farm, Overdevest Nurseries, Willoway Nurseries, Saunders Brothers Nursery and Sheridan Nurseries.

Watch for more about Syn-RG and Handpicked for You in the September issue of Nursery Management.