The ALNLA was pleased to welcome Bethany Armstrong O'Rear to its Board of Directors at the association’s annual meeting in Mobile, January 18, 2008. She will be a real asset to Alabama’s ‘Green Industry’. Bethany is now the plant buyer at Landscape Services, Inc. in Birmingham, but has served many roles in her seven plus years with the company.

A native of Blount County Alabama, Bethany grew up on a small cattle farm in Hayden where she and her sister grew vegetables to sell to pay their own way to college. She graduated from Hayden High School in 1996, attended Jefferson State Community College and graduated from Auburn University in 2000 with a degree in Horticulture

Today, Bethany serves on the Alabama Farmers Federation “Greenhouse, Nursery and Sod Committee”. She was also one of the first Alabama Certified Landscape Professionals. The ALCLP is a relatively new program sponsored by the ALNLA to establish a core group of landscape professionals in Alabama.

She is married to Cliff (AU class of 1995 in Forestry) and they have two beautiful sons, Elijah age 5 and Isaac age 1. A few years ago, they bought a nice little family farm in Hanceville to have a few cows, and to grow vegetables in the summer. Bethany and her family are very active in their church, the Hayden Church of God. Her family and her church, she will tell you, are what she values most highly.

ALNLA is fortunate to have Bethany to serve on its Board.