ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — The San Juan Capistrano (SJC) and Irvine locations of Miramar Wholesale Nurseries (MWN) appointed new managers this month. Donna Johnson assumed control of the SJC facility and Sam Banuelos took over at Irvine.

This is a lateral transition for Johnson who joined MWN last year as the Irvine site manager. She brings 14 years of nursery experience to the job. Aside from managing a nursery in the Inland Empire area, she also worked as a sales representative in Las Vegas, Nevada, and South and Central California selling a wide range of items including shrubs, trees, pottery, color, and sub-tropicals.

“It’s been wonderful this last year,” Johnson said. “I really enjoy working with people who know and love plants — both customers and associates. I’m looking forward to working with the new group in San Juan.”

Banuelos began working for MWN in May 1999 as a sales associate at the Irvine location. His years of experience in the nursery industry made him a natural choice for heading the site when Johnson moved to SJC. He studied horticulture at Cal Poly Pomona, and for 20 years managed his family’s nursery in Cucamonga. He began working the family business when he was 10 years old.

The Irvine facility is relocating its product sales area. Once the move is complete in March, Banuelos will set up a new commercial landscape center on site. He said he looks forward to the challenge of creating structure and motivation for his staff, and working with customers to fulfill their needs.

Miramar Wholesale Nurseries is Southern California’s leading supplier of landscape plant material and supplies. The nursery grows a wide-variety of perennials, shrubs, and trees at each of their three locations in San Diego, Irvine and San Juan Capistrano, to serve commercial properties, institutions, property managers, and commercial landscapers. In an acquisition in early 1999, MWN became a member of the San Diego region of TruGreen LandCare, a ServiceMaster company.

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