The Scotts Miracle-Gro Co., Marysville, Ohio, on Jan. 11 announced a series of organizational changes in the areas of finance, supply chain and corporate affairs which it said are designed to fully leverage future growth opportunities and drive long-term shareholder value.
As part of the realignment, the company announced that Randy Coleman has departed as Executive Vice President and CFO and that Cory Miller, previously Vice President of Finance for Scotts’ Hawthorne Gardening Co., has been promoted to Senior Vice President and named as interim CFO. The company will commence a formal search process to fill the role on a permanent basis, which will include a review of both internal and external candidates.
Dave Evans, the CFO of ScottsMiracle-Gro from 2006-2013, and now a member of the Board of Directors, will serve as a senior advisor to the executive leadership and finance team during the transition to a permanent CFO.
Scotts Chairman and CEO Jim Hagedorn stressed that the realignment and Coleman’s departure were not related to any concerns about past or future business performance or the integrity of the company’s financial controls. Rather, internal planning for most of the changes announced Jan. 11 have been underway for months as part of ongoing strategic planning, talent management, and succession planning discussions.
“Clearly our business has been performing well, and that trend has continued into 2021 as we exceeded our expectations for the first quarter,” said Hagedorn. “This realignment is focused on fully exploiting the longer-term opportunities that lie ahead and leveraging the deep well of talent that exists within ScottsMiracle-Gro.”
“My departure from ScottsMiracle-Gro is on friendly terms,” said Coleman. “I am proud of the body of work I leave behind, confident in the depth and strength of the finance team, and am aligned with the strategy that I helped shape and that my former colleagues continue to pursue. Mostly, I am forever grateful for the opportunities and relationships that have helped shape my career and life.”
In a broader realignment of the finance organization, Kelly Berry, formerly Corporate Treasurer, has been promoted to lead all of finance for the U.S. Consumer business segment. Lonny Essex, a former corporate banker and long-tenured associate and consultant, has been named to succeed Ms. Berry as Treasurer, a role he has held in the past. Mark Scheiwer will transition from his role as Controller to lead the Hawthorne finance team. Brad Chelton, the former head of internal audit who currently leads marketing finance, will transition into the Controller’s role. Chelton joined Scotts in 2007 after a nine-year career in public accounting.
Mark Sims has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Special Operations, which includes strategic planning and internal consulting as well as mergers and acquisitions. He will report directly to Jim Hagedorn.
Separately, Dave Swihart, Senior Vice President of Research and Development, has taken on the expanded role of leading global technology and operations and will continue to report to Mike Lukemire, President and Chief Operating Officer. This expanded role includes oversight of the entire global supply chain function. Scott Hendrick will lead all manufacturing and distribution operations, and Mark Slavens, PhD., will assume a broader leadership role in R&D. Both will report to Swihart.
Brian Herrington has been promoted to Vice President of External Affairs at Hawthorne and will oversee all state and federal government relations activities for that business. He will report to Chris Hagedorn, General Manager of Hawthorne, and Jim King, Executive Vice President for Corporate Affairs. The company also will create a lead public affairs role based in Washington, D.C., reporting to King.