Welcome to Tournesol
 

For the better part of the last decade, we’ve introduced ourselves as the company at the intersection of landscape and architecture. Today, our brand is centered around relationships, trust, and delivery - striving to make our contractor customers and specifier partners successful!  

2020 has been a year of change and it’s not over yet. Now, more than ever, connecting with people is so important. It starts by listening, asking questions, and caring. At Tournesol, we’d like to introduce ourselves and let you get to know us a little better so that we can expand our working relationships and strive to exceed your expectations. We hope you enjoy meeting our team of trusted advisors.


John Denman, National Sales Manager

John Denman

Let’s start with John Denman, our National Sales Manager, who’s  been with Tournesol for over a decade. John is passionate about his leadership role, mentoring his team to do their best, and to always put the customer first. He and his team thrive on working closely with designers, to help bring a vision to life. As John says, “I’m especially excited to work on projects that push boundaries and make us reach beyond the easy to achieve the extraordinary.”

John is someone who enjoys pushing himself to the limit both physically and mentally. He’s a cyclist and mountain biker, he rides most weekends and can proudly boast that he has twice completed the Mammoth Gran Fondo (a week-long cycling trip up the Rhine, from Strasbourg to Lake Constance) - wow!

Patrick Trollip

Patrick Trollip is our Regional Sales Manager for Northern California and is the newest member of our sales team. Patrick was born and raised in South Africa and came to the U.S. to study Horticulture with an emphasis on Landscape Construction. During his career, he has managed a few very large projects and is “thankful to have gained valuable insights into what motivates people and how to affect positive change.” Patrick thrives while being “part of a team that does not accept the ‘status-quo’ and pushes the envelope for continual improvement.”

When he is not working, Patrick enjoys watching rugby and played for many years with the Berkeley Rugby Football Club. He also likes going on camping trips with his wife and daughter, and now they’re expecting their second child this September ’21” He also “loves any excuse for a good braai (South African BBQ) and can be spotted in the backyard over the grill with a cold bevvy in hand watching rugby with mates and other expats.”  Welcome, Patrick!

Connect with Patrick -  ptrollip@tournesol.com


Patrick Trollip, Regional Sales Manager, Northern California


Abby Butler, Regional Sales Manager, Midwest-West, South-Central States

Abby Butler

Abby Butler is our Regional Sales Manager for the Midwest-West and South-Central states. She has lived in the Dallas Fort Worth area of Texas all her life. Abby has shared that she is excited to be part of Tournesol and is “thankful for the wealth of knowledge and experience that the team is willing to share with me. The culture is amazing, and I feel incredibly lucky to be part of this team.”

Outside of work, Abby has two children that keep her busy with sports games, and a passion for watching them thrive at playing the sports they love. She spends time frequently traveling to her daughter’s soccer tournaments locally and across the country. This adds to her enthusiasm for travel and learning more about different cultures, customs, and history. Her favorite foods to eat are Italian and Mexican dishes, and she enjoys working out through Yoga or riding Peloton. Go Abby!

Connect with Abby -  abutler@tournesol.com

Melissa Zepeda

Melissa Zepeda is our Regional Sales Manager for Southern California. She is inspired and driven by finding new opportunities to learn and grow, and she’s quickly learned how to thrive at Tournesol. Melissa is passionate about Tournesol’s products for her creative and talented customers, knowing that she can provide solutions to various challenges that come with designing commercial outdoor spaces.

In her personal life, Melissa carries her passion for learning with her as she travels, seeking new cultural influences in art, food, and history. Melissa says, “As a relative newlywed, I work hard to find opportunities to create exciting memories with my new family. Visiting the Albuquerque Balloon Festival, white water rafting, and traversing Fossil Rim Wildlife Center have been a few of our recent adventures…priceless.”

Connect with Melissa -  mzepeda@tournesol.com


Melissa Zepeda, Regional Sales Manager, Southern California, Las Vegas, NV, Arizona


Brian Mitalo, Team Lead, Regional Sales Manager, Midwest-East and Southeast

Brian Mitalo

Brian Mitalo is Team Lead and Regional Sales Manager for the Midwest-East and Southeast. Brian has managed various regions in his 16 years with Tournesol, and continues to be amazed at the beautiful, creative spaces our talented customers design. In his career, Brian is inspired and driven by problem solving and presenting the best possible solutions for our customers’ designs. He enjoys the challenge of figuring out the correct dimensions, details, and product configurations.

This carries over into his personal life, as he enjoys remodeling and constructing projects for his home and yard, in Florida, while avoiding the alligators that hang out near his property – yikes!

Connect with Brian -  bmitalo@tournesol.com

Catherine LeDuke

Catherine LeDuke is our Regional Sales Manager for the Northwest, Mountain States, and Western Canada. She cheerfully enjoys sharing our range of products, both standard and custom, and digging in deep to help customers find the best solutions to meet their design goals. Catherine has developed a solid understanding of the outdoors and outdoor spaces as she has resided in Colorado for most of her life.

In her personal life, Opera music makes her heart sing. Catherine worked at the Houston Opera House years ago, and says, “It’s amazing to sit a few feet from an opera star singing full out in a rehearsal room. I cued Placido Domingo to enter stage left: ‘Mr. Domingo…go!’” What an experience!

Connect with Catherine -  cleduke@tournesol.com


Catherine LeDuke, Regional Sales Manager, Northwest, Mountain States, Western Canada


Jim Dowd, Regional Sales Manager, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic

Jim Dowd

Jim Dowd is our Regional Sales Manager for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic and is naturally a competitive person. Jim thrives on helping specifiers and customers build their projects and designs and watching them come to life. The customer relationships that Jim builds continue to grow as he closely communicates about products and materials to ensure his customers are successful.

Jim’s competitive nature carries over into his personal life as he has raised two children who excel at softball and wrestling sports. Jim thrives while spending his time golfing, deep sea fishing, boating, auto racing (former Asphalt Modified team owner), gardening, and many other outdoor adventures.

Connect with Jim  -  jdowd@tournesol.com

Want to learn more about Tournesol products? Schedule A Regional or Virtual Lunch & Learn.

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"Tournesol" is French for "sunflower". While you are growing your business, check out our tips on growing sunflowers.

Growing Sunflowers