About CGIN

Steven Capobianco - Extension Agent

4/15/2022

Steven Capobianco is the Agriculture/Horticulture Extension Agent serving the Cooperative Extension in Mecklenburg County. He received his BSA in Agricultural Education from North Carolina State University.

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Debbie Dillion - Extension Agent

4/15/2022

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Debbie Dillion is the Agriculture & Natural Resources Horticulture Extension Agent serving the Cooperative Extension in Union County. She received a BSA in Landscape Design & Urban Horticulture from the University of Arkansas and a MS Horticulture Science from Virginia Tech. Debbie worked in Extension for over 22 years in Virginia and in Union County since September 2015, providing educational programs for consumers, Extension Master Gardener Volunteers, commercial horticulture producers, pesticide applicators, and the nurse.

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Jeff Keziah - Board Member

4/15/2022

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Jeff is a Charlotte Native. Been in the heavy equipment and turf industry for 25 years. He is currently a branch manager at STI.

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Chris Felt - Board Member

4/15/2022

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Chris Felt started his career in turf back in 2000 and has been on the distribution side since 2007, when he began working for LESCO. Now with Howard Fertilizer and Chemical since 2016, Chris works with professional turf management companies building out their turf programs, while providing guidance and solutions for each individuals business needs.

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Eric Schmidhausler - Board Member

4/15/2022

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Eric is an ISA certified arborist with Bartlett Tree Experts and has been in the Charlotte green industry for 25 years. His current role is a commercial arborist for the Charlotte area and his experiences in the green industry include all facets of tree care, landscape installation and design, commercial and residential maintenance and has his NC Landscape Contractor’s license. A graduate of the University of Maryland’s Landscape Design and Construction department with a minor in horticulture in 1993, Eric has dedicated his professional career to this industry and enjoys helping companies become more educated.

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Ben Rippy - Board Member

4/15/2022

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Ben Rippy is a native to the Charlotte area and established Carolina Greenscapes in 2010 evolving from a small family lawn care service. He has always been passionate about the industry, with a business model that strives to offer affordable yet superior maintenance and construction services for residential and commercial landscapes. Special interests include drainage, landscape construction and project management.

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Sandy Cochran - Executive Director

4/15/2022

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Sandy Cochran has been the Executive Director of Carolina Grounds Management Association since 1994 and Carolina Green Industry Network since its conception. Working with the association, Sandy is in charge of the membership records, newsletters, mail-outs, annual Trade Show/Pesticide Seminar, communication, and numerous other responsibilities. Sandy has enjoyed getting to know a wide variety of green industry personnel over the years.

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Todd Smartt - Vice President

4/15/2022

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Todd began his career in the landscape industry in 2008 after working as a project manager for a local homebuilder. He has been a client relations manager at Terra Green from the beginning. As a client relations manager he works closely with a variety of clients including residential, commercial and HOA accounts on landscape maintenance and property improvement projects. Todd joined the CGIN board 2 years ago of helping promote professionalism and education in the Green industry. He enjoys the challenge of working alongside clients to constantly improve their landscape elements.

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Art Keeter - President

4/15/2022

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Art Keeter began his career in the green industry in 2005, when he returned to Union County after 26 years of government service. As the owner of KC’s Lawn Service, his mission is to provide customized lawn treatment and seeding services to folks in Union and Mecklenburg Counties who care about keeping their lawns healthy and beautiful. Art joined the board in 2019 with a desire to help foster camaraderie and the sharing of knowledge among members of the industry. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree and an MBA, and lives in Wingate, NC with his wife Susan.

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Steven Capobianco - Extension Agent

Debbie Dillion - Extension Agent

Jeff Keziah - Board Member

Chris Felt - Board Member

Eric Schmidhausler - Board Member

Ben Rippy - Board Member

Sandy Cochran - Executive Director

Todd Smartt - Vice President

Art Keeter - President

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The Carolina Green Industry Network's mission is to provide green industry education, leadership and resources that promotes environmental responsibility, professionalism, and public awareness

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