Advisory Board

We are pleased to introduce you to the 2024 Garden Center Conference & Expo Advisory Board.

Devon Klingman
Co-owner
Rocklegde Gardens

Devon Klingman is one of the new co-owners of the 5-acre retail garden center Rockledge Gardens in Rockledge, Florida.

Devon has a degree in Marine Transportation from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point. She had an ocean-going career on commercial cargo vessels that allowed her to travel around the world as a third and second officer in charge of safety and navigation. Devon still serves annually as a Navy reserve officer.

In an effort to anchor her life to a community and career that would offer longevity, stability and direct influence over future success, Devon and Rockledge Gardens co-owner Brendan Hayes-Morrison purchased Rockledge Gardens with their savings and investments in June 2022. As partners in life and in work, and with experience in leading crews of 20 or more people on journeys across the sea, they have accepted the challenge of leading Rockledge Gardens into a future of continued success and innovation.

Ken Lain
Owner
Watters Garden Center

Friends know him as "The Mountain Gardener." Ken is passionate about plants, creating beautiful landscapes and spreading the good news that gardening is fun. After earning a management degree from ASU's W.P. Carey School of Business, he and his wife Lisa Watters-Lain dreamed of owning her family's garden center. Twenty years later, their radio show, The Mountain Gardener, airs throughout Arizona, with even more listeners tuning in to their weekly podcast. Ken also reaches gardeners through his bi-weekly garden column that runs throughout Arizona. Teaching homeowners how to garden through live-streams, YouTube events and social media is a passion that brings him daily joy.

Valerie Nalls
General manager
Nalls Produce & Garden Center

Valerie Nalls is the general manager of Nalls Produce & Garden Center, a family-run garden center and fresh produce market of over 60 years in the metro DC area. She also is a retail coach, working with WhizBang! Retail Training as a garden center specialist. She loves all things marketing and management and has helped numerous garden centers navigate the ever-changing marketing world. She loves the green industry and truly believes that a rising tide lifts all boats!

Judy Sharpton
Owner
Growing Places Marketing

Judy Sharpton is the owner of Growing Places Marketing. Since 1994, Growing Places has provided store development services exclusively for independent garden centers and farm markets, with a focus on site development, category development, staff development and branding.

Judy has written articles for a number of industry publications and has provided program content to trade groups and individual vendors, including Ball Horticulture and Proven Winners, through Growing Places’ Store School®. She publishes a free monthly newsletter to the garden center industry titled Success Stories that includes retail insights from outside the garden center segment and case studies of real garden center successes.

Judy is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a BA in English and Georgia teacher certification from Georgia State University. She is a LEED Green Associate, Master Gardener, member of Georgia Audubon Society and 100 Miles and the Great Smoky Mountain Association.

Judy tends a personal retreat garden at the edge of 85 acres of salt marsh near Savannah, GA (USDA hardiness zone 8B).

She enjoys gardening, cooking, painting, hiking, fishing and birding with her husband Buddy and their dog Wiley.

Rob Sproule
Co-owner
Salisbury

Rob Sproule is co-owner and marketing director of Salisbury, a multi-year Top 100 Independent Garden Center based in Alberta, Canada. He's a speaker, marketing consultant and author of four gardening books and hundreds of articles. His core job is to be constantly learning, both for his garden center and his agency, DIG Marketing. He lives in Edmonton with his wife and two young children.