join us for a Roundtable exploring the growing role of drones in nursery operations. This interactive webinar, hosted by the AmericanHort Nursery Community Connectors, will feature a leading industry expert who will share the latest on drone technology, along with two nursery professionals who are already integrating drones into their daily workflows.

You’ll Learn:

• Effective applications of drone technology within nursery operations
• Key challenges to adoption, including regulatory, technical, and workforce considerations
• Insights and lessons learned from early implementation to improve future projects

The webinar will also include breakout discussions moderated by Nursery Connectors, giving attendees the chance to ask questions and connect with peers.

Our Speakers

Kirk Floyd, Founder
Kdrone Services

For the past 35 years, Kirk has worked in horticulture. Starting out running maintenance and landscape crews for large landscape companies. Later he moved over to the arboriculture industry to work in plant health care for eight years. Finally, he spent the last eight years as a plant health care specialist and general manager for a large landscape company.

When he learned the benefits of drones in the horticulture and agriculture business, he became highly interested in their value and efficiency. Kirk became a licensed drone pilot and started Kdrone Services in October of 2017. He has worked on numerous research projects for the University of Maryland and Maryland Soybean Board. Media projects include work with Picture Lock Films, Netflix, Smithsonian Channel and Warner Brothers.

Paul Geiger, Project Engineer
Willoway Nursery

Paul Geiger is a Project Engineer at Willoway Nurseries Inc. located in Avon, Ohio. He holds a B.S. in BioResource and Agricultural Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and an M.S. in Civil Engineering with a specialization in water resources from Cleveland State University. Over the last year, Paul has focused on integrating drone technology into nursery workflows. As a licensed FAA Part 107 drone pilot, he has spent the past year using drones for site mapping, calculating gross growing space, and exploring thermal imaging to detect irrigation plugging in drip lines. Paul brings a fresh, hands-on perspective to aerial solutions for the horticultural industry. 

Ben Averitt, Growing Support and R&D Manager
Willoway Nursery

Ben Averitt is the Growing Support and R&D Manager at Willoway Nurseries in Avon, Ohio, where he leads innovation in horticultural operations. With over a decade of experience in agricultural research—including roles at Virginia Tech, the University of Georgia, and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences—Ben focuses on integrating technologies like drones to improve efficiency, data collection, and sustainability in the green industry. 

Alex Dejong, IPM Manager
Perennial Farms

Alex is the IPM Manager at the Perennial Farm in Glen Arm, MD. I have been in the industry for over five years now, starting off in landscape installations before becoming a sectional grower at the Perennial Farm. After two years as a grower here, I was recently promoted to IPM Manager where I have really looked towards and embraced technology as a means to be safer, more efficient and data driven. My current favorite perennial is Echinacea “Pretty Parasols!”

AmericanHort Nursery Community Connector Moderators

Jake Pierson, Pierson Nurseries
John Teresh, Breezy Hill Nursery
Bobby Garcia, Greenleaf Nursery
Chris Wichman, Belmont Nursery