FLEMING'S NURSERIES - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Business Manager
• Business Manager Fleming 's Landscapes

Following opportunities within the Victorian cricket system, Ash Brown attended RMIT and later Melbourne University achieving High Distinctions in Executive Leadership which lead him to almost a decade working with the Essendon Football Club in Player Development and Operations. One of his proudest achievements with the club was leading the introduction of the EFC Women's Program of which he also oversaw the operations and recruitment of staff and players. He moved to the Carlton Football Club where he was General Manager of Women's Football, VFL and acted as the Club Compliance Officer before seeking out commercial opportunities outside of the football industry. Ash joined Fleming's in the role of Business Manager two years ago and has quickly developed his skills to understand our complex business of designing, building and maintaining landscaped environments.

Job Titles:

• Queensland General Manager

Jess is Wes' eldest child and has grown up living the Fleming family tradition of horticulture. As a teenager Jess spent many a school holiday pulling weeds and working on weekends at the flower shows or watching her dad give a talk on bare root pruning - the foundation of an unexpected career following in the family footsteps. Jess completed an Advanced Diploma in Public Relations and then a Cert III in Tourism. However, working in the travel industry found Jess itchy to get back to her roots and was soon rolling up her sleeves working at Fleming's Nurseries (Monbulk). There are no easy roads to the top with the Fleming family and all members are required to work their way to their goal position. Jess commenced working in the container nursery and despatch and worked her way up to manage the despatch operation before taking on a sales administration role. When Fleming's acquired the Birdwood business in 2015, Jess was keen to take on the opportunity to progress in her role but also undertake the challenge of restructuring and developing the Birdwood business under the Fleming's management structure in Queensland. Jess has moved to the Sunshine Coast and has works closely with Liz Darmody and Wes Fleming who have supported her growth into the nursery management position she now occupies with a great deal of professional pride.

Job Titles:

• Research & Innovation Manager

Leanne's current role brings together her Science and Horticulture qualifications as well as her 25 plus years experience of the nursery industry with Fleming's. In her time at Fleming's Leanne has been an integral support for many of the key projects that Fleming's have been involved in, including the Chelsea Flower, Fleming's Student Design Competition and KinderGarden™. Leanne has worked in many sections of the Fleming's business, including spending time looking after the supply, installation and maintenance of street trees. Through this period Leanne worked closely with Development Project Managers, councils and the landscape team looking after the trees and now has good practical first-hand knowledge of the steps needed to deliver successful outcomes. Leanne has and continues to represent the industry in a range of capacities on topics including in the development of AS2303: Tree stock for landscape use, Plant Breeders Rights and Quarantine. Major projects that Leanne is working on at present include; trialling new trees for suitability for introduction into the industry and reviewing current production practices with a view to streamlining production and broadening product availability.

Job Titles:

• Marketing Director
• Marketing Director Fleming 's Group / BM Flow Design Studio

Following a passion for literature from youth, Paige studied and completed a Degree in Professional Writing with a double major in Literature from Deakin University in 1997. Following her degree Paige completed a cadetship in Journalism before broadening her horizons in the United Kingdom and France where she worked in the Public Relations Office for the UK DETR Highways Agency. Returning to Australia Paige eventually developed a Media and Public Relations consultancy that specialised in the field of property development. In 2004 Paige launched her own agency - PLPR Media in which she worked with many of Australia's leading property developers, development industry bodies, government and private companies. Growing up in the rich fruit bowl of Victoria, the Goulburn Valley, and the daughter of multi-generational fruit growers a natural synergy with agriculture and communications was perhaps inevitable and in 2010 Paige joined her husband Wes Fleming in the Fleming's Nurseries family business. Today Paige oversees all of Fleming's Group marketing/communications and human resources, and is the Business Manager for Flow Design Studio where she works closely with landscape designers, landscape architects, clients and Fleming's Landscapes, to deliver amazing outdoor environments Fleming's are proud to put their name to.

Job Titles:

• Production Nursery Manager

Toddy joined Fleming's as a fresh-faced youth straight from high school more than 40 years ago. At a time when working farms and nursery work was largely the domain of men - Peter thought a nursery worker role was just the ticket while he contemplated what he would do for the rest of his life and career! Luckily for Toddy he had already unwittingly found his passion and career the moment he cut his first bud. That day something sparked in the man who would go on to be Wes Fleming's right hand man and one of Australia's finest tree production nurseryman. Peter Todd has lent his name to many new cultivars from the nursery but the most famous and biggest selling is the Ulmus parvifolia ‘Todd'. Peter found this special specimen in the nursery and earmarked it for trials recognising instantly its superior parvifolia form. The industry has clearly agreed with this magnificent Japanese Elm being one of Australia's most hardy, trustworthy and recognisable Elm forms in Australian streetscapes today. Today Toddy is busy reworking our container nursery and building a stronger part of this production nursery. Naturally a quiet achiever, Peter Todd continues in a hands-on role managing the production nurseries at Monbulk and takes great pride in developing people, the product and the reputation for Australia's best trees. In 2019 Todd celebrated 40 years of service - the first of any Fleming employee (outside of the family) to reach this incredible milestone. However that certainly doesn't seemed to have been a milestone to hang his hat on as Toddy says he has no immediate plans to retire yet.

Job Titles:

• Director
• Managing Director

Wes Fleming is a third-generation nurseryman. More importantly however is Wes' drive, passion and vision for a future where our urban environment is our societies Number 1 priority. Wes is passionate about the value of trees, especially in context of the Urban Environment. Wes has taken his profile as a tree expert as an opportunity to speak broadly on this topic for many years. Wes has spoken to many industry groups, at seminars, councils, education platforms and many others highlighting the importance of trees in our urban environment and getting the balance right. Under Wes' guidance Fleming's has also been behind many initiatives just some of these include: