Lawrence Hopman - Founder

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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’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.

Trish has been in the flower business for her entire career.

She began working at a retail florist/garden center after graduating high school.  For 20 years she worked in retail florist roles including designer, lead designer, manager and buyer.  

Trish left retail when she accepted a position at a Toronto area wholesale house as bouquet department manager before moving into sales roles as assistant sales manager and key accounts manager, successfully achieving new territory expansion.

Trish is also a floral educator. For 16 years she has taught a floral certificate program at Mohawk College (a community college in Hamilton, Ontario). 

Trish manages and prospects key accounts on behalf of our grower portfolio.  Her vast experience in all facets of fresh cuts, potted plants and hard goods is a huge asset.  

Trish's deep understanding of floral merchandising gives her a real advantage when talking shop with category managers.

Trish bikes and is an avid sports fan supporting the Habs and the Jays.

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.