Meet Our Advisors

Brian Mitalo joined Tournesol in 2004 after several years working at Rain Bird in the Residential/Commercial group. He has been instrumental in the success of a number of challenging projects at Tournesol, including 1K Fulton in Chicago, IL, and Camperdown Plaza and Streetscape in Greenville, SC. Brian shared he is “very thankful to work with so many talented and creative people, within Tournesol and our customers too. I am constantly amazed at the spaces they create.”

Brian is inspired by problem-solving; “It’s not so much about the solution as it is the mental challenge and what I learn along the way.” He also uses problem-solving in his home and yard remodeling projects to figure out dimensions and designs. In his spare time, Brian loves to cook at home and will prepare “just about anything on the grill come rain, snow, or sunshine - I always have a spare propane tank at the ready.”

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Melissa Zepeda has recently joined the Advisor team. She spent the last year on our Custom team growing her experience and capabilities, gaining trust as a knowledge leader, and prior two years on our sales team. Melissa’s creative background lends itself well to working with designers and landscape architects on projects from inception to completion and seeing the designer's vision come to life while knowing she helped to complete that design. Some successful projects include Hotel Del Coronado in Coronado, CA, The Park at Park Place in Irvine, CA, and many others in the Southwestern region of the U.S.

In her personal life, Melissa carries her enjoyment of learning with her as she travels with her family to visit new places. She says, “I’ve worked hard to provide myself with new memories as an adult. I’m grateful for the time to create experiences, and I hope to have many more.”

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Troy Parsons joined the Advisor team after honing his knowledge and expertise on the sales team for the last three years. Before Tournesol, Troy sold commercial landscape products, including Tournesol’s, within the distribution industry for 24 years. As a result, he has a broad range of product knowledge and has been a critical player in the success of many large projects in the Pacific Northwest and the Southeastern region of the U.S.

Troy enjoys collaborating with landscape designers and architects to help create their vision, and in his free time, his vision is for travel. He loves traveling on adventures with his wife and exploring new places and environments. One experience was a 2 ½ week photo-safari in the Serengeti. He shared, “It was the trip of a lifetime and something I will never forget.”

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I am from the Bay Area in California and grew up around the Tournesol business. I spent several summers working in the Union City facility as an intern in the operations department. I graduated from Boston College, studying Psychology and Linguistics. For fun, I enjoy playing rugby, also played it in college, and my other hobbies include fishing, golf, and chess.

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