About our Founder

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Marisha began her career in mid-1980’s working for Lon Schultz, President of API (Agricultural Products Inc.), where she served in many roles. While working full time at API, she earned her Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Cultural Anthropology from UCLA in 1989. She later studied irrigation design and management and became certified in Irrigation, Hydrology, and Water Resource Science at Poly Tech–California. 

Marisha went on to serve as Regional Sales Manager, overseeing 13 states throughout the Mid-West. Although she was next in line to run API, Marisha chose a new path and relocated to Central Florida. In the late 1990’s Marisha founded her rep firm, American Irrigation Sales (AIS). 

She was passionate about educating customers and building strong, long-term partnerships between vendors and Distributors. Known for her deep technical knowledge and practical understanding of customer needs, she earned the trust and respect of both customers and vendors. Marisha attended nearly 30 years of IA Shows (Irrigation Association) and was also on various committees. 

As AIS grew, Marisha brought on Missy Harding in 2001 and mentored her for many years. In 2011, Marisha Stepped back to focus on her health and semi-retired, allowing Missy to assume more day-to-day leadership. Marisha remained involved with the business until fully retiring in 2016. Today, her protégé, Missy Harding, is the proud owner of this powerful & highly successful sales agency Marisha built from the ground up in 1999.