Personnel Moves in Maryland

We are pleased to announce three personnel moves in the Maryland region of our landscape management division.

John Harich has been promoted to director of business development, a newly created position for the division. Harich, who is currently branch manager of the Laytonsville landscape management branch, will be transitioning out of his role over the next month. Harich began his career with Ruppert in 2003 as a field manager in the Laytonsville branch. In 2005 he was promoted to business development manager and was responsible for multiple million-dollar sale seasons and propelled the early growth of the Maryland region from 2005-2007. In 2008, he was promoted to branch manager in the newly created Frederick branch, with a satellite operation in Baltimore. In 2010, the Baltimore branch officially opened and Harich led that team for two years. Between 2012 and 2019, he managed two other branches that required additional focus and support and was responsible for significantly increasing profits in each of them.

“It is obvious by the amount of times John was asked to move from branch to branch that he is truly an asset and a team player,” said Doug Halsey, region vice president. “We are happy to be able to present him with a new challenge and opportunity to use his skills to help us grow our business.”

In his new role, Harich will focus on all aspects of sales including sales training, estimating, customer relationship management, and more.

David Roles, current branch manager in the company’s Frederick landscape management branch, will be transferring to the Laytonsville branch to fill Harich’s position. Roles holds a degree in landscape management from the University of Maryland’s Institute of Applied Agriculture and is a Landscape Industry Certified Technician (CLT) and Maryland Licensed Pesticide Applicator. He has over 20 years of industry experience, having held positions including account manager, operations manager, supervisor, and branch manager for other leading landscaping companies. As branch manager in Ruppert’s Frederick landscape management branch since 2017, he has been the backbone of the company’s success in that market and played an integral role in the acquisition of Classic Landscaping in 2018.

“In his earlier career, Dave spent time as an account manager for another landscape company in Montgomery County and is very familiar with the Laytonsville market; he has some strong ties with the customer base in that territory,” said Halsey. “We are looking forward to him returning to his old stomping grounds and leading the veteran Laytonsville team.”

Melissa Dunk, currently associate branch manager in the Frederick branch, will be promoted to branch manager to fill Roles’ position. Dunk holds a degree in landscape contracting from SUNY Delhi and is a Maryland Licensed Pesticide Applicator, Certified Professional Horticulturist (CPH) and Certified Landscape Technician (CLT). She has been in the landscape industry for over 14 years, with experience as an account manager at other landscaping organizations before joining Ruppert in 2015 as an area manager. In 2017, she was recognized with the company’s Branch Impact Award for her dedication and contributions to the Frederick branch. She was promoted to associate branch manager in early 2019 and has been an asset in helping lead the team.

“Melissa has shown a knack for customer service, having been responsible for the care of some of our biggest clients in that branch, and has a keen eye for details,” said Halsey. “She was a clear choice to take over management of the Frederick team and we are confident she will continue to lead them in the right direction.”

As branch manager, she will be responsible for the overall welfare of the branch, including the safety and development of the team, strategic planning and budgeting, training, and day-to-day operations.