Keynote announced for Northeast Greenhouse Conference and Expo 2016

The horticulture industry and its customers are constantly changing. Understanding each generation's similarities and differences allows businesses to be active participants in customers' decisions about purchasing plants. During her keynote address at the Northeast Greenhouse Conference and Expo, at the Boxborough, Mass., Holiday Inn, Nov. 9 from 4 to 5 p.m., Kate Santos will share what Dümmen Orange is doing to understand who are those industry customers, how those customers’ impact company activities, and what the company is doing to help connect people with flowers.

Santos earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Plant Biology from the University of New Hampshire. Following undergraduate school she worked as a grower for Cavicchio's greenhouse operation (Sudbury, Mass.), where she was responsible for growing a variety of container grown annuals and perennials. Santos returned to graduate school and worked with Dr. Paul Fisher at the University of Florida, where she focused on quantification of nutrient uptake during propagation of unrooted cuttings. After earning her Ph.D., she joined Costa Farms (Miami, Fla.) as the Director of Research and Development where she oversaw the trial garden and research teams at each of their facilities. Santos currently works for Dümmen Orange as the Operations Director, North America, where she has the opportunity to devise strategies to develop and bring new products to market.

The Northeast Greenhouse Conference and Expo is sponsored by the Extension programs of the six New England State Universities and New York State, and the New England Floriculture, Inc.

Editor's Note: The original version of this article misidentified Kate Santos' title in the sub headline of the story. It is operations director, North America, which was accurately stated in the article.