Meet Our Board Members and Advisors
Nicholas Tropeano President Nicholas Tropeano is a Landscape Architect in North Carolina, New Jersey and Pennsylvania with over 20 years of experience in residential and commercial landscape design, construction and maintenance. He brings a wealth of design, construction and horticulture knowledge to every project he engages. |
Ben Rippy vice president 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. |
Sandy Cochran Executive Director 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. |
Tom Frizzi Tom Frizzi has been in the turf industry for seventeen years. He has spent the last ten years as the owner and operator of Top Turf of Charlotte. Tom lives in Davidson with his wife of ten years and three wonderful children. |
Todd Smartt 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. |
Our Extension Office Representatives
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Steven Capobianco Extension Agent - Mecklenburg county |
Debbie Dillion Extension Agent - union County Debbie Dillion is the Agriculture & Natural Resources Horticulture Extension Agent serving 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 nursery and landscape industry. |