When Suzi McCoy, founder of Garden Media Group, found her way to the green industry, it was love at first sight. Little did she know that her first lawn and garden client — The Conard-Pyle Company Star Roses and Plants — would steer her down an extraordinary path. Like everything else she does, Suzi embraced the journey with a fearless enthusiasm for adventure, and ultimately, it changed the very face of her business. She hasn’t stopped to look back since. In 2020, Suzi passed the torch to Katie, who operates as the president and second-generation owner.
About Us
Team Members
Katie McCoy Dubow
President
Stacey Pierson
Senior Account Executive
Tracey Brown
Office Manager
James Hammond
Media Support Specialist
Peggy Anne Montgomery
Account Executive
Courtney Brown
Assistant Account Executive & Team Lead
Becky Paxton
Account Executive
Jennifer Campa
Account Executive
Bridget Langan
Assistant Account Executive
Aubrey Olson
Assistant Account Executive
Keri Wilson
Assistant Account Executive
Kelli Shadrix
Assistant Office Manager
Team Members
Katie McCoy Dubow
President
Katie is the second president of Garden Media Group, a women-owned and run public relations firm specializing in the home and garden industry and celebrating more than 30 years in business. Author of the annual Garden Trends Report, she travels the world scouting and presenting garden trends to audiences from Italy to Chicago.
Katie is a guest host on QVC for Cottage Farms, judge at the Philadelphia Flower Show, the inaugural recipient of the Emergent Communicator Award from the Association of Garden Writers, vice-chair of the Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Association, and an awarded member of the 2018 Forty Under 40 from Greenhouse Product News.
Previously, she worked at CBS Studios in New York City and was a public relations & marketing manager at Monet Jewelry. Katie received a degree in communications from Northeastern University where she was also a Division I rower on the crew team.
Katie lives and gardens in West Chester, PA with her husband, two daughters, one dog, and six chickens. Find her in the garden with her children, practicing yoga or dancing to Zumba. Her goal is to convince people that brown thumbs can, in fact, be turned green.
Follow along @KatieGMG and on Facebook at KatieGardenGirl
Stacey Pierson
Senior Account Executive
Stacey is our most seasoned Account Supervisor with more than 15 years of experience in the lawn & garden industry. Building and maintaining strong relationships with the media and her clients is where she shines. As our green industry trade and product placement specialist, she works hard to grow brand awareness by increasing media exposure, launching new products, and making connections with key influencers in the garden, home, lifestyle and food industries.
Garnering top-notch results for her clients is her passion. She has secured national placements in Real Simple, Martha Stewart Living, Better Homes & Gardens, Cooking Light, Southern Living and Do It Yourself to name a few.
Stacey spends her spare time volunteering with the Penn State Alumni Association, The Grand Opera House of Wilmington and the American Cancer Society.
Tracey Brown
Office Manager
Joining us in 2006, Tracey’s role expanded from office manager to include creative collaborator, travel agent, and resident proofreader. Tracey is “the glue” that holds us together, helping out wherever needed.
Her years of experience keeps the office running smoothly on a daily basis. Tracey’s love of numbers coupled with creative flare allows her to handle the books, support the staff, and add creative input.
Tracey loves spending time with her family and friends, taking care of her dogs, hanging out on the pontoon, visiting the Disney parks with husband, and once she learns more about southern gardening, she’ll love gardening again!
James Hammond
Media Support Specialist
James is our media support specialist and in-house webmaster. He manages our analytics, our website and handles all of our web design needs. With the ability to quickly pick up and learn new skills, he is always up for a challenge and ready to learn something new or solve a problem within the office. He is a dedicated team player, always willing to help out in a pinch while still remaining focused on the task at hand.
In his spare time you can usually find James digging through crates at local record shops and attending concerts.
Peggy Anne Montgomery
Account Executive
610-444-3040 Ext. 106
Email
Peggy Anne has been working in horticulture for over 30 years with a background in native plant research, public relations and sales. She studied horticulture in the Netherlands where she raised a family and owned a sustainable landscape design business. She is a member and Fellow of the Garden Writers Association, and has written for numerous trade and popular publications such as; American Nurseryman, Better Homes & Gardens, Fine Gardening, Organic Gardening and PHS’s GROW Magazine and has appeared on the TV programs; Prairie Yard and Garden, Hometime and Growing a Greener World. She loves to cook, travel and share her garden with friends and family.
Courtney Brown
Assistant Account Executive & Team Lead
610-444-3040 Ext. 107
Email
Courtney 2.0. Courtney interned with us in 2014-2015 then headed off to San Diego to live for a few years. While attending college, she found a real interest in social media and brought her love back to our team. She creates content for our clients while supporting our account executives with other projects. She is always willing to jump in and try new things to help the team succeed.
In her spare time, you can expect to find her on some adventure with her friends, hanging out with her family, or just loving on her dog, Stella!
Becky Paxton
Account Executive
Becky joins Garden Media Group from the public gardens world, where she raised public awareness, attendance, and philanthropic support for acclaimed U.S. gardens. A skilled content creator with over a decade of external affairs, graphic design, and copywriting experience, Becky brings a dual lens of creativity and financial stewardship to her work. Her professional roles have spanned from institutional fundraising, helping to raise millions of dollars for non-profit organizations, to innovative programming that engages and inspires diverse audiences. Becky is passionate about crafting solutions that transform clients’ projects from "spark of an idea" to market-ready messages and strategies.
Becky is a graduate of the Longwood Fellows Program and Wellesley College, and holds a Certificate in Design Thinking from IDEO. In her free time, she loves making furniture in her wood shop and discovering new local coffee shops.
Jennifer Campa
Account Executive
Jennifer brings over ten years of experience in the gardening industry within the houseplants, bedding plants, and cut flowers sectors. She has a versatile marketing background in areas such as brand management, product development, event planning, design, and project management. Her initiatives have led to many successful product launches, events, and initiatives.
Jennifer loves working in multiple areas and enjoys staying active, engaged, learning, and growing by taking on challenges to develop new strategies for her clients’ growth.
In her free time, you can catch her on an early morning run (she’s training for her first marathon!), reading as if her life depends on it, or spending time with her family and rescue dog. She also enjoys graphic design and artistic planning and considers herself a multi-passionate creative. Check out her Instagram on organization @jennifercampadesigns
Bridget Langan
Assistant Account Executive
610-444-3040
Email
Bridget brings a strong passion for writing, a knack for social media, and experience in content creation to Garden Media Group. She works to support the team and is always willing to jump in to help. With a strong sense of determination, Bridget is eager to learn new things and is always up for a challenge.
Bridget earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware and is currently pursuing her Master of Arts degree in Strategic Communication at UD. (Go Blue Hens!)
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading her horoscope, and traveling to new places.
Aubrey Olson
Assistant Account Executive
6104443040
Email
Aubrey brings a passion for horticulture and an excitement for connecting people with plants through media and engagement! Aubrey is eager to collaborate and find creative solutions to help and support.
Aubrey earned her Bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf College, and recently graduated with her Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Minnesota. With an extensive background in landscape design, she brings an understanding of plants and representation, along with the values of engagement and sustainability.
Outside of the office, she pursues many hobbies. From hosting trivia night at her local pub, to knitting, to exploring gardens near and far with family and friends.
Keri Wilson
Assistant Account Executive
6104443040
Email
Keri joins Garden Media Group from the horticulture sector where she gained experience in social media management, content creation and influencer collaborations. She is a graduate of Oklahoma State University, where she studied public horticulture and is currently pursuing her master's at Colorado State University.
In her free time, Keri enjoys spending time with her daughter and dog Pablo or caring for her plants outdoors. She loves discovering and photographing the insects that inhabit them.
Kelli Shadrix
Assistant Office Manager
610-444-3040
Email
Kelli joined GMG in Jan 2023 from the hospitality service industry, where she spent 12 years. She brought her enthusiasm and managerial experience to conquer the growing needs of GMG’s office management.
She is Tracey’s cohort and is ready to jump in wherever needed to help GMG grow and succeed, while supporting the team and adding her spunk. She is always willing to learn and do what it takes to succeed in a positive way.
In her free time, Kelli loves spending time with her family and friends and traveling to new places. She thrives in the summer and would spend every day at the beach if she could.
Our Vision Is Big: To inspire 320 million Americans to live a healthy gardening lifestyle 52 weeks a year
Our mission is simple: To instill a passion for nature and a love of gardening to all generations to improve environmental health and support human wellbeing.
To support our mission we partner with like-minded companies and people who want to grow their business by increasing the global love of gardening and appreciation for nature, drive stewardship of the Earth and help care for all things that grow.
Staying true to our core values for almost thirty years in business helps us create a company we're proud to run and where we are happy to work. Because it’s our responsibility to make sure that while creating beautiful products, we’re also caring for our beautiful planet.
Our Story
1988: The Beginning
In 1988, Suzi put her young daughter, Katie McCoy Dubow, on the bus for the first day of school and opened the doors to IMPACT Marketing in 1988, the firm's parent company.
1990: Suzi Builds Garden Media from the Ground Up
Suzi built her Philadelphia business from the ground up, specializing in general public relations for banks, hospitals, real estate developers and even racehorse trainers. It was the firm’s success with the American mushroom industry that caught The Conard-Pyle Company's attention.
1997: Meeting the Conard-Pyle Co.
It wasn’t long before CEO, Dick Hutton, enlisted IMPACT Marketing to help promote products for The Conard-Pyle Co., which eventually led to firm’s involvement in the launch of the gamechanging The KnockOut Rose.
2000: A Strategic Move to Gardening
Suzi quickly discovered this was a generous industry of ladies and gentlemen who shared their vast knowledge and were eager to help others succeed. She made a strategic decision to focus on gardening that opened doors around the world, attracting clients across the U.S.,Canada, Germany, France, Japan and Holland.
In addition to The KnockOut Rose, the firm has helped launch well known brands such as Endless Summer, Simply Beautiful and BrazelBerries, as well as helping extend the Wave Petunia brand.
2001: Bringing a Horizontal Perspective to Clients
With this wide range of client experiences, the PR firm had its finger on the pulse of the industry and released its first Garden Trends Report in 2001. Annual reports over the years have predicted such trends as outdoor living, edible landscaping and vertical gardening years before they hit mainstream.
Today, it has become one of the most widely read reports in the industry and a must read for those who want to stay ahead of the curve and influence consumer behavior.
2002: A New Name Opens New Doors For Garden Media
The company planted its stake in the garden industry and began doing business as Garden Media Group in 2002.
Garden Media's clientele reads like a Who’s Who list of garden celebs — Costa Farms, Ball Horticulture Co., Longwood Gardens, The Philadelphia Flower Show, Urban Outfitters’ terrain, The Espoma Organic Company and The Royal Horticultural Society.
2011: A New Generation Puts Down Roots
Suzi welcomed her first employee, daughter Katie McCoy Dubow, back to the business in 2011 after a stint with CBS television and Liz Claiborne in New York. Suzi first hired six-year-old Katie to stuff and stamp envelopes. Now, Katie is the creative director and a senior account supervisor for the group. Now, a third-generation, Suzi’s granddaughter, Quinn, occasionally joins them at the office, as well.
2016: Always Moving Forward
Today Garden Media is one of the top 10 public relations firms in the Philadelphia region and the top marketing communications and PR firm in the lawn & garden industry. We know this industry inside and out, and people know us, from the top media to garden center owners to horticultural breeders.
Our track record proves we add tremendous value to our clients. We have a wealth of contacts and knowledge, so we are efficient. And we love the work, so we are effective. And we open lots of doors!
2018: Garden Media Celebrates 30 Years In Business
As we look to the future, we continue toward our goal of inspiring 320 million Americans to live a healthy gardening lifestyle 52 weeks a year. We have made a name for ourselves in a dynamic industry by evolving, taking risks and developing innovative methods to grab the attention of top tier media and major influencers and gain the hearts of many customers for clients. Cheers to the next 30 years!
