Greg Applegate joins the sales staff of SeaTree Nurseries, Inc. Applegate is a graduate of Cal Poly Pomona in landscape architecture and has over 20 years experience in the nursery business. He has also served as past chairman of the CLASS Fund, past CCLA exhibits chairman and past AILA director. Applegate will be involved in sales through contract growing and tagging of specimen trees in Orange County, Riverside and San Bernardino.

Valley Crest Tree Company has appointed Karl Vandervoort as sales representative for its Specimen Division. His responsibilities will include field sales with an emphasis on the relocation and construction aspects of the division. Vandervoort has studied ornamental horticulture at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and has been in the nursery industry for 13 years, eight of which have been spent at Valley Crest.

Tom Shannon has been appointed Southeast district manager for the Turf Division of Rain Bird Sales, Inc. Shannon’s responsibilities include providing sales support to Rain Bird distributors and contractors as well as serving as liaison between Rain Bird management and landscape architects, irrigation consultants and city and county officials. His territory covers Alabama, Arkansas, the Florida panhandle, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.

John France of Cal-Turf, Camarillo, has been named Associate Member of the Year for 1985 by the California Landscape Contractors Association. France, director of marketing for Cal-Turf, a major West Coast producer of turf grass, has been a CLCA member since 1976. He served on the Association’s Trophy Awards committee in 198182 and the Landscape Industry Show committee in 1982. During the past year he was chairman of CLCA’s Associate Member Organization, a statewide body of suppliers for the landscape industry. “CLCA has played a big role in my professional career,” said France after receiving the award at the association’s annual convention at Incline Village, Nevada.

John C. O’Rorke has joined Irrometer Company as sales representative for the Turf and Landscape market. Rorke, formerly a principal with Pacific Irrigation Supply, Inc. of Laguna Hills, California, has over 20 years experience in the irrigation industry.

Gregory Deegan has been appointed sales manager for Weathermatic. He will service Great Britain and the continent with the exception of Spain and Portugal. Deegan’s responsibilities will include distributor, specifier, contractor development and assistance.

Ken Mills has been appointed new director of sales and marketing for Rain Bird’s Turf Division. Mills’ new position makes him responsible for directing the division’s national sales force, product development programs and marketing activities. He joined Rain Bird in 1964 as a system designer in 1968 he was appointed district manager for the northeastern United States. He has held the position of golf irrigation specialist, eastern regional sales manager and turf product manager and in recent years he has been the director of sales and marketing for the company’s Agriculture Division. Edward Shoemaker was recently appointed vice president of Rain Bird’s newly formed Golf Division. Formerly, Shoemaker served as director of sales and marketing for the company’s turf division and has 28 years of service, with Rain Bird.