The RHG Team!

Christopher Raimondi, CLP

President & CEO

Chris got his start in Horticulture at the age of 12, after becoming the top salesman for a local plant nursery during a Boy Scout troop fundraiser. By the time he was a sophomore in high school, he had turned his love of the outdoors into his first business, Raimondi Landscape, which he continued to manage while he completed his studies in Ornamental Horticulture at State University of New York at Farmingdale. Over the next 20 years, the business expanded into Raimondi Horticultural Group, a full-service Horticultural company with an eye toward environmentally friendly interior and exterior landscape designs.

Chris now shares his over 50 years of horticultural knowledge with clients, as well as his students at The New York Botanical Garden and Bergen Community College, where he is an Adjunct Professor of Horticulture. He has held numerous volunteer industry positions, including serving as a Board Member, at National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP). He has also served as a spokesperson for plant health and environmental sustainability at numerous industry events and for various publications, local radio shows, and national television programs. For his educational and professional efforts, he earned the coveted NALP Trailblazer Status, designating him as a credible source for horticultural advising. In the last year, he was a founding member of Pinnacle V, and international peer group of plantscape professionals who share best practices and progressive business strategy.

Chris is proud to serve his professional and local community as well, by holding a position on the Green Plants for Green Buildings (GPGB) Board of Directors and a Nationally Certified Trainer for Continuing Education to the Design Community. Additionally, he is a Shade Tree Commissioner for the Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ. He is a past Chief of the Ho-Ho-Kus Fire Department as well as an officer of the Ridgewood Fire Department, both in New Jersey, and continues his commitment to these organizations today.

Leann Surz

Vice President

Leann is our Vice President of Customer Relations, focusing on managing our client needs. Leann got her start in Horticulture as a saleswoman specializing in interior landscape goods. Her love of plants inspired her to learn more about floral design and to take classes in Ornamental Horticulture at the College of Cook County. She also earned the designation of Certified Landscape Technician, Interior (CLT-I), an esteemed international certification program. She cites Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania as one of her inspirations for floral and interiorscape design—specifically the Orchid conservatory and the springtime Hydrangea displays.

Leann dedicates her free time to floral and interiorscape instruction as a committee member and volunteer to many national trade associations, including AmericanHort, the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) and the Tropical Plant Industry Exposition (TPIE). She is also an active volunteer in the community, and the Founding President of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Ho-Ho-Kus Fire Department.

Lisa Garvey

Finance Director

Lisa has been with Raimondi Horticultural Group as Finance Director for almost 15 years. Her commitment to our processes in finance and human resources creates success in our business activity. She enjoys communicating how the company is performing from a financial aspect, and is always exploring how the business can operate more efficiently and effectively. Lisa loves lending a hand to the party planning team when she can, jumping in on holiday parties as well as in our event division. Although Lisa spends a lot of her time inside the office, we find her in the warehouse looking at her favorite orchids.

John N. Hoitsma, Jr.

Creative Manager

John is our Creative Manager, who is responsible for design and events that our company produces. One of his specialties is holiday display work, where he lends his artistic eye to a variety of interior and exteriorscape projects. His crowd-pleasing designs have come from an eclectic mix of inspirations including his mother’s garden, succulent plants and using obscure resources to create beautiful, one-of-a-kind designs. His fellow team members describe him as a creative mind who puts all into his displays, creating magic moments out of the most humble beginnings. Nicknamed “The Johnny Extra”, John is always there to be prepared.

Maria Sorochynskyj

Office Manager

When clients call, our Office Manager Maria is the first person they speak with, so it’s clear from the start that they are in good hands. She’s the company taskmaster, who’s known for her detective ability to get to the bottom of issues the moment they arise. Her RHG responsibilities may be too numerous to list, but she handles them with grace and ease, thanks in large part, she believes, to her peaceful, plant-filled surroundings. A gardener herself, Maria’s own backyard is one of her favorite escapes.

Anna Cacoilo

Lead Floral Designer

Anna, who is the Lead Floral Designer at Raimondi Horticultural Group and The Little Flower Shoppe, creates beautiful fresh florals for both the home and corporate spaces.   As a designer for over fifteen years, Anna has a love of flowers with a European garden lush esthetic.

What inspires her?  Being surrounded by nature, color and people within the industry. Anna travels to the floral markets to hand pick the freshest and best floral varieties for her clients.

Anna’s overwhelming strength is her creativity, and she uses her home as a visual mood board. This drives her husband crazy!!  However, he is delighted to be part of her inspirations.

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