Hayden-Murphy has named Jeff Clarke as its new president. Clarke takes the reigns from Don Knackstedt who is retiring after his 25-year career with Hayden-Murphy. Clarke spent 17 years at Toro, holding various roles including senior director of its residential and landscape contractor division.

"I'm honored and excited to work at Hayden-Murphy and partner with such a strong team," said Clarke. "Through the selection process for this position and my on-boarding period, it was very evident that Hayden-Murphy has a distinct commitment to taking care of both their employees and their customers. My number one priority is sustaining and expanding on this commitment."

Clarke credits Knackstedt with making Hayden-Murphy what it is today.

"Don has created an exceptional culture and customer focused atmosphere at Hayden-Murphy, and we'll strive to expand on the legacy that he's built," he said.

But Clarke isn't going to do it alone. He realizes it is a team effort.

"Being in business for 67 years doesn't happen by accident and I attribute the company's success to the Hayden-Murphy team and their incredible talents," he said. "As our industry evolves and the expectations of our customers change, we'll continue working hard at strengthening our abilities, refining our processes and expanding our footprint to ensure the customer experience only gets better."

Clarke plans to keep customer service a priority for Hayden-Murphy.

"The customer experience is so important in our industry and I'm looking forward to quickly building relationships and trust with our customers, so they feel confident with Hayden-Murphy's abilities," he said.

Knackstedt praised his team for their tenacity over the years.

"I have had the good fortune and honor of working at Hayden-Murphy for 25 years," he said. "We have experienced many changes in our industry and company through my tenure. But the one constant has been the excellent service and support provided by our highly-talented teams."

Although he will miss the daily energy and commitment the Hayden-Murphy team exhibits, he is confident Clarke will continue providing exceptional customer service.

"Jeff possesses the unique skills and experience to successfully navigate new challenges from an ever-changing environment," said Knackstedt. "Hayden-Murphy's future is definitely in good hand I look forward to watching it continue to grow from a different perspective."

For more information, visit hayden-murphy.com. CEG