Sales
Design
Logistics
Accounting
Warehouse
IT
Marketing
Scott White
CEO
Scott’s entrepreneurial spirit is infectious and is what has propelled CTi forward from inception in his garage into the leader it has become. As the President of our group of companies, seeing the entrepreneurial spirit alive in our employees is just as rewarding to Scott as seeing all that we are able to produce. He fosters a familial environment as we all work together, in partnership with our customers, to create innovative solutions that drive our company forward. Scott wears many hats in his personal life including having fun enjoying the ski slopes, just dare him. When he is not dreaming of more pots, you can find him with his partner Julie and his Bernese Mountain dog Bella somewhere close to a hockey arena.
Michael Wu
Michael’s involvement in the garden décor industry began decades ago. He is a man of few words but they are mighty and powerful when he gives his feedback and direction. He has extensive international trade experience and leveraged that when he and Scott decided to start building CTi as a company. Michael oversees the production line and supply chain both domestically and globally. This is a man who loves a challenge. Michael believes that self improvement happens each time a challenge is met, has been integral to the success that CTi has had. During his free time, Michael is swimming or hiking with his family and friends.
Stacey Rumpf
Director of Sales
As the Director of Sales, Stacey works to ensure that we meet our sales goals by having a great team of people in place while mining interesting projects to work on. Having been born into the industry, Stacey developed a passion for horticulture from a very young age. She uses her wealth of both learned and inherent category experience to push the horticultural industry forward in terms of design and innovation. It is also thanks to Stacey that our office remains full of healthy and vibrant foliage. During her off hours, Stacey spends her time biking, doing Pilates and passing down her roots and passions for plants onto her son, Connor.
Al Shivraj
Sales Manager
Al is a huge basketball fan and our internal go-to for all things food related; who needs a restaurant recommendation? He manages our North American sales for IGC’s and national retailers, driven by the relationships he builds with his customers just as much as he is driven to meet and exceed his targets. With an extensive background in sales, business marketing and project management, Al is quick to rise to any challenge inorder to meet our customers demands. It’s only been years of him working in the industry for Al to finally become a plant parent, to a baby snake plant.
Jon Vaughan
National Sales and New Business Development
From breeders to national retailers, Jon is an expert in fostering relationships that have led to great successes for CTi. With more years worth of experience than his appearance would suggest, Jon’s strength in building campaigns and his tenacity to find practical solutions that drive sales, has seen him foster some of our closest relationships with customers. Outside of work you can try and catch a glimpse of Jon as races past you, training for his next big race, sure to break a 3-hour marathon.
Nicole Maliteare
North American Sales & Retail Sale
Nicole is the sweetest member of the team. She is responsible for our Retail Program Sales, and partners with buyers and Independent greenhouses to build strong and insightful programs. Her attention to detail and easygoing demeanor have been integral to fostering the close working partnerships she has with our customers. Outside of work, Nicole can be found staying active with her kids and family, doing everything from snowboarding to golfing. Working at CTi has encouraged Nicole to develop a lifelong mission to turn her “brown thumb” into a green one.
Marcel Weiss
North American and Distributor Sales
Marcel can find the bright side of any situation. His rational and positive outlook means that he is never deterred, consistently pushing for the best results. He works with distributors to develop line programs that can be accessible to all levels of grower requirements. Marcel enjoys cultivating strong relationships with his customers and during his many years at CTi he has brought in an abundance of both new business and organic growth. This entrepreneurial approach has him consistently identifying opportunities that others may not see, perhaps it’s the animal lover in him?
Lucas Androulidakis
Sales Support Representative
Lucas is a student at OCAD, studying Graphic Design. He has been with CTi for just under three years and is working part-time to provide support wherever is required. Day-to-day, you will find Lucas running expense reports, helping with shipping/receiving as well as providing assistance for our sales team. Free time for Lucas means playing games and designing with a constant soundtrack playing in the background.
Cristina Incardona
Sales Coordinator
Cristina was raised in an entrepreneurial family spanning three generations of business owners which allowed her to build resiliency and integrity at a young age. Starting to work in customer service and sales at the age of 13, she has been able to develop working relationships with a variety of customers, individuals and clients over the years. With a happy demeanor, and lighthearted nature, it’s hard not to smile when she’s around. She has two degrees in Fine Arts Music Performance and Human Resources Management, continuously loving to learn new skills and fine tune her current ones. In her free time, she can be found tending to her vegetable garden in her backyard creating delicious recipes. Cristina loves using her classical and jazz musical background to entertain guests at the piano, guitar or with her musical ballads.
Shinya Kumazawa
Director of Design
In 2005 Scott walked over to his neighbor, Shinya, and asked him to sketch a few planters. Little did Shinya know that in jumping forward 15 years they would have designed and produced hundreds of different planters together. Shinya heads up the Design department at CTi. He is a trusted mentor to his team, and his category knowledge is evident each time he picks up a brief. Committed to his craft, Shinya is a self-taught designer and has been an oil painter for decades. He sees designing as a puzzle: filling in the gaps with creative solutions in order to achieve that coveted balance between purpose and form.
Kasia Kwec-Moskwinski
Product Designer
Kasia was raised in an artistic family which allowed her to be exposed to a creative environment from a young age. She graduated from the University of Silesia in Poland with a specialization in sculpture. Kasia’s expertise at CTi is apparent in her creative and technical development of new colors and finishes for our offering. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the great outdoors with her family, long-distance swims, walks with her dog and ultimately, getting lost in her own studio projects.
Yuebai Xiao
Yuebai began studying fine arts in grade school and has been pursuing this path ever since. As his skills developed, he began to merge his artistic expression with real life applications. After graduating from the industrial design program at Sheridan College, Yuebai joined CTi as our 3D designer. He oversees 3D components of our designs such as sampling and prototyping. Yuebai lives to create; in wood, 3D printing or clay sculptures. He will be the consummate student given his unwavering enthusiasm for exploration and experimentation.
Cathal Curran
Cathal is an award-winning designer and a welcome addition to the CTi Family. He graduated from Maynooth University in Ireland with a BSc in Product Design, Marketing & Innovation. An avid traveller, Cathal has lived and worked across the globe, bringing an international perspective to his design expertise. With a background in furniture design and an enthusiasm in learning all he can about the horticulture industry, Cathal’s fresh and innovative eye is an asset for CTi.
Paulo Jimenez
Production and Logistics Manager
If you hear Salsa or Bachata playing, you have probably stumbled into Paulo’s office. Paulo keeps our supply chain running and is always working to deliver our products to customers in the most efficient way. Always a joker, but never taken lightly, Paulo holds an Industrial Engineering Degree with an International Marketing and Logistics post-graduate Certificate. And if that isn’t enough, he is currently working on getting a CCLP accreditation. Where he finds the time to sleep between working multiple time zones and growing his family is a mystery but guaranteed he is doing it all with grace and a smile.
Zain Bobat
Logistics Coordinator
Zain is the link between production and our products arriving at our customers doorstep. He coordinates the movements of thousands of containers per year from China to North America. Working alongside Paulo, he prepares paperwork for ocean/land shipping, coordinating routes for each shipment, as well as managing trucking and warehouses around the US and Canada. Zain has a great love for cricket and cars. He has played at a national level for U-17 Cricket Tournaments and spends most of his free time working on his car. You may catch him cruising proudly around the City of Toronto in his one of a kind Purple Audi.
Nhi Nguyen
Logistics and Accounting Assistant
Nhi assists both logistics and accounting with paperwork processing. Before joining the CTI Team, she worked in a bubble tea shop. As a recent graduate of George Brown College, Nhi studied Finance, where she learned about financial planning, software, project management and accounting principles. In her spare time, Nhi loves to cook and bake, choosing between a delicious meal, or a new cake recipe. A quote from a book, “1% better everyday” has inspired Nhi to make a difference wherever she goes. She believes that doing small habits consistently inspires her, because she believes that great habits, even small ones, can make a huge impact.
Thu Nguyen
Director of Finance
If Thu were a plant, she would be an oak tree. A symbol of strength and wisdom, she loves to absorb information from all aspects of life. It’s no surprise to know that since 2008 she has been the head of our Financial and Accounting Department in addition to being the General Operations Manager for our office. Thu loves to set goals for herself, and is very inquisitive. On her days off she enjoys reading, travelling, and visiting art museums.
Maria Contreras
Accounting Supervisor
Maria studied Accounting in Business Administration at George Brown College, graduating in June of 2021. Her first experience in the accounting environment here at CTi Living, Maria’s eager to prove her skills. Starting her life journey in Colombia, Maria came to Canada 5 years ago, after initially studying Civil Engineering in Colombia. On her off time, she loves to play volleyball and ultimate frisbee, having played in many tournaments back home. Now, while she still practices the sport, she mostly plays for fun now. Maria loves to spend time with her family, watch Netflix and bake, on her off time. Highly motivated, Maria lives life by the quote ‘If someone else can do it then you can do it. If someone else can’t do it then you must do it’.
Elena Pham
Accounting Staff
Arriving in Canada 3 years ago, Elena hit the ground running. She graduated from Humber College in June 2021. After working in the hospitality industry for 2 years during her studies, she migrated to CTI living for the start of her accounting career. Elena’s favorite food is Vietnamese, especially Pho. In her free time, she likes to read books, watch Netflix, and play games. Elena’s favorite quote is “Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill.
Heidy Au
Heidy is responsible for invoicing, administrative tasks, assisting the Director of Finance, and works closely with the logistics and sales departments to ensure accuracy. Coming from a marketing background, Heidy has worked with various teams to manage their campaigns. She has a passion for statistics, and attention to detail, and connecting with customers on a global scale. Heidy’s schooling includes Public Relations, and Event Management, where she learned about social engagement, project management, and budget planning. In her spare time, Heidy likes to cook, and travel to new countries. She is grateful for the challenges and difficulties she has faced in her life, represented by her favorite phrase: “What does not kill you makes you stronger”.
Rupakshi Kaushal
Rupakshi joined CTI Living in March 2022. She was born and raised in India and came to Canada in 2019. Rupakshi graduated from the Business Management Program at Humber College and has more than 2 years of experience in finance and customer service. She currently works closely with our clients and partners to make sure that all the incoming payments are received and processed. During her free time, Rupakshi enjoys cooking, trying new cuisines and listening to K-Pop. She is currently working towards her CPA designation. Her favorite motto is: “Without goals and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination. But at the same time, sometimes is good to just go with the flow.
Peter White
Warehouse Coordinator
Peter is a man of few words. He runs our Mississauga warehouse, working closely with our production team and local growers to manage our inventory, packaging, and transportation. Peter heads to his cottage as many times as humanly possible, surrounding himself with nature in order to reconnect and appreciate the simple things in life.
Eric Yorke
Shipper/Receiver
Eric is a professional musician and runs a small studio, but from the hours of nine to five Eric oversees our shipping and receiving. Walking into his warehouse, it’s apparent how he combines his ingenuity with pragmatism to best sort the thousands of pots we store there. He does everything from ordering samples and supplies to picking and shipping orders. During the spring and summer months you can find Eric working a small patio garden where he spends many hours of joy watching the greenery grow with his spouse.
Adil Ebrahim
IT and Pricing Manager
Adil started with us as a part-time student, helping out with anything and everything. Years later he heads up our IT Department and is our key Pricing Manager. Adil believes in pushing oneself outside of their comfort zone to create opportunities that benefit the community at large. He keeps us moving forward and provides us with the technology required to do so. Adil sees the bigger picture in everything and skillfully applies this to ensure that CTi is focused along with being profitable.
Jimmy Chu
Full Stack Developer
Jimmy is a recent graduate from the University of Waterloo. Managing and working on multiple projects (including the website you’re looking at!), Jimmy is an integral part of the IT department. Any problems that come up, Jimmy loves to solve with a smile on his face, using his technical and creative expertise. On his off time, Jimmy loves to consume different forms of media, such as playing video games, watching movies when he’s not out connecting with nature through hiking.
Hayk Adamyan
Pricing and System Analyst
Hayk joined CTi in August 2021. In his role, Hayk analyzes data and creates reports, helps develop tools and processes to improve pricing and costing, and tests online systems. Hayk studied at Ryerson University in Business Management with a particular focus on financial analysis and became a certified Financial Modeling & Valuations Analyst from Corporate Finance Institute. Outside of work, Hayk enjoys playing and watching sports, hanging out with his friends, and listens to music and podcasts.
Laura Tacha
Costing and Margin Analyst
Laura joined the CTi Family in March 2022, and she currently analyzes our internal margins and costing models. Laura graduated from La Salle University in Bogota, Colombia, with a BS in Economics, but she also studied a Postgraduate Diploma in Analytics for Business Decision Making at George Brown College. She is very passionate about everything she does, but especially about two things: volleyball and helping people. Laura plays volleyball since she was very little, and she even played at a competitive level in multiple national tournaments in Colombia. Laura believes that when you focus on what you really want and you are disciplined, you can overachieve and go above and beyond.
Carmen Keiko
Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Carmen developed early on a passion for materials, colours, patterns and textures – how they combine to create specific aesthetics, which launched her design career. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and a Master’s from Istituto Europeo di Design - IED. Carmen has an entrepreneurial spirit, which led her to create a small venture focused on innovative 3d printed jewelry. For fun, she enjoys crafting, exploring new and exciting places, playing with her cat and binging series.
Camilo Buitrago Anzola
Digital Marketing Coordinator
As the digital marketing coordinator, Camilo is in charge of developing our digital marketing strategy and maintaining CTi’s social media presence. On the sales side, Camilo assists the team by placing orders and generating quotes, all while ensuring a high level of customer satisfaction. Camilo loves to travel, cook, and learn new languages. He is currently fluent in three languages and working on his fourth. Given his Gen Z upbringing, Camilo finds himself as the go-to for most of our technology questions.
Barkha Mishra
Social Media Lead & Junior Designer
Barkha moved to Canada in 2019 and joined CTI Living in January 2022. Barkha graduated from the Bachelor of Commerce Program at Delhi University, and she also studied a Design and Merchandising Diploma. She has more than 6 years of experience in Fashion and Graphic Design. Barkha currently creates our social media strategies and graphic content, and support us with our printed and digital marketing material. She loves staying connected and keeping up with all the latest social media trends. In her free time, she loves painting, doing DIY crafts, cooking, and going to the beach while listening to Bollywood music. Barkha loves challenges and she is always looking to expand her boundaries. She is a true believer of the power of a single step: If you can take the first step towards something you want, anything is possible.