Mickey Leech

President, North America Operations Smithers-Oasis

Last Reviewed: September 28, 2026

Executive Summary

Mickey Leech is President, North America Operations of Smithers-Oasis, the Ohio-founded company behind OASIS floral foam and a wider range of floral and horticultural products, including Floralife postharvest care. He joined on 1 December 2025 as a member of the President’s Staff, reporting to President and CEO Robin Kilbride. He came to the floral industry from outside it: he had been Chief Executive Officer of Schumacher Electric in Dallas and, before that, spent 18 years at MTD Products in Cleveland, a career in designing, manufacturing and selling branded products that Smithers-Oasis cited as the reason for hiring him.

Career Highlights

• Appointed President, North America Operations of Smithers-Oasis effective 1 December 2025, reporting to President and CEO Robin Kilbride.
• Chief Executive Officer of Schumacher Electric, Dallas, Texas, for about four and a half years before joining Smithers-Oasis.
• Eighteen years at MTD Products in Cleveland, Ohio, including President of the Handheld Products Division and Vice President of the Aftermarket and eCommerce Division.
• Represented Smithers-Oasis at the Society of American Florists’ 2026 convention in August 2026, where the company sponsored the Marketer of the Year award.
• BS in Accounting from John Carroll University and MBA from Case Western Reserve University.

Professional Journey

Leech built the first long stretch of his career at MTD Products in Cleveland, where he spent 18 years. His roles there included Vice President of the Aftermarket and eCommerce Division and President of the Handheld Products Division, giving him experience running a product division as well as the parts, service and online channels that sit around it.

He then moved to Dallas as Chief Executive Officer of Schumacher Electric, a role he held for about four and a half years. Smithers-Oasis described the combined experience as a background in designing, manufacturing, marketing and selling branded products through diverse channels, with a record of driving operational efficiencies and implementing change for growth.

Smithers-Oasis announced his appointment as President, North America Operations with effect from 1 December 2025. The company traces its origins to 1954, when V.L. Smithers invented OASIS floral foam, a water-absorbing design medium for florists, and formed Smithers-Oasis in Kent, Ohio; it now makes floral foam and media, postharvest products, growing media, floral sprays and dyes and arranging supplies, with operations in 29 countries. Leech joined the President’s Staff reporting to Robin Kilbride, the company’s President and CEO. On joining he said the company’s “commitment to innovation and supporting floral professionals” inspired him.

The move also took him back to his home region; the company noted that he is originally from Northeast Ohio. By August 2026 he was representing Smithers-Oasis in the industry, presenting the Society of American Florists’ Marketer of the Year award, which the company sponsors, at the SAF convention.

Education

John Carroll University

Bachelor of Science, Accounting

Case Western Reserve University

Master of Business Administration