Our Team

Alison comes from a background of greenhouse management; first building then operating a wholesale specialty plant nursery in Bellingham, WA in the early 80’s. Inspired to grow herbs and edibles without dangerous pesticides and with limited industry information available, Alison looked to the Canadian grower network nearby for tools. Beneficial insects produced on nearby Vancouver Island were available, so the biocontrol journey began there. After 20 years of research in beneficial insect use, compost tea brewing, designing soil blends and other green growing methods, she began Sound Horticulture in 2000. Her passion for holistic cultivation fuels and encourages her company’s broad aspirations; bringing biological solutions from years of experience to large scale crop management, greenhouse ornamentals, hydroponics and more. Her favorite pastime is messing in the garden until the tide comes in, then paddle boarding in Chuckanut bay. Salt water goes a long way in getting dirt out from under fingernails!

Karin Todd

Office Manager (& Logistics)

Karin is Sound Horticulture’s logistics goddess. Coming from a small business management background, she is our wizard of all moving targets. If you want to know where your order is and can’t find your tracking, then Karin will drill down and tell you what is arriving at your door and more. She’ll also remind you to tie your shoes, fuel up your tank and get those packages out the door on time. Who’d have thought this former art gallery manager from Vermont could keep us all in line? Karin’s skills span the gamut and she ultimately keeps the entire company organized. Next time you call and she answers the phone, please thank her for her hard work. Our team would be dysfunctional without her! When asked what she enjoys in her free time, Karin’s response is always, “What free time!?”

Melanie Aceves

Accounts

Melanie joined Sound Horticulture in the spring of 2017. Her degree in business administration highlights her appreciation for numbers and systematic routine, bringing order to the chaos of the beneficial insect industry. Well seasoned and extremely pleasant in customer service, Melanie is an indispensable part of our powerhouse office team. When not at the office, Melanie guides students through their yoga practice, takes hikes with her husband and puppy, and enjoys a variety of dance classes.

Brendan Kelly, Technical Sales

Brendan is a horticulturalist from the east coast that joined our team in May 2022. He studied horticulture at Virginia Tech and moved to Washington shortly after graduation. He has 4 years of commercial cannabis cultivation experience in the Washington rec market and is excited about biological controls and their impact on pest pressure!

Kacie Galla, Administration

Kacie joined our team with plenty of Small Business Administration & Management experience and a passion to learn about plants. While she works to streamline our processes, she’s soaking in everything there is to learn about horticulture and pest management to better help our customers! In her time off, she enjoys camping, art, and the challenge of home gardening with two pet goats roaming the property.

Elaine Sawyer, Technical Sales

Elaine worked as the greenhouse manager for the Environmental Horticulture program at LWTech in Kirkland, WA, where she learned the art of biocontrols and beneficial insects. She works remotely from SE Idaho, covering educational accounts as well as intermountain west customers. She loves hiking and learning all about native plants, playing disc golf, baking and reading as many good books as she can find. 

Wava Vautour, Shipping and Administration

Wava is back with the Sound Horticulture team! She graduated from WWU in 2019 with a BS in Bioantropology. With experience in quality control, logistics, and inventory control, she brings a wealth of knowledge to the company. Wava volunteers regularly at animal rescue farms, has two cats and enjoys all the Pacific Northwest has to offer with her partner Maggie.