CEO
CFO
Head of Corporate Development
COO
CSO
CMO
Mergers & Acquisition Integration Lead
CHRO
VP Special Projects
Greg Harbison possesses a decades-long track record of dynamic business growth in lawn and landscape industries. Moreover, he is passionate about creating world-class experiences for customers and employees alike. Prior to joining Fairway in October 2022, Harbison was CEO of Sperber Landscape Companies. He started his career from the turf up as a lawn technician in the TruGreen Chemlawn management training program after graduating from Indiana University. Harbison advanced in his career to run high-growth multi-state operations and sales platforms. Outside of work, he enjoys time with family and an enthusiasm for performance cars.
As the Chief Financial Officer at Fairway, Drew Dixon leads the company’s finance, procurement and technology functions. A seasoned CFO with private equity portfolio companies, Drew was most recently Chief Financial Officer at Geode Health, Pathway Vet Alliance, and Garretson Resolution Group. He was named 2012 CFO of the year in the Large Company category by the Triad Business Journal. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Wake Forest University and is a Certified Public Accountant. He and his family reside in Winston-Salem, NC.
As Head of Corporate Development at Fairway, James Turner leads all aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships from sourcing to execution. He works closely with other members of the executive team and Morgan Stanley Capital Partners to drive value creation and set the company’s inorganic growth strategy. Before joining Fairway, James had an over 20-year career in finance with investment banking firms and leading corporate development and strategic initiatives for several financial-sponsor backed businesses. When he is not making deals, he enjoys time with his family in Chicago, IL.
Gary Obert brings over 20 years of leadership experience across publicly traded, privately owned, and private equity-backed companies – most recently as Chief Operating Officer of Horizon Group Holdings. He has a proven track record of driving operational efficiency, profitable growth, and successful M&A execution. Gary specializes in strategic planning, KPI performance, and team development, with expertise in transformation leadership, logistics, and P&L management. He holds a B.S. in Business Management from the University of Central Florida and an MBA from Rollins College.
Gary lives in West Chester, PA, with his wife and two children, and enjoys golf, running, and watching his kids play tennis, lacrosse, and ice hockey.
Touting a decades-long career in the green industry and an award-winning background in sales, Imtiaz Tootla serves as the Fairway Chief Sales Officer. Imtiaz came to Fairway through NexGreen where he co-founded the business and managed the Detroit area branch. He desired to bring the best practices he learned in sales and agronomics from his past experience while building a culture devoted to building a world-class customer experience. He and his wife call Detroit and Miami home.
Jeff Lichtman brings proven success in both performance and brand marketing to his role as Chief Marketing Officer at Fairway. Jeff has over 30 years of experience across a variety of consumer-focused product and service industries, including time at Gatorade, Quaker Oats, PepsiCo, WMS Gaming (now Scientific Games) and Career Education Corporation (now Perdoceo). Most recently, Jeff served as the Chief Marketing Officer at Consumer Safety Technology, a leader in substance-use safety, detection, and monitoring. He has degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Northwestern Kellogg School of Management, and lives with his family in the Chicago, IL area.
Kim Woodworth brings a wealth of logistics, business optimization, and process improvement experience to her role as Mergers and Acquisition Integration Lead at Fairway. She leads and manages the Fairway team to ensure a smooth integration for new brands into the business, serving as liaison and primary point of contact during the process. Most recently, she was Director, Supply & Logistics Process Improvement at Amerigas after a long tenure at Halliburton. In her spare time, she is a devoted mother and wife who enjoys cheering and watching her daughters’ activities.
As Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), Ron Friedman brings 30 years of HR leadership experience to Fairway having served in various industries and companies, including Coca Cola, Miller Coors, and Dean Foods. Most recently, Ron was the CHRO at Certified Group, a laboratory testing company. He also serves as Executive Advisor to the SHRM Executive Network for leading HR executives. An alumnus of the University of Pittsburgh, Ron and his family live in Dallas, Texas.
Lisa Shepard brings her passion for providing excellent experience for customers and employees alike in her current role as VP Special Projects at Fairway. With 35 years in the business, and formerly VP Administrative Services, Lisa is truly the heart and soul of the company. She has helped steward amazing growth, a caring culture, and revolutionary initiatives to build a dynamically growing platform. Lisa is the type of leader that knows employees by name – and frequently – that of their family. She typically reaches out to ensure the health and safety of employees. Personally, she enjoys time with her husband, daughters, and grandchildren.