Lawrence Hopman - Founder
Lawrence grew up steeped in agricultural sales...his folks were commercial producers of poultry, eggs, beef, hogs and cash crops.
Some of his earliest memories are of riding along with his father as he peddled fresh eggs from the family’s farm to restaurants and stores in Canada’s Niagara Peninsula..."his customers loved him! Watching dad bantering with clients; I learned very early that the relationship always came before the sale”.
Lawrence's floral career began in 1995 as a route salesperson for a Toronto area wholesaler followed by stints in sales for two local growers.
During his career, Lawrence identified some needs within the North American floral supply chain. Many primary producers had difficulty accessing desired markets. Busy category managers wary of costs needed help qualifying suitable grower partners.
In 2019 the Hopman agency was created to connect floral producers directly with mass retailers...
Sue Clark - Executive Assistant
Sue’s background is the horse racing world.
She began working directly with horses on thoroughbred farms then at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. This led to a part-time job running a manual elevator on racing days and from there a full-time job in the administration offices.
Sue spent 32 years working in the offices at Woodbine Entertainment, mostly as an administrative assistant in the marketing department.
Sue supports the sales team at Hopman Farms, with marketing, vendor on-boarding & compliance, new product set-up, and customer portal management.
"Being in the floral industry is the best of both worlds" – years of experience and expertise working in an office combined with a love of nature, gardening and flowers.
Sue volunteers for Equal Grounds Community Gardens in Brantford Ontario, growing fresh produce for local food banks. When not puttering around in the garden, Sue enjoys travelling, bird watching, reading, cross stitching and sewing.
Catherine van den Enden, BBM - Accounting
Catherine’s background is in administration and finance. She is passionate about supporting small businesses.
After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Catherine worked with various non profits and local businesses. Through this experience she gained valuable skills in finance, administration and project management.
As a business owner herself, Catherine enjoys streamlining processes, and always has an eye out for areas that can be improved.
Catherine organizes the financial side of our business by maintaining accurate records, managing accounts payable and receivable, and reconciling accounts.
Catherine loves spending time with her husband and two boys. She enjoys gardening, sewing, and pilates.
Carol Tuck-Riggs - CPA, MBA, PhD - Advisor, Éminence Grise
Carol's expertise is in business process analytics.
Carol has had a distinguished career in finance, accounting, and IT. Her experience spans audit, corporate management, university adjunct professorship, and self-employed business ownership.
In her corporate career, Carol has 30+ years of senior management experience in multinational pharmaceutical, computerized manufacturing, semi-conductor, and financial industries, with responsibilities for computer information systems, finance, accounting, and logistics.
As a professor, Carol continues to teach business analysis, leadership, strategy, and accounting. Carol holds a BAS Economics, MBA, PhD, and a CPA professional accounting designation.
Carol's passion is for the environment and what we can all do to be better stewards of the earth. Her PhD dissertation was about the effects of environmental change on business.
Carol is a Master Gardener attached to the Master Gardeners of Ontario, Niagara chapter.
