Philips Lighting has added John Burns as a key account manager for western U.S. for the horticulture LED lighting segment. In his new role, Burns will focus on the floriculture and ornamental markets, and on food crops of lettuce, herbs, and strawberries, as well as other specialty crops.
Raised in a family of florists, Burns has been in the horticulture industry his entire life. Burns completed his Bachelors of Science degree in horticulture with a concentration in floriculture at Colorado State University and has worked for large growers including Tagawa Greenhouses and Van Wingerden Greenhouses. Most recently, Burns held the position of Technical Sales Representative with Syngenta Flowers in which he supported the company’s sales and marketing efforts to top growers.
“We are fortunate to have someone with John’s knowledge join our team. Because of his hands-on experience, John can relate to the challenges greenhouse growers face day in and day out, and can readily identify and articulate opportunities for growers to use our LED technology to help maximize production,” said Ron DeKok, Business Development Director for the horticulture LED segment at Philips Lighting.
“As awareness of the value of LED technology increases, it is critical that growers have complete end-to-end support when making the transition to this new technology to ensure a positive LED experience,” added DeKok. “John will collaborate internally with our Plant Specialist and Application Engineer teams, and externally with a certified Philips Lighting horticulture partner to deliver customized LED light solutions for growers in the western U.S.”
Philips Lighting has provided lighting products, systems and services for more than 100 years, has been at the forefront of innovative LEDtechnology for a wide range of consumer and commercial applications. As part of the company’s leadership in horticulture LED lighting, Philips Lighting continues to significantly invest in LED research and collaborate externally with higher education facilities and research institutes. The emphasis on research as well as ongoing expansion of the Horticulture team demonstrates Philips Lighting’s commitment to leading the horticulture industry as the innovative LED solutions partner.
For more information on Philips Lighting LED products, visit http://www.philips.com/horti.