ILCA Awards & Honors —
ILCA’s 2021-22 Person of the Year
by Nina Koziol
When John Algozzini graduated from
Indiana University in 1977 he began applying for jobs. He had studied English, U.S. history and journalism. “I thought I was going to teach English and coach football, but I ended up in a job at a bank in Indianapolis for three years and was bored out of my mind.” On the way to and from work he passed Country Harmony Home & Garden Center and frequently stopped in. The rest, as they say, is history. “The owner hired me to work on the weekends. I worked there three to four months and quit my job.” When he told his wife, her response was “Good, the weekends were killing you.” Little did she realize he quit the bank. “It was an alignment of the stars for me — I was so fortunate. The owner was contagious and positive in an excessive way. He was talented and enthusiastic.” That job hooked him on the green industry and early in his career he worked for several award-winning landscape firms, sharpening his skills in design sales and creative services. Later he applied those skills at Dutch Barn, Kinsella and K&D. “I had the right set of employers and was able to be nurtured and educated, and I self-educated.” He met Bob Hursthouse while working at Hinsdale Nursery 35 years ago and they’ve been close friends ever since. And, knowing Algozzini’s many talents, Hursthouse recently brought him onboard at Hursthouse, Inc. “He’s a thoughtful, deep-thinking individual,” Hursthouse said. “He likes to have creative solutions and he can see the reality behind a challenge very quickly, which makes him an exceptional designer and salesman. He connects really well with people and he’s highly effective.” He has influenced many ILCA members through his good deeds. “He’s as genuine and unique as he sounds,” says Steve Raczak, sales rep for Twixwood Nursery. “We go back close to 20 years. I’m not sure if I’ve ever met anyone as creative with his design skills or innovation. He often flows against the current. I think he was the voice for a lot of members through his contributions and work on committees. He’s spoken for those who had differing thoughts and opinions about what we should and could be doing.”
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Connecting with ILCA
Algozzini had taken many ILCA classes beginning in the mid-1990s, but it wasn’t until 2008 that he became really active with the association. “Bob had nudged me on several occasions, saying you need to get involved and ultimately he wore me down. That was my good fortune though I certainly didn’t recognize it at the moment.” He signed up for leadership training. “I knew Steve Raczak who was a committee chair and asked him if he needed any ballast.” About the same time, the Mid-America Horticultural Trade Show (Mid-Am) in Chicago was taking a long, painful nosedive. Many exhibitors were concerned that the convention might cease altogether. They were worried that sales would go completely online, but one exhibitor voiced what everyone felt: faceto-face interaction will never be replaced by the internet. Period. Algozzini began writing letters. “When I wrote to the Mid-Am board and Smithbucklin, the show’s association manager, I said we’re a green industry but we don’t have any gardens! I was at a Unilock Christmas party with nearly 500 people and watched attendees sit to the end just to win a $50 gift certificate. I said we need to do raffles and make things fun.” When the Mid-Am Board voted to dissolve, I saw an opportunity. I was there alongside Jack Pizzo and Joe Hobson telling Scott Grams that I wanted to chair the committee [for iLandscape]. Although he won’t confirm it, there’s a rumor that he brought an empty McDonald’s Happy Meal box to the ILCA office and said, “What’s missing from this box is fun.” That box was a symbol for what could become iLandscape. He saw an opportunity to fill that box — create a new ILCA event that engaged members, attendees and exhibitors in a unique way. He credits Executive Director Scott Grams and the ILCA board. “I’ll be forever thankful to Scott. That’s how I ended up on the Experience Committee — chairing it and pulling the show together with a really good group of people that first year.” “I had the pleasure of serving on the Education Committee during the transition to iLandscape,” Raczak said. “John was someone on the committee who offered unique insight into what members needed and wanted. When I think
The Landscape Contractor January 2022
