Regional Technical and Sales

Trent Dicks - Eastern Area Technical Manager

Trent has over 20 years of experience in Landscape and Nursery sales and operations. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agri-Business Horticulture from Illinois State University and an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science and Horticulture. Trent is a graduate of Dale Carnegie training.

In 2018 Trent took on a new role as Eastern Area Technical Manager, providing a senior level of oversight to Arborjet’s Regional Technical Managers in the eastern United States. He still remains as the main resource and point of contact for the Mid-Atlantic territory.

For 14 years, he lived in the Midwest, managed a garden center, and ran small Nursery and Landscape company. Trent was the Landscape Designer and Operation Manager at Moon Landscaping for 6 years, where he managed large estates & plant health care. When Trent finds himself with free time he enjoys hunting, fishing, gardening and sports.

Joe Aiken - Great Lakes & Canada Regional Technical Manager

Joe’s 30-plus years in the tree care industry have provided a diverse and valuable experience which has permitted him to guide others in plant health care decisions. He has worked in all phases of tree care, and as a licensed applicator and an ISA certified arborist, he developed a strong interest in Plant Health Care and gained the experience and desire to continue his education.

Joe routinely conducts product seminars and presentations on various treatment methods which are attended by arborists, city foresters, plant health care technicians, master gardeners, university extension agents, grounds departments, and research personnel. He also supports Arborjet’s research department and co-operating universities, assisting with tree injections on research sites, and other aspects of research required to aide in development of equipment and formulations needed to control today’s invasive pests.

Joe is a proud founding member of the Arboriculture Society of Michigan Foundation and Curator of the Arboriculture Historical Society. In 2001 Joe joined the team at Arborjet, where he shares his strong belief in tree preservation with clients, and educates others on the benefit of more environmentally friendly solutions for our urban forest problems.

Rob Baughman - Midwest Regional Technical Manager

Rob has joined the Arborjet team as the new Midwest Regional Technical Manager. He will support both Arborjet and Ecologel products in the turf, ornamental, and golf markets; developing new business around the country and providing technical knowledge to lawn care operation, landscape and all other sectors of the green industry.

Before joining Arborjet Rob was a Senior Landscape Designer with a design/ build firm in Hawthorn Woods, IL. During his time there, he worked on multiple projects, four of which earned awards from the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association.  He specialized in large in properties with unique features, starting with the design of the property and working his way through to the installation process.  Once the project was at this stage, he would then coordinate with subcontractors and his team to finalize the install. Rob earned his Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from South Illinois University.

Rob found his passion for the green industry through his love of the outdoors.  While in college, Rob would frequent Shawnee National Forest just south of South IL University.  This is where he decided that he wanted to pursue a career pertaining to nature and the outdoors.  The beautiful trees and water ways felt like home to him.

Outside of work, you can find Rob enjoying quality time with his family.

Kevin Brewer- Northeast Regional Technical Manager

Kevin joined the Arborjet team in the summer of 2017 as the Northeast Regional Technical Manager, bringing with him 13 years of industry experience and an extensive plant health care background. Prior to his role at Arborjet, Kevin served as the general manager of a tree preservation company, managing plant health care and the diagnosis and prescription of treatment for trees and shrubs. He is a Certified Arborist and ISA Qualified Tree Risk Assessor.

With a passion for saving trees, Kevin educates new and existing customers, keeping them ahead of the curve in their plant health care solutions. Outside of Arborjet, he enjoys gardening with his wife, woodworking, and hiking sections of the Appalachian trail.

Jay Goughnour - Upper Midwest Technical Manager

Jay is our newest addition to the Arborjet team, starting in the winter of 2020. Growing up on a farm in central Iowa, Jay spent a majority of his time outdoors. In that time, he found a passion for turf in the golf industry, which eventually led to him working at SiteOne Landscape supply. Through his work experiences, Jay was able to broaden his expertise to tree care, irrigation, and landscape lighting.

As our Upper Midwest Regional Technical Manager, Jay’s responsibility is to expand sales, provide technical support and share plant health care solutions with customers. With over 20 years in the green industry, Jay has held positions such as golf course superintendent, green industry sales management, and even owned a golf course. In 2008, Jay purchased his hometown golf course and operated it for four years. After the floods of 2008, he represented the National Golf Course Owners Association on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. to explain to lawmakers how golf’s exclusion from disaster-related tax relief was unfairly burdensome to golf course operators. Jay has also previously held the seat of President for the Iowa Golf Course Superintendents Association and is currently serving on the Iowa Turfgrass Institute board of directors representing the Iowa Professional Lawn Care Association. When not spending time his wife and children, you can find Jay anywhere outdoors enjoying hunting, fishing, golfing, and cheering on the Iowa State Cyclones.

Rebecca Knapp - Western Regional Sales Manager
Golf, Sport Turf, and Nursery Markets

Rebecca joins Arborjet, bringing with her 15 years of expertise in Sports Turf management. Before Arborjet, Rebecca worked for both Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer teams, including the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and most recently the Arizona Diamondbacks. Prior to her time in professional sports turf, Rebecca was the Assistant Turf and Grounds Manager for Houston Dynamo and has worked with LCO’s as an Account Manager and Contract Administrator.

Rebecca found a passion for the industry through her love of athletics and a pristine, well-manicured field. Rebecca will support both Arborjet and Ecologel products in the Golf, Sports Turf and Nursery Markets; developing new business around the country and providing technical knowledge throughout the industries. Outside the office, you can catch Rebecca spending some time on a tropical beach, or enjoying a game of baseball or round of golf.

Korey Lofy - High Plains Regional Technical Manager

Korey Lofy has taken on the role of Regional Technical Manager for the Rocky Mountain and Great Plain States, including: Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, Nebraska and Arizona.

Korey is an ISA Certified Arborist with a Pesticide Applicator’s license in four states who has been involved in the green industry for 20 years. He began his career working in a greenhouse at the age of 13 and went on to start his own landscaping company to help pay for university. He successfully graduated from The University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point with a triple major in Urban Forestry, Forest Recreation, and Interpersonal Communications.

Korey has always loved science and learning about trees. One semester in college, Korey’s course load included Organic Chemistry, Soil Science, Tree Physiology, and Entomology – and that’s when the puzzle started to come together. Ever since, he’s been helping folks build businesses and save trees. When Korey is not saving trees or in the office, you can catch Korey enjoying a good book, on his mountain bike or downhill skiing.

Emmett Muennink - South Central Regional Technical Manager

Emmett holds a B.S. in Agronomy and a M.S. in Crop Science from Texas Tech University. After completing his master’s degree, he moved to the Dallas metroplex and began his career in Arboriculture. Starting out as a PHC technician for a Dallas area tree company, Emmett quickly climbed the ranks and managed the entire PHC division. He has performed nearly every job in the tree industry from diagnosis and PHC applications, to ground work, climbing, and stump grinding. Emmett’s formal education combined with his technical background provide him with an excellent understanding of plant and soil science, as well as practical knowledge of PHC and the tree industry. He enjoys staying on the cutting edge of PHC technologies and sharing his knowledge with other tree care professionals. On weekends and holidays you’ll find Emmett spending time with his family and friends, as well as hunting, fishing, BBQing, and rooting for his Red Raiders!

JB Toorish - Southeast Regional Technical Manager

JB started his career in the green industry in 1980 working for a landscaping company in the Cleveland, Ohio area. JB started as a lawn technician and eventually managed the lawn care and tree/ornamental care departments while developing Integrated Pest Management programs. In 1995, JB began working for the Davey Tree Expert Company as a sales and service technician. He graduated from The Davey Institute of Horticultural Sciences and The Davey Institute of Tree Sciences in 1997.

In July of 1997, JB started with LESCO/JDL as Manager of Technical Services. There, JB’s duties included daily agronomic and pest control support to internal and external customers. He held pesticide dealer/applicator licenses in over 30 states and routinely performed educational training presentations for CEU credits.

JB joined the Arborjet team in April of 2009. He is currently living in Orlando, Florida and providing sales and technical support for the southeast region of the United States.
JB has created and facilitated chemical applicator re-certification training presentations for many states throughout the US. JB has also written technical information for various industry text books, internal newsletters, websites and a monthly technical column for Lawn and Landscape Magazine.