Moana Nursery announces changes in leadership, new president and CEO

Reno, Nev. – Moana Nursery has announced the promotion of Scott Gescheider (above, right) to president and CEO. In this new role, Gescheider will oversee the entire Moana Nursery organization, including nursery growing operations in Canby, Oregon, three retail garden centers in northern Nevada and landscape services operating in Nevada and California. Gescheider has been part of family-owned Moana Nursery since 2005. Moana Nursery is No. 27 on Garden Center magazine's 2016 Top 100 list.

Gescheider is Moana Nursery owners' Bruce and Christie Gescheider's son. Bruce has passed on the president/CEO title and responsibilities to Scott; however, Bruce will continue to work as an adviser and will continue to manage customer service. Bruce and Christie will also continue handling all of Moana Nursery's marketing until a new marketing person is added to the team.

RELATED: Making it work in the high desert: Reno, Nevada has little rainfall, no humidity, high winds and poor soil, but Moana Nursery is up to the challenge. 

Gescheider previously led the company’s landscape division for 12 years. He is excited to lead the company in making gardening and landscaping in the high desert achievable and enjoyable for the community.

“I am humbled to lead such an exceptional team of plant people at Moana Nursery,” Gescheider says. “Over the past 12 years that I have been part of Moana Nursery’s management team I have been constantly impressed with the dedication of our teammates to help our customers achieve their gardening and landscaping needs. I am truly looking forward to leading our efforts as a team to further enhance our customer experience and the landscape services that we offer.” 

A former United States Naval Supply Officer and third generation Navy veteran, Gescheider was responsible for the logistics of fast attack submarines. He has a degree in Hotel Restaurant Management from Cornell University and credits his experience in the “Silent Service” to his belief that great teams with great teammates can accomplish the impossible. 

He chose a new career path in 2005 and dedicated his life to photosynthesis, improving the world through horticulture and growing the family business. The housing collapse, followed by the Great Recession in northern Nevada derailed the plans for growth, provided a lifetime’s worth of lessons, and strangely, caused him to develop a vitriolic reaction to depreciating assets.  

As a graduate of University of Nevada’s MBA program, member of the Renown Community Advisory Board, passionate youth soccer coach and former Chairman of the Northern Nevada Better Business Bureau, he is vested in the health of the local economy and community overall.  

Moana Nursery Announces the Promotion of Matt Pulliam to General Manager of Retail Services

Moana Nursery has also announced the promotion of Matt Pulliam (above, left) to the position of general manager of retail services. In this position, Pulliam will oversee all retail services for the company, including its three retail garden centers in northern Nevada. A lifelong plant enthusiast, Pulliam has worked in the nursery and landscape industry for almost 30 years and has been part of the Moana Nursery organization since 2005.

“We are very excited to have Matt leading our retail services,” Scott Gescheider, president and CEO of Moana Nursery, says. “He has been an integral member of the Moana Nursery team for more than a decade. He has a deep knowledge of horticulture and a true love and enthusiasm for the nursery and landscape industry.”

Pulliam’s first role with Moana Nursery was in the contractor services department, and over the past 12 years, he has held various positions within the company including green goods manager, services coordinator and store manager. Prior to joining Moana Nursery, he was a project coordinator at Jerry Mitchell, Inc. for 10 years where he helped create and install custom residential landscapes. He also managed Springtime Gardens, a retail nursery located in Reno. In addition, he previously served as a farm manager for a wholesale grower of ornamental plants where he oversaw the production planning, propagation, maintenance, sales and shipping of plants for the northern California market.

Pulliam is a graduate of California State University, East Bay with a Bachelor of Arts in History. In his free time, Pulliam enjoys playing softball and is an avid runner. He also enjoys giving friendly landscaping advice to his neighbors and diagnosing tree aliments.

Photos courtesy of Moana Nursery.