ScottsMiracle-Gro Announces Realignment of Finance, Supply Chain and Corporate Affairs Groups Departure of Randy Coleman as Chief Fiscal Officer

Realignments placement the Business for ongoing progress

Company momentum carries on as equally major segments exceed inner Q1 targets

MARYSVILLE, Ohio, Jan. 11, 2021 (Globe NEWSWIRE) — The Scotts Wonder-Gro Company (NYSE: SMG) now announced a series of organizational modifications in the locations of finance, provide chain and corporate affairs designed to thoroughly leverage long run growth prospects and generate extensive-expression shareholder price. As portion of the realignment, the Organization announced Randy Coleman has departed as executive vice president and main economic officer and that Cory Miller, formerly vice president of finance for Hawthorne Gardening Firm, has been promoted to senior vice president and named as interim CFO. The Enterprise will begin a formal lookup procedure to fill the position on a lasting basis, which will include things like a review of the two internal and external candidates.

“Cory has emerged as 1 of our brightest leaders as a result of his contributions to the progress and success of Hawthorne over the earlier a number of yrs, and shareholders need to be self-confident in his skills to suppose the obligations of the CFO function,” explained Jim Hagedorn, chairman and CEO. “During his additional than 20-12 months tenure, he has excelled in a collection of corporate and running roles, culminating in his current function as finance direct for Hawthorne. Cory has been deeply included in the business enterprise, such as the integration of Sunlight Supply and quite a few other acquisitions that have led to the latest Hawthorne portfolio.”

In a broader realignment of the finance firm, Kelly Berry, formerly corporate treasurer, has been promoted to direct all of finance for the U.S. Purchaser business segment. Lonny Essex, a previous company banker and very long-tenured associate and advisor, has been named to triumph Ms. Berry as treasurer, a function he has held in the previous. Mark Scheiwer will transition from his position as controller to guide the Hawthorne finance group. Brad Chelton, the previous head of inside audit who at present leads source chain finance, will transition into the controller’s function. Mr. Chelton joined ScottsMiracle-Gro in 2007 soon after a 9-year career in general public accounting. Mark Sims has been promoted to senior vice president of particular functions, which contains strategic arranging and internal consulting as perfectly as mergers and acquisitions. He will report straight to Jim Hagedorn.&#13

Separately, Dave Swihart, senior vice president of research and improvement, has taken on the expanded role of primary world-wide technology and operations and will go on to report to Mike Lukemire, president and main working officer. This expanded job consists of oversight of the entire worldwide offer chain perform. Scott Hendrick will guide all production and distribution operations, and Mark Slavens, PhD., will suppose a broader management part in R&D. Equally will report to Mr. Swihart.

“Under Dave’s management, we have dramatically improved our innovation processes and have benefitted from a series of the most effective merchandise launches in our heritage,” Lukemire claimed. “As we keep on to progress our provide chain to satisfy the rapidly evolving requires of the current market, which include the expansion of our direct-to-buyer efforts, he is the ideal human being to also oversee this exertion. Dave’s expanded part offers me additional adaptability to do the job with Jim and our Board of Administrators on key strategic initiatives that we think will drive advancement and price for a long time to arrive.”

Brian Herrington has been promoted to vice president of exterior affairs at Hawthorne and will oversee all state and federal government relations actions for that business enterprise. He will report to Chris Hagedorn, normal supervisor of Hawthorne, and Jim King, govt vice president for company affairs. The Corporation also will make a direct public affairs position based mostly in Washington, D.C., reporting to Mr. King.

Hagedorn stressed the realignment and Mr. Coleman’s departure ended up not connected to any problems about previous or long run enterprise effectiveness or the integrity of the Company’s money controls. Fairly, inner preparing for most of the improvements announced currently have been underway for months as element of ongoing strategic arranging, talent administration and succession preparing discussions.

“Clearly our organization has been accomplishing nicely and that craze has ongoing into 2021 as we exceeded our anticipations for the initially quarter,” claimed Jim Hagedorn. “This realignment is focused on absolutely exploiting the for a longer time-phrase options that lie ahead and leveraging the deep properly of expertise that exists inside of ScottsMiracle-Gro.&#13

“In our U.S. Buyer small business, gardening has never ever been much more applicable to customers, and demographic tendencies keep on to operate in our favor. Additional investments in advertising and categories like dwell products will be crucial in this business enterprise. And at Hawthorne, the regulatory ecosystem proceeds to make improvements to at equally the point out and federal level. Those tailwinds, coupled with the enhancements we’ve produced about the earlier two yrs and the latest opening of our new R&D facility in Canada, plainly place Hawthorne previously mentioned any other participant in the business.

“All of us want to thank Randy for his more than 20-12 months motivation to ScottsMiracle-Gro. He performed a essential role in the creation of Hawthorne, the advancement and implementation of Job Emphasis and other initiatives that considerably enhanced our market place posture and drove meaningful shareholder value. He stays a friend to all of us, and we wish him continued good results in his long term endeavors.”

 “My departure from ScottsMiracle-Gro is on friendly phrases,” Mr. Coleman claimed. “I am proud of the system of do the job I depart guiding, confident in the depth and power of the finance group and am aligned with the strategy that I helped condition and that my previous colleagues go on to pursue. Generally, I am eternally grateful for the options and associations that have served form my job and existence.”

Dave Evans, the CFO of ScottsMiracle-Gro from 2006 to 2013, and now a member of the Board of Administrators, will provide as a senior advisor to the government leadership and finance workforce throughout the transition to a long lasting CFO.

“We are lucky to have access to Dave’s counsel and expertise,” Hagedorn claimed. “We also have extraordinary expertise, not just in the finance organization, but the whole enterprise. I am optimistic about our skill to seize the opportunities ahead of us.”&#13

About ScottsMiracle-Gro
With approximately $4.1 billion in product sales, the Enterprise is a single of the world’s biggest entrepreneurs of branded shopper products for garden and back garden treatment. The Company’s brand names are amid the most identified in the industry. The Company’s Scotts®, Wonder-Gro® and Ortho® models are current market-foremost in their groups. The Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, The Hawthorne Gardening Enterprise, is a leading company of nutrients, lights and other resources applied in the indoor and hydroponic growing segment. For added facts, stop by us at www.scottsmiraclegro.com. 

Cautionary Notice About Ahead-Searching Statements 
Statements contained in this push release, other than statements of historical actuality, which deal with pursuits, occasions and developments that the Firm expects or anticipates will or might manifest in the long run, such as, but not constrained to, data concerning the potential financial general performance and economical condition of the Organization, the options and aims of the Company’s management, and the Company’s assumptions concerning these effectiveness and strategies are “forward-hunting statements” inside the this means of the U.S. federal securities rules that are topic to challenges and uncertainties. These ahead-looking statements normally can be discovered as statements that consist of phrases these as “guidance,” “outlook,” “projected,” “believe,” “target,” “predict,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “strategy,” “may,” “goal,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “foresee,” “likely,” “will,” “should” or other comparable terms or phrases. Precise benefits could vary materially from the forward-hunting facts in this release because of to a wide range of factors, which includes, but not confined to:

• The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic could have a substance adverse impact on the Company’s small business, success of procedure, economical situation and/or income flows
• Compliance with environmental and other community health restrictions or adjustments in these types of rules or regulatory enforcement priorities could raise the Company’s expenditures of doing enterprise or restrict the Company’s potential to marketplace all of its goods
• Problems to the Company’s track record or the status of its items or merchandise it markets on behalf of 3rd parties could have an adverse result on its enterprise
• The extremely aggressive mother nature of the Company’s markets could adversely influence its capacity to keep or increase revenues
• If the Company is unable to properly execute its e-commerce company, its name and functioning benefits may possibly be harmed
• For the reason that of the concentration of the Company’s revenue to a small variety of retail consumers, the reduction of one particular or far more of, or substantial reduction in orders from, its top rated shoppers could adversely influence the Company’s monetary success
• Local climate alter and unfavorable weather ailments could adversely effect money final results
• Particular of the Company’s products may possibly be ordered for use in new or rising industries or segments and/or be subject to various, inconsistent, and quickly modifying guidelines, regulations, administrative practices, enforcement ways, judicial interpretations and shopper perceptions
• The Company’s functions may possibly be impaired if its information technological innovation programs are unsuccessful to carry out adequately or if it is the subject matter of a info breach or cyber-attack
• The Corporation may possibly not be able to adequately shield its mental house and other proprietary rights that are product to the Company’s business enterprise
• In the function the 3rd Restated Marketing and advertising Agreement for purchaser Roundup merchandise terminates, or Monsanto’s customer Roundup small business materially declines the Organization would drop a sizeable resource of potential earnings and overhead cost absorption
• Hagedorn Partnership, L.P. beneficially owns somewhere around 26% of the Company’s typical shares and can drastically affect conclusions that have to have the acceptance of shareholders
• Acquisitions, other strategic alliances and investments could outcome in functioning challenges, dilution and other unsafe repercussions that may adversely affect the Company’s small business and effects of operations.

Further comprehensive data relating to a quantity of the significant variables that could result in true outcomes to differ materially from the forward-looking details contained in this release is readily available in the Company’s publicly submitted quarterly, yearly and other reports. The Organization disclaims any obligation to update developments of these threat things or to announce publicly any revision to any of the ahead-wanting statements contained in this launch, or to make corrections to mirror long run functions or developments.

Get in touch with:
Jim King
Executive Vice President
Trader Relations & Corporate Affairs
(937) 578-5622