Meet 2025 HILA winner Gary Neels

Photo © Erich Saide

Read the full profile on Gary here.

Watch a video of the GIE Media Horticulture Group recognizing Gary during Cultivate'25 here.

Gary on leadership:

“I realized, leadership’s not about me leading. It’s about developing the people around you to lead. That frees you up. The answer is getting out of people’s way, and that’s been a struggle. At first, I wanted to tell people how to do it. I needed to learn to ask people, first of all, what they thought needed to be done and then set those targets and say, ‘OK, here you go, you’ve got it,’ and experience the interesting response on the other side: ‘What do you mean? I can’t do this.’ But yes, they can take leadership. So, I’m just constantly telling people, ‘If you need support, I’m here, but I’m not going to tell you how to do anything.’ And then letting them go make mistakes like I did over all the years and learn from those things. That’s my philosophy now.”

What others are saying:

“Over the years, leadership is thrust upon you, and you have to sink or swim. You either get good at it or you fail, and failure’s not an option. So, you just exercise self-discipline, and you hone your skills. And Gary has done that. It hasn’t always come naturally to him, but he’s worked hard. It’s easy to delegate tasks, but you’ve got to delegate responsibility, and that skill is not an easy one to learn. But I think Gary’s worked hard at that.” — Tony Van Oort, Qualitree and Aster Software

“Despite the challenges that come with change, he has always maintained his fire for growing and continuously improving. I’ve never met another human who can maintain a firm stance while also offering the highest respect to his peers. Additionally, in the face of a heartbreaking loss recently for him as a father, he has continued his leadership efforts while demonstrating that vulnerability is not only OK, but a strength worth sharing.” — Stephanie Saccomano, Qualitree

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

Susie Raker, Raker-Roberta’s Young Plants

John Gaydos, Proven Winners, Lifetime Achievement Award

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