Press Releases

THE SCOTTS® COMPANY NORTH AMERICA PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS GROUP WELCOMES JESÚS VALENCIA

MARYSVILLE, OHIO (April 28, 2008) – The Scotts® Company North America Professional Business Group is pleased to announce the addition of Jesús Valencia as a specialty agricultural sales agronomist.

Based in Camarillo, Calif., Valencia will help develop new product formulations for specialty agriculture, including strawberries, avocadoes and citrus fruits. His focus in the Western Region of the U.S. is an extension of Scotts’ success with AgroCote®-based fertilizer formulations in Florida and Latin America. AgroCote is patented Poly-S® polymer coated/sulfur coated urea that has been formulated specifically for a variety of specialty crops including citrus, potato, banana and others. Its primary advantages are more efficient nutrient utilization, reduced environmental utilization, reduced environmental impact and reduced input costs.

Prior to joining The Scotts Company, Valencia served as district manager for Sunrise Growers Frozsun Foods in Oxnard, Calif. where he was in charge of grower contracts, land leases and daily grower activities. He also educated growers in compliance issues with local, state and federal guidelines on pesticides and labor policies. Valencia’s experience also includes crop research, grower training and solution development for regional pest and disease problems. Valencia holds a Master of Science degree in agricultural sciences from California State University in Fresno.

“We’re extremely pleased to bring Jesús on board,” said Joe Micco, regional business manager for the Western Region of The Scotts Company North America Professional Business Group. “His broad agricultural background, training skills and proven ability to diagnose and solve crop-related issues will make him an invaluable member of our team as we continue to pursue our goals in the Western Region.”

Based in Marysville, Ohio, The Scotts Company LLC is the world’s leading producer and marketer of professional horticulture products. The Company’s industry-leading brands include Osmocote® controlled release fertilizers, Peters Professional® and Peters Excel® water soluble fertilizers, and more than a dozen herbicide, miticide and fungicide products. For many years, The Scotts Testing Lab has helped thousands of growers learn exactly what their plants need for maximum success. Learn more at www.scottsprohort.com or by calling customer service at 1-800-492-8255.