NNLA Presents Awards at Annual Meeting
Jason Kuehl received the Nebraska Certified Nurseryman Distinguished Professional Award. His nomination included the following – Jason Kuehl plays a vital role in the horticulture industry, not only in the Omaha Metro area, but across the Midwest states. Jason begam his passion for the industry at a young age but made it official upon completion of his degree in Agronomy with an emphasis in Crop Production at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln in 1992. One of his first hobs outside of college included serving as an Agriculture Inspection Specialist for the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. Jason then moved on to become a successful Field and Operations Manager at Mulhall’s Nursery. With over seventeen years in operations management and administration, Jason has a proven track record of leading successful tams in nursery production. According to Dan Mulhall, since joining the Mulhall’s team in 1996, Jason had been pivotal to the success of the tree operation. “His work as our tree grower and buyer guided us through demanding times.” Ann Wickenhauser, current landscape designer with Mulhall’s and colleague of Jason’s for several years said, “I have always call Jason ‘The Tree God’. His (tree) knowledge is second to none. He has grown, bought, and sold trees and has experience that few will ever possess. His true gifts, however, are his people skills – he makes you feel like family the instant you meet him. He answers even the most mundane questions with sincerity. You will never find a kinder, truer friend – I’m so glad to consider him one of mine!” After his seventeen-year run with Mulhall’s, Jason took a position in October of 2013 with Schwope Bros. Tree Farm and PlantRight, LLC in Horticulture Sales and Consulting where he now sells trees across Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota territories. Among countless scholarships and written accolades, Jason is a Nebraska Certified Nursery and Landscape Professional and has served on the Nebraska Nursery and Landscape Association Board of Directors since 2017, currently serving as President. Jason and his wife, Lisa, have three beautiful children: Bryson, Joel and Johnna. Sean Mulhall received the Nebraska Certified Nurseryman Hall of Fame Award. His nomination included the following – Sean Mulhall has been an industry icon for years, working under his father and found of Mulhall’s, John Mulhall, and brother, Dan, to build one of the largest well-recognized and widely respected nurseries in the Midwest.
Returning to the family business in the spring of 1983 with a degree in math from the University of Notre Dame and four years’ experience at General Electric in Cincinnati, Sean knew the path forward for his parent’s business couldn’t be the same as that they had arrived on. The business was built of passion but needed organization. And Sean quickly committed himself to looking to others in the industry for guidance and inspiration. Among his first contact were the Campbell brothers in Lincoln. It was Dick Campbell (President of NNLA in 1979 and President of ANLA in 1991) who introduced Seam to the value and opportunities provided by industry associations. And once introduced, Sean took to it quickly. Sean often says, “I have had very few new ideas, but I’ve been pretty good at implementing idea others have shared with me.” A regular participant in both local and national conferences and tours in the 80’s and early 90’s, Sean appreciated the positive influence of talking and sharing with fellow retailers, growers, and landscapers. He recognized not only the value it would have for him, but for his team. Under Sean’s leadership, Mulhall’s invested tens of thousands of dollars in supporting the programming of both local and national industry associations, believing that growing the conversation stands to benefit all involved. A Nebraska Certified Nurseryman himself for decades, Sean has encouraged so many of the current and former team members of Mulhall’s to do the work and take the time to become certified, recognizing the value that this level of commitment demonstrated. And once Sean felt Mulhall’s customer experience, operations, and even a few ideas that other in our industry could benefit from, he opened our store and landscape facility to local, statewide, and national tours. Grounded in his deep appreciation of and respect for the men and women that actually make landscaping happen, Sean taught himself and continue to study Spanish -finding fulfillment, not only in the work itself, but getting to know the people performing it.
While Sean’s knowledge of plant material has all been learning on the job, his passion for plants and what they do for our environment is just in his nature. His ability to envision what a thoughtfully designed landscape can do to transform a site has no boundaries – as sometimes is the case when his landscapes push onto adjoining properties…
With the above comments, leadership, and support of the landscape industry, Sean exemplifies the characteristics of a Nebraska Certified Nurseryman.