I don't think 2015 is a year I will soon forget. The year started out trying to learn new products and trying to understand how things were done at my new employer. Then came the big news that Bob Holman was gifting Lawn & Golf to the employees! A story that whenever I repeat it, people still are in disbelief. Then it was time to attend the Golf Industry Show. Hard to explain, but definitely a different experience from all the years I had previously attended.
From standing two feet away, from Arnold Palmer, at Latrobe CC, to hosting a field day at Penn State Berks (Better known as Valentine East), it was definitely a year of firsts. Multiple trips to the Jacobsen factory and even a lunch meeting with the President of the company. Then came the announcement, this past fall, that Bob Holman was only going to step down, as President of Lawn & Golf ,October next year. With this announcement started the wheels in motion of Ken Jeinnings, our Senior VP & Sales Manager, becoming the next President of the company. That then created the chance for me to transition into the Sales Manager position over the next year. I could not be more grateful for this opportunity.
Additionally, all the involvement and accomplishments with Walnut Lane GC, the home of The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia, this past year, was something I am very proud. With Bob Sawicki, taking the Superintendent position, the momentum started to build. From the start of the year, with some much needed tree work, to the addition of some badly needed equipment, to being able to provide a brand new fairway mower, through the support of Jacobsen and our factory rep, Mark Pena, there were a lot accomplishments. The next big event, at the end of the summer, was working with Philadelphia Golf Course Superintendents Association, to organize aeration days. It was really great to see and I believe there is more to come.
2015, from a professional and personal standpoint, was filled with lots of positives and I could not be more thankful!
Wishing everyone a healthy & happy New Year!
WJC
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Sunday, November 29, 2015
The Question of ROI
Throughout a year, there are multiple events, that request the support of the vendors, in the Turf industry, in each market. In a perfect world, you would love to be a Platinum sponsor for every event, but that is not an option. You have multiple monthly Superintendent Association meetings, STMA regional field days & events, add in scholarship tournaments, Club Managers events and then multiple turf grass councils and their regional educational programs. Don't forget advertising in monthly newsletters and even multiple clubs, requesting support of special events.
The reason I bring this up is, a few weeks ago, I attended the STMA New Jersey event , at Brick Township. They had a strong turnout, did a pass the microphone section to let each vendor introduce themselves and gave the opportunity for a vendor to give a live demonstration to the group. All this in effort to make the vendors feel that they are getting some value for their investment.
I was truly impressed with Rich Watson, President of the New Jersey Sports Turf Managers Association, and how he gets it! In speaking with him briefly, one of the focuses was to make sure the vendors walked away with a positive feeling.
WJC
The reason I bring this up is, a few weeks ago, I attended the STMA New Jersey event , at Brick Township. They had a strong turnout, did a pass the microphone section to let each vendor introduce themselves and gave the opportunity for a vendor to give a live demonstration to the group. All this in effort to make the vendors feel that they are getting some value for their investment.
I was truly impressed with Rich Watson, President of the New Jersey Sports Turf Managers Association, and how he gets it! In speaking with him briefly, one of the focuses was to make sure the vendors walked away with a positive feeling.
Steve Hesser of Lawn & Golf talking about the Smithco Sand Star Zee
Great turnout for the NJSTMA meeting!
WJC
Eb Steiniger Award
Philadelphia Association Golf Course Superintendents end of year annual meeting was recently held at Indian Valley CC. At the meeting, there were a lot of changes regarding the makeup of the board and the transition from Jon Urbanski, as President, to the new President, Rob Nolek.
Also, the PAGCS was awarding the Eb Steiniger Award. Eb Steiniger was the longtime Superintendent at Pine Valley Golf Club. The award is a lifetime achievement award for members of the PAGCS.
The process started a few months ago, when Jay Parisien, Past President of the PAGCS, contacted me to let me know that Frank Shuman had been nominated for the award by Ed Roynan, retired Superintendent from Limekiln Golf Club. Jay was writing a letter in support of the nomination and knew that I would want to do the same. For those who know Frank, this is a no brainer! Frank has spent most of his professional life supporting turf managers, PA Turf Grass Council, and especially the PAGCS. He is on the board of the The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia, which I have been lucky to be a part of. He has been the driving force behind the efforts to continue to upgrade the Walnut Lane Golf Club facility that is home to TFTGP with his time and financial support. Another special part to this was Frank's father had won the award also. The first Father/Son Eb Steiniger Award winners!
I was very lucky to be able to present the award with Jay to Frank. To be a part of something, honoring a lifetime of someone who I consider one of my mentors, was something I will never forget.
Congratulations to a well deserving winner of the Eb Steiniger Award, Frank T. Shuman!
Jay Parisien, Frank T. Shuman & me
WJC
Also, the PAGCS was awarding the Eb Steiniger Award. Eb Steiniger was the longtime Superintendent at Pine Valley Golf Club. The award is a lifetime achievement award for members of the PAGCS.
The process started a few months ago, when Jay Parisien, Past President of the PAGCS, contacted me to let me know that Frank Shuman had been nominated for the award by Ed Roynan, retired Superintendent from Limekiln Golf Club. Jay was writing a letter in support of the nomination and knew that I would want to do the same. For those who know Frank, this is a no brainer! Frank has spent most of his professional life supporting turf managers, PA Turf Grass Council, and especially the PAGCS. He is on the board of the The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia, which I have been lucky to be a part of. He has been the driving force behind the efforts to continue to upgrade the Walnut Lane Golf Club facility that is home to TFTGP with his time and financial support. Another special part to this was Frank's father had won the award also. The first Father/Son Eb Steiniger Award winners!
I was very lucky to be able to present the award with Jay to Frank. To be a part of something, honoring a lifetime of someone who I consider one of my mentors, was something I will never forget.
Congratulations to a well deserving winner of the Eb Steiniger Award, Frank T. Shuman!
WJC
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Eye Opener
This past week, I took a group of Technicians from the Philadelphia area to visit the Jacobsen Factory in Charlotte, NC. It is never easy to set up a travel event, and over the past few years, it has gotten harder and harder. So when we pulled out of Merion GC at 5:30AM, with a shuttle that was greatly appreciated, with all travelers accounted for, it was a great start!
Once we got to Charlotte, we had a nice lunch and some discussions with some Jacobsen personnel and then a tour of the distribution center. It is always impressive to see the volume of products that are being shipped out. From there we headed to Ganassi Racing. Ganassi is a corporate partner with Jacobsen and it enabled us to get a behind the scenes tour of their facility. Now, I am not a big NASCAR guy, but to say this was a learning experience, is an understatement. The amount of people, and money that go into their program, was incredible. From vehicle production, to testing, to how the engines are provided to each team, was something I never knew.
The next morning, we were up early for the factory tour. If you have not had the chance to tour one of the manufacturing plants, it is an eye opener. It is amazing how much planning is involved in having the parts available for the build, the amount of hand work that is done by people on the assembly lines and what processes you need to make sure things are right.
With a few guys who had had the chance to see some other equipment manufacturers, it was chance to compare. Some had not seen any manufacturing facilities before and were truly amazed. We are very lucky to have the factory that accessible to us.
A big thank you to Mark Pena and the team a Jacobsen for a great trip!
Thanks to Diego, Ed, Joe, Robert & Shawn for taking the time to make the trip!
Once we got to Charlotte, we had a nice lunch and some discussions with some Jacobsen personnel and then a tour of the distribution center. It is always impressive to see the volume of products that are being shipped out. From there we headed to Ganassi Racing. Ganassi is a corporate partner with Jacobsen and it enabled us to get a behind the scenes tour of their facility. Now, I am not a big NASCAR guy, but to say this was a learning experience, is an understatement. The amount of people, and money that go into their program, was incredible. From vehicle production, to testing, to how the engines are provided to each team, was something I never knew.
The next morning, we were up early for the factory tour. If you have not had the chance to tour one of the manufacturing plants, it is an eye opener. It is amazing how much planning is involved in having the parts available for the build, the amount of hand work that is done by people on the assembly lines and what processes you need to make sure things are right.
With a few guys who had had the chance to see some other equipment manufacturers, it was chance to compare. Some had not seen any manufacturing facilities before and were truly amazed. We are very lucky to have the factory that accessible to us.
A big thank you to Mark Pena and the team a Jacobsen for a great trip!
Mark Pena of Jacobsen showing our group some of the features of the new Truckster XD
Our tour guide, Ryan, discussing the final steps before the product is shipped
Robert Smith with his purchase from the gift shop!
Happy Halloween!
WJC
Sunday, October 11, 2015
How Did I Get Here?
This is an article that was published in the Philadelphia Association of Golf Course Superintendents' monthly newsletter "The Bonnie Greensward" in 2007.
Editors Note:
The article below is a tribute to two PAGCS members who left this earth in 2007. Richie Valentine passed away on May 29th and his dear friend Barney McFadden passed away on July 31st.
And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself with a beautiful house and a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself, well.....How did I get here?
-From the song "Once in a Lifetime" Talking Heads
We all reach a point in time when we reflect on where we are in life and whether or not we are where we thought we would be . Sometimes, this reflection borders on a birthday with a zero on the end or accompanies the passing of someone who has had an impact on us and our career path. Recently, as I was driving along, and was one of the few times I was not thinking about what I would do with my future Powerball winnings, I began thinking about " How did I get here?".
When you talk at length with anyone in the turf industry, the conversation always comes around to how you got started and who you worked for over the years. For me, my first connection to the golf industry was through my older brother, Joe, who had worked for Richie Valentine at Merion Golf Club during the 1981 US Open.
In 1987, I was looking I was looking for new job. Yes, the thought of Augustus Gloop working in the chocolate factory for Willy Wonka came to mind. Instead, my brother called Richie's' right hand man, Charlie Carr, and helped me get a job at Merion. I was lucky to be on the crew for the 1989 US Amateur. This job helped lead me to my job with the Philadelphia Turf Company by introducing me to Barney McFadden.
When you connect the dots and look at where you have come from and how you got to where you are, there are always key people at turning points in your life who have had a major impact. Along with many in the Philadelphia area, Richie Valentine was one of those people for me.
The older I get, the more I realize how fortunate I was to have worked for a legendary figure such as Richie. While working at Merion, and came to the conclusion that my plans to be a radio DJ were fading, I decided that I wanted a sales job in the golf business. This is where Barney McFadden comes in.
I would always see Barney on his sales calls to Merion and ask him to get me a job with Toro. Ok, maybe I would yell to Barney "get me a job!". When there was an opening in Central Pennsylvania, Barney helped me get the job and later helped me with sales training. Barney retired from PTC in 1997 after 42 years of service. He received the Master Salesman Award from Toro. (Only one award is given each year to the top salesman in the United States for Toro,)
Barney and Richie were great men. The similarities between them are striking. Both were great fathers; they both had incredible wives and historic careers, and both had been bitten by the fishing bug. I can still remember pulling into work and seeing the Toro truck in the corner of the parking lot. We all knew that meant Barney and Richie were having a meeting somewhere down the Jersey shore.
I consider myself very luck to have had these two great men as a part of my career. With the passing of an influential person in your life, you always wish you had done more to say thank you. I hope that by writing this piece, it might be a way of posthumously saying to Barney and Richie: "thank you to two legends who are probably sitting boat somewhere up in heaven together enjoying the best fishing ever."
WJC
Editors Note:
The article below is a tribute to two PAGCS members who left this earth in 2007. Richie Valentine passed away on May 29th and his dear friend Barney McFadden passed away on July 31st.
And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself with a beautiful house and a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself, well.....How did I get here?
-From the song "Once in a Lifetime" Talking Heads
We all reach a point in time when we reflect on where we are in life and whether or not we are where we thought we would be . Sometimes, this reflection borders on a birthday with a zero on the end or accompanies the passing of someone who has had an impact on us and our career path. Recently, as I was driving along, and was one of the few times I was not thinking about what I would do with my future Powerball winnings, I began thinking about " How did I get here?".
When you talk at length with anyone in the turf industry, the conversation always comes around to how you got started and who you worked for over the years. For me, my first connection to the golf industry was through my older brother, Joe, who had worked for Richie Valentine at Merion Golf Club during the 1981 US Open.
In 1987, I was looking I was looking for new job. Yes, the thought of Augustus Gloop working in the chocolate factory for Willy Wonka came to mind. Instead, my brother called Richie's' right hand man, Charlie Carr, and helped me get a job at Merion. I was lucky to be on the crew for the 1989 US Amateur. This job helped lead me to my job with the Philadelphia Turf Company by introducing me to Barney McFadden.
When you connect the dots and look at where you have come from and how you got to where you are, there are always key people at turning points in your life who have had a major impact. Along with many in the Philadelphia area, Richie Valentine was one of those people for me.
The older I get, the more I realize how fortunate I was to have worked for a legendary figure such as Richie. While working at Merion, and came to the conclusion that my plans to be a radio DJ were fading, I decided that I wanted a sales job in the golf business. This is where Barney McFadden comes in.
I would always see Barney on his sales calls to Merion and ask him to get me a job with Toro. Ok, maybe I would yell to Barney "get me a job!". When there was an opening in Central Pennsylvania, Barney helped me get the job and later helped me with sales training. Barney retired from PTC in 1997 after 42 years of service. He received the Master Salesman Award from Toro. (Only one award is given each year to the top salesman in the United States for Toro,)
Barney and Richie were great men. The similarities between them are striking. Both were great fathers; they both had incredible wives and historic careers, and both had been bitten by the fishing bug. I can still remember pulling into work and seeing the Toro truck in the corner of the parking lot. We all knew that meant Barney and Richie were having a meeting somewhere down the Jersey shore.
I consider myself very luck to have had these two great men as a part of my career. With the passing of an influential person in your life, you always wish you had done more to say thank you. I hope that by writing this piece, it might be a way of posthumously saying to Barney and Richie: "thank you to two legends who are probably sitting boat somewhere up in heaven together enjoying the best fishing ever."
WJC
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Why Do You Think They Call It Roxborough?
On Monday & Tuesday, this past week, for the second time in the past few years, we held the Philadelphia Association of Golf Course Superintendents Aeration Days, at Walnut Lane Golf Club, Home of The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia. While a week before was a little concerning on having enough people, the turnout was just right to get tees and fairways aerated and the greens sliced with the Graden. With the process slightly different from your standard aeration, we scrambled a little bit with the cleanup early, with not having the right equipment, but as the first day went on, things were moving as more back pack blowers arrived.
While the event was really an exciting couple of days for the people involved with TFTGP & Walnut Lane GC, it seemed to be just as exciting for those who volunteered. Everybody just pitching in and saying, "Whatever you need me to do!" This was the phrase of the two days. From clubs loaning equipment, to clubs sending staff over, even when they were shorthanded, to John Chassard and his guys, from Lehigh CC, making the long trip down and arriving at the perfect time to give volunteers a break to eat so the work could keep moving....Priceless!
I cannot say thank you enough to all those who helped to support The First Tee, Walnut Lane & Bob Sawicki, Superintendent! We received donations of products from multiple companies from seed, fertilizer and tines and my employer, Lawn and Golf, was nice enough to supply most of the equipment needed. The greens would not have gotten done, as Bob had planned, if it had not been for the work of Mike Janzer, of Plantfood, with his Graden demo unit and getting another Graden that was loaned to us by Merion GC. Thanks Mike!
And a final big thank you goes out to Suanne Gardiner, Editor of the PAGCS Bonnie Greensward Newsletter, who help to get the word out and reminded everyone how important this was!
Volunteers
Jon Urbanski & Charlie-Biderman GC
Rob Nolek+Staff-Cedarbrook GC
Joe Agnew-The Bucks Club
Chase Rogan-GCSAA
Giancarlo Sarullo & Nathan Kupstas-Bala CC
Joe Liebsch
John Chassard+Staff-Lehigh CC
Jon Noyes & Mike Fahringer-The Ace Club
Steve Keller-Meadowlands
Nick Tristani & Brayen Wilkens-Merion GC
Mike Janzer-Plantfood
Matt Brown & Sumner Cross-Lawn & Golf
Dean White & JC Clevenger-Fertl-Soil
Sean Cullen & Brent Mounts-Tesco
Donations
Pocono Turf-Chris Friel
Primo Products-Rich Hendrickson
Montco Products-Ben Poole
Fisher & Son
Shreiner Tree Care Service
Tesco
SynaTek-Alfie Gardner
Grigg Bros-John Wiblishauser
Seeton Turf-Steve Rudich
Lawn & Golf Supply Company
THANK YOU!
While the event was really an exciting couple of days for the people involved with TFTGP & Walnut Lane GC, it seemed to be just as exciting for those who volunteered. Everybody just pitching in and saying, "Whatever you need me to do!" This was the phrase of the two days. From clubs loaning equipment, to clubs sending staff over, even when they were shorthanded, to John Chassard and his guys, from Lehigh CC, making the long trip down and arriving at the perfect time to give volunteers a break to eat so the work could keep moving....Priceless!
I cannot say thank you enough to all those who helped to support The First Tee, Walnut Lane & Bob Sawicki, Superintendent! We received donations of products from multiple companies from seed, fertilizer and tines and my employer, Lawn and Golf, was nice enough to supply most of the equipment needed. The greens would not have gotten done, as Bob had planned, if it had not been for the work of Mike Janzer, of Plantfood, with his Graden demo unit and getting another Graden that was loaned to us by Merion GC. Thanks Mike!
And a final big thank you goes out to Suanne Gardiner, Editor of the PAGCS Bonnie Greensward Newsletter, who help to get the word out and reminded everyone how important this was!
Volunteers
Jon Urbanski & Charlie-Biderman GC
Rob Nolek+Staff-Cedarbrook GC
Joe Agnew-The Bucks Club
Chase Rogan-GCSAA
Giancarlo Sarullo & Nathan Kupstas-Bala CC
Joe Liebsch
John Chassard+Staff-Lehigh CC
Jon Noyes & Mike Fahringer-The Ace Club
Steve Keller-Meadowlands
Nick Tristani & Brayen Wilkens-Merion GC
Mike Janzer-Plantfood
Matt Brown & Sumner Cross-Lawn & Golf
Dean White & JC Clevenger-Fertl-Soil
Sean Cullen & Brent Mounts-Tesco
Donations
Pocono Turf-Chris Friel
Primo Products-Rich Hendrickson
Montco Products-Ben Poole
Fisher & Son
Shreiner Tree Care Service
Tesco
SynaTek-Alfie Gardner
Grigg Bros-John Wiblishauser
Seeton Turf-Steve Rudich
Lawn & Golf Supply Company
THANK YOU!
A group of First Tee participants with a nice Thank You wish to the PAGCS!
Matt Brown of Lawn & Golf operating the Redexim Carrier
And the biggest lesson I learned this past week.....Why do you think they call it Roxborough!
President of the PAGCS, Jon Urbanski, running the Core Harvester
Rob Nolek, VP of the PAGCS, running the Turfco Torrent Blower
Chase Rogan of the GCSAA dragging fairways after aerification. (No he is not angry just focused!)
Jay, Technician at Walnut Lane GC, switching out some tines on the Redexim Carrier
Shreiner Tree Care Service doing their part by donating a day of badly needed stump grinding.
Nick Tristani from Merion Golf Club running the new Jacobsen Truckster XD & Turfco 1550 Topdresser
WJC
Saturday, September 26, 2015
In The King's Castle
This past week, I had the opportunity to play at Arnold Palmer's Latrobe CC, in the western part of Pennsylvania. The chance to see some of the great memorabilia, in the clubhouse of Arnold Palmer's incredible career, is really special, but to be a foot away from one of the biggest names in sports is priceless! We were not sure if Mr. Palmer was still in town, but as we spoke to the locker room attendant, he said to be careful heading into the men's grill because that is where Mr. Palmer sits at lunch, right by the door. As our foursome finished up lunch, with no word of a sighting, we headed out to our cars to grab our clubs. One minute later, one of our foursome came over and asked, "Did you see him? You missed him by about a minute..." With that I headed back inside and cut through the men's locker room and as I walked out of the men's locker room, Mr. Palmer turned and looked at me and I just said, " Hello Mr. Palmer,". He nodded and turned back to his table of friends.
I am not an autograph collector or someone who is really into the celebrity worship, but I have to say it was pretty cool. To see one of the icons of golf, who still is one of the top money earners in sports, within a foot of you, is something I will never forget.
I am not an autograph collector or someone who is really into the celebrity worship, but I have to say it was pretty cool. To see one of the icons of golf, who still is one of the top money earners in sports, within a foot of you, is something I will never forget.
WJC
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Training Days
This past week, we held a training event, for our sales group, and then a demo day for customers at Blue Bell CC & Normandy Farm Conference Center. The opportunity to have all our primary vendors come into town to a first class location, for one on one training, with the sales team, was priceless! Hopefully, the mix of classroom work, with in the field product training, over a few days, was as productive as the planning that went into it. Manufacturer representation from Jacobsen, Ventrac,Turfco, Smithco, Redexim, AquaMaster & Turflux were all there participating. We are very lucky to have the strong Representatives who work with our dealership! One of the things I have learned since I have come to Lawn & Golf, is that their factory reps know their products inside and out. Most of them have their own demo units and can go head to head with anyone.
On Thursday, Steve Johnson from Smithco & Andy Billing of Turflux stayed around for an extra day, so we were able to do a sprayer demo day for customers. Speaking to a group of Superintendents, Assistants and Technicians, Steve and Andy briefly reviewed the Smithco and Turflux products. Every time I see GPS spraying in action, I have to admit, it is really amazing.
A big thank you goes out to all our factory representatives, Denis Bergey, Superintendent of Blue Bell CC, the staff at Blue Bell CC and Normandy Farm Conference Center and all the staff at Lawn and Golf for a great week!
Chuck Hicks of Redexim giving product training to Jeremy Weand & Bob Angell of L&G
WJC
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Make It Rain!
As we head into the official end of summer, summer must not have gotten the memo. With another week with multiple days of temperatures in the 90's and not much chance of rain in the long range forecast, most Turf Managers in the Mid-Atlantic have had enough. After the last measurable rain, when you took a core, the turf was moist the for the first few inches down and powder just below that. What started out as an average year, has turned into a especially long season.
This week the information regarding the Philadelphia Area Golf Course Superintendents Association Aeration Days at Walnut Lane Golf Club will going out. On September 28th & 29th, the home of The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia will be getting the course aerated with volunteers from the PAGCS. On top of members donating their time, vendors donate seed, fertilizer, tines and equipment for the aeration process. We did a similar event, a few years ago, and it was really great to see it all come together. Hopefully, the weather breaks our way and Bob Sawicki and his staff will have an overflow of help!
WJC
This week the information regarding the Philadelphia Area Golf Course Superintendents Association Aeration Days at Walnut Lane Golf Club will going out. On September 28th & 29th, the home of The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia will be getting the course aerated with volunteers from the PAGCS. On top of members donating their time, vendors donate seed, fertilizer, tines and equipment for the aeration process. We did a similar event, a few years ago, and it was really great to see it all come together. Hopefully, the weather breaks our way and Bob Sawicki and his staff will have an overflow of help!
WJC
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Own It
This past week, what had been announced privately to the employees of Lawn & Golf Supply Company has finally been made official. Lawn & Golf Supply Company is now employee owned! Bob Holman had a dinner for all the employees on January 22nd. The reason for this special dinner was to discuss the future of the company. I have to admit when he stated, "There is going to be a new owner of Lawn & Golf", my heart dropped a little bit. After seeing the transition already from one owner to another once in my career, it was not something I was hoping for. Then in the next sentence Bob stated, "It's is YOU!", I don't think it sunk in. Bob Holman was gifting the company to the employees. The company, that his father started in 1937 and that he and his brother ran, was now being giving to the people who made it go. Me, being with the company only a short time, I did not really understand how the amount of long term employees had been the basis of the culture. With 20 year & 30 year and even 40 plus year employees, that always indicates, to me, that it is a good place to work.
This past week, the paper work was completed and with the blessing of lawyers and the IRS, Lawn & Golf Supply Company is now employee owned. But one of the original parts of the plan had slightly changed. Bob had spoken about being involved for another 3-5 years back in January. He has now decided that in October, 2016 he will be stepping away from the position of President of the company. With that being said, there were some other things that would change too. Ken Jeinnings, current Vice President/Sales Manager, would be transitioning into the Presidents role, as originally planned, just sooner. I will be transitioning into the spot that Ken had.
Truly, pretty amazing; After a few years of not being happy with where I was working and trying to pursue different opportunities, I will have a chance to manage the sales group at the oldest turf equipment dealer in Philadelphia is unreal. I had tried starting my own distributor, interviewed with multiple manufacturers for a factory representative positions, and in the end, it was hearing from two friends in the Turf industry, who's opinions I respected, that suggested calling Ken to talk. That is started the wheels in motion. I am really grateful to Bob and Ken for this incredible opportunity!
https://www.golfcourseindustry.com/gci/082715-Lawn-Supply-Golf.aspx
http://www.turfrepublic.com/2015/08/27/lawn-and-golf-now-employee-owned/
WJC
This past week, the paper work was completed and with the blessing of lawyers and the IRS, Lawn & Golf Supply Company is now employee owned. But one of the original parts of the plan had slightly changed. Bob had spoken about being involved for another 3-5 years back in January. He has now decided that in October, 2016 he will be stepping away from the position of President of the company. With that being said, there were some other things that would change too. Ken Jeinnings, current Vice President/Sales Manager, would be transitioning into the Presidents role, as originally planned, just sooner. I will be transitioning into the spot that Ken had.
Truly, pretty amazing; After a few years of not being happy with where I was working and trying to pursue different opportunities, I will have a chance to manage the sales group at the oldest turf equipment dealer in Philadelphia is unreal. I had tried starting my own distributor, interviewed with multiple manufacturers for a factory representative positions, and in the end, it was hearing from two friends in the Turf industry, who's opinions I respected, that suggested calling Ken to talk. That is started the wheels in motion. I am really grateful to Bob and Ken for this incredible opportunity!
https://www.golfcourseindustry.com/gci/082715-Lawn-Supply-Golf.aspx
http://www.turfrepublic.com/2015/08/27/lawn-and-golf-now-employee-owned/
WJC
Monday, August 24, 2015
Chillaxation
What is vacation for you? I think the last time I had a completely detached vacation, no communication, would have to go back to pre-cell phone times. While the always in touch world we live in helps us to be better at our jobs, in some respect, it also raises the expectations that no matter where you are or what you are doing, you need to get back to your co-workers and customers within a timely manner. Every vacation, I have the same hopes of turning off my phone and responding to emails and calls when I return. yeah, not so much....
One of the best talks I have ever heard on vacation , as a turf manager, was given by John Segui, who at the time, had recently retired from his longtime superintendent position at Waynesborough CC, outside Philadelphia. John spoke of the need to get away with your family, even if it meant making some runs back and forth during the week. He spoke of how important it is to make time for your family. John, who is a past president of the GCSAA, is a truly a class act. To hear someone who was so successful advocate family, was great to hear. With the majority of courses starting to or down to the final days before aerification here in the Mid-Atlantic, shorter days are coming.
Hopefully, you got a chance to spend some family time and as my 11 year old likes to call it Chillaxation!
One of the best talks I have ever heard on vacation , as a turf manager, was given by John Segui, who at the time, had recently retired from his longtime superintendent position at Waynesborough CC, outside Philadelphia. John spoke of the need to get away with your family, even if it meant making some runs back and forth during the week. He spoke of how important it is to make time for your family. John, who is a past president of the GCSAA, is a truly a class act. To hear someone who was so successful advocate family, was great to hear. With the majority of courses starting to or down to the final days before aerification here in the Mid-Atlantic, shorter days are coming.
Hopefully, you got a chance to spend some family time and as my 11 year old likes to call it Chillaxation!
WJC
Friday, July 3, 2015
Momentum
Walnut Lane Golf Club is the home of the First Tee of Greater Philadelphia. The course is owned by the City, but TFTGP maintains the golf course. This past winter, the Superintendent resigned . Bob Sawicki, had just left the Superintendent position at Gulph Mills GC. When Bob said he was interested in the job, obviously there were thoughts that this might not be any easy transition. But as my Mom always says, "things happen for a reason!" Bob has had an incredible impact, in just a short time on the property, primarily because of his personality.
Bob's positive influence has helped to create a push to upgrade some of the tools he needs to keep making improvements. Just about when Bob started, Arader Tree had stepped in to help and dropped some trees that the city had deemed dangerous and needed to be taken care of as soon as possible. Now the trees were down, but what was available to clean them up? With a little luck and the generosity of a board member, Frank Shuman, a slightly used chipper was delivered that still had the paint on the feed deck!
Next up was looking at his equipment fleet. The rough unit, fairway mower and sprayer ,all ranging from 15 to 25 years old, are obvious candidates for retirement, but as we all know not cheap.
After talking about some options with Ken Jeinnings ,the Vice President & Sales Manager of my employer, Lawn & Golf Supply Company, we were able to work with Jacobsen and provide Walnut Lane with a brand new Jacobsen LF550 fairway mower! We delivered it this past Thursday.
With the Director of the First Tee of Greater Philadelphia, John MacDonald and some board members in attendance, it was a great photo shoot! Especially appreciated was the banner made up to thank Lawn & Golf and Jacobsen.
The momentum that has been created in improving the golf course at Walnut Lane is exciting to see.
The goal of enhancing the playing conditions for the kids in the program is truly inspiring.
Yesterday, for me, was a day I won't forget and one of the better ones in my career!
John MacDonald, Director of the First Tee of Greater Philadelphia, Assistant Ben Davies, Superintendent Bob Sawicki, Ken Jeinnings, VP & Sales Manager at Lawn & Golf and me.
Bob's positive influence has helped to create a push to upgrade some of the tools he needs to keep making improvements. Just about when Bob started, Arader Tree had stepped in to help and dropped some trees that the city had deemed dangerous and needed to be taken care of as soon as possible. Now the trees were down, but what was available to clean them up? With a little luck and the generosity of a board member, Frank Shuman, a slightly used chipper was delivered that still had the paint on the feed deck!
Next up was looking at his equipment fleet. The rough unit, fairway mower and sprayer ,all ranging from 15 to 25 years old, are obvious candidates for retirement, but as we all know not cheap.
After talking about some options with Ken Jeinnings ,the Vice President & Sales Manager of my employer, Lawn & Golf Supply Company, we were able to work with Jacobsen and provide Walnut Lane with a brand new Jacobsen LF550 fairway mower! We delivered it this past Thursday.
With the Director of the First Tee of Greater Philadelphia, John MacDonald and some board members in attendance, it was a great photo shoot! Especially appreciated was the banner made up to thank Lawn & Golf and Jacobsen.
The momentum that has been created in improving the golf course at Walnut Lane is exciting to see.
The goal of enhancing the playing conditions for the kids in the program is truly inspiring.
Yesterday, for me, was a day I won't forget and one of the better ones in my career!
Superintendent Bob Sawicki out taking his new unit for a test drive!
Hope you and your family have a safe and Happy 4th of July!
WJC
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Welcome To Valentine East!
This past week our company hosted a field day for Turf professionals at Penn State-Berks Campus , on the turf plots, known as Valentine East. Dr. Mike Fidanza was our host. As with everything, it all started with a couple of conversations between myself & Dr. Mike and then a few months of serious planning. Put that all together and you have yourself a field day! The behind the scenes work of organizing was definitely a big part of the challenge. From just organizing with your Service Department for the equipment needed, to who is hauling what, to having your paperwork in order to bringing in an outside food vendor on to a state run facility , we got it all done. What is great is everyone in our company had the same answer, "Whatever you need me to do!" We also had 7 of our factory representatives, who came into town to man their equipment. From Truck Drivers, Factory Reps, Salesmen, Service Department and the inside support people and Ownership, it took a team effort!
Now we did get a curve ball in the last 48 hours, with some thunderstorms with high winds, to make it tough for guys to leave work just for good measure. In the end , we still had almost 70 customers in attendance with a mix of golf & professional turf managers. Bill Brown, from Turf Republic, was also there to see the event and even helped me out with my first Periscope transmission for the introduction. He also did an interview with me for Turf Republic about the event.
The location could not have been better and the feedback from customers and vendors was all very similar with the concensus opinion being a very good day.
Now maybe that was the Jim's Steaks and cheese fries talking, but I will never admit that.
Now we did get a curve ball in the last 48 hours, with some thunderstorms with high winds, to make it tough for guys to leave work just for good measure. In the end , we still had almost 70 customers in attendance with a mix of golf & professional turf managers. Bill Brown, from Turf Republic, was also there to see the event and even helped me out with my first Periscope transmission for the introduction. He also did an interview with me for Turf Republic about the event.
The location could not have been better and the feedback from customers and vendors was all very similar with the concensus opinion being a very good day.
Now maybe that was the Jim's Steaks and cheese fries talking, but I will never admit that.
The Jacobsen station with the new Truckster XD
The Ventrac Station before they started mowing
Chuck Hicks from Redexim demonstrating the Carrier
The Turflux Station with the system on a Smithco Sprayer
The Turfco Station with the CR-10
The Big Dog & Ferris units
Chuck Hicks showing the Redexim Verti-Top for synthetic turf maintenance
Dr. Mike giving the group a brief talk on the Valentine East Facility
And the most important part of the day.....
A big thank you goes out to Dr. Mike Fidanza and the staff at PSU-Berks for all their help!
WJC
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Hail to the Chief!
Today was the end of an era. Scott Keener officially retired after over 25 years of selling Toro in Central Pa. My history with Scott dates back to my start in 1992. What Scott thought was just showing the new kid the ropes, became a fulltime Psychologist job! He was the one I would call each night to review my calls and advise me how I should handle them differently. While the calls might not have been every night over the last few years, his advice was still very important to me. When I read in business books that a mentor is key to being successful, think of how very lucky I have been to have Scott. What was great about it was we could disagree on how to handle a situation and I know I would get the all familiar, " I am not going to tell you how to run your territory but....." and in the end I would do what I felt best, but he always would give me the straight opinion of how he would do it.
My change in colors was slightly weird for both of us, especially since we had some similar accounts.In the end, it was Scott that helped me through a very challenging time in my career, by being a sounding board for my frustration.
As his retirement gift, I wish there was some way to turn back the clock and give him the Toro Master Salesman award that I had won back in 2008. Scott was more deserving and I always believed the time that he gave to the military on deployments and rising to the rank of Chief Master Sergeant prevented his winning, when he was so deserving.
Scott's support throughout my career is something that made an incredible difference in my path. It is always funny when someone refers to Scott as my Father and someone who doesn't know will ask what they are talking about. It says a lot when the people you work with refer to you as father and son. To a true mentor and friend, "Congratulations on your retirement!"
Happy Father's Day!
WJC
My change in colors was slightly weird for both of us, especially since we had some similar accounts.In the end, it was Scott that helped me through a very challenging time in my career, by being a sounding board for my frustration.
As his retirement gift, I wish there was some way to turn back the clock and give him the Toro Master Salesman award that I had won back in 2008. Scott was more deserving and I always believed the time that he gave to the military on deployments and rising to the rank of Chief Master Sergeant prevented his winning, when he was so deserving.
Scott's support throughout my career is something that made an incredible difference in my path. It is always funny when someone refers to Scott as my Father and someone who doesn't know will ask what they are talking about. It says a lot when the people you work with refer to you as father and son. To a true mentor and friend, "Congratulations on your retirement!"
Happy Father's Day!
WJC
Monday, June 15, 2015
GP-YES
On Monday morning, Andy Billing and Mark Luffy of Turflux will make the trip over to the good side of the state of Pennsylvania (HAHA!). They will be bringing the second Turflux upgrade unit to White Manor CC. White Manor was the first club in the Philadelphia area to convert their Toro sprayer to the Turflux GPS spray system and with a little creativity, we were able to get their 300 gallon sprayer converted only a few months later!
It is interesting when I have been sitting talking with customers, most have the same question, "Where do you think GPS spraying is heading?". My answer is,"It is coming!". I keep repeating the analogy of a Raven controller that years ago was a big deal and now is common place. I know that some of the guys are looking at it as too much technology, but not many of us go anywhere without the GPS on in our car!
Now there is Smithco's version of a GPS sprayer, Turf Geeks and Toro and John Deere have something on the way. While the transition to a new way to do things in our business is usually like turning an ocean liner, I truly believe that this is where all sprayers are headed. Why? Well, the more environmental restrictions and enforcement become more of a challenge, you are going to need to show more ways that you are being environmentally conscientious and being sub-inch exact with precise applications, I would think is the right answer!
WJC
It is interesting when I have been sitting talking with customers, most have the same question, "Where do you think GPS spraying is heading?". My answer is,"It is coming!". I keep repeating the analogy of a Raven controller that years ago was a big deal and now is common place. I know that some of the guys are looking at it as too much technology, but not many of us go anywhere without the GPS on in our car!
Now there is Smithco's version of a GPS sprayer, Turf Geeks and Toro and John Deere have something on the way. While the transition to a new way to do things in our business is usually like turning an ocean liner, I truly believe that this is where all sprayers are headed. Why? Well, the more environmental restrictions and enforcement become more of a challenge, you are going to need to show more ways that you are being environmentally conscientious and being sub-inch exact with precise applications, I would think is the right answer!
White Manor CC's Sprayer getting the Turflux conversion
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Funny Ha Ha
I have been very lucky to experience some things in the last few months,that not many get to do,which is to get factory training from multiple competitors. When I first started back last fall with Lawn & Golf, I was sent down to Jacobsen's factory in Charlotte. That was an enlightening experience, with having been to the Toro factory multiple times. Now this past week, I had the opportunity to go to factory training, out in Ohio, for Ventrac. To say, not what I expected, might be an understatement.
Ventrac has it roots with the old Steiner company. As a matter of fact, I believe that 9 Steiner family members are currently working at Ventrac. In 1988, the Steiner turf division was sold to Ransomes in England, while the Ag division was sold to a group of employees. In 1996, that company was renamed to Venture Products. This is one of those stories, in our business, that is incredibly interesting to me. Not a part of the big 3, but Ventrac has had double digit sales growth over the last six years and they built a new factory, that is 3 years old, and they have already outgrown it!
It is funny to me how a few years ago, when one of the other salesmen and I where both voicing our concerns about the recent increase of Ventrac sales in our area, we were not taken too seriously. After seeing the Ventrac factory and full product line of over 30 attachments and multiple tractors in a demonstration training event, it is funny alright....
WJC
Ventrac has it roots with the old Steiner company. As a matter of fact, I believe that 9 Steiner family members are currently working at Ventrac. In 1988, the Steiner turf division was sold to Ransomes in England, while the Ag division was sold to a group of employees. In 1996, that company was renamed to Venture Products. This is one of those stories, in our business, that is incredibly interesting to me. Not a part of the big 3, but Ventrac has had double digit sales growth over the last six years and they built a new factory, that is 3 years old, and they have already outgrown it!
It is funny to me how a few years ago, when one of the other salesmen and I where both voicing our concerns about the recent increase of Ventrac sales in our area, we were not taken too seriously. After seeing the Ventrac factory and full product line of over 30 attachments and multiple tractors in a demonstration training event, it is funny alright....
Brian Carr of Ventrac on a 30 degree slope!
WJC
Monday, June 1, 2015
Timing Is Everything
I saw a couple of great tweets this past week from Eric J. von Hofen of Riviera CC:
I really wish every salesperson used#Twitter or social media to follow me and see I'm in the middle of two large projects. I can't see you!
Then later....
I really wish every salesperson used
Then later....
Now time to thank all the sales people that do follow, help out and promote what we are doing. Others should follow your lead.
This is a great example of the conundrum that salesmen run into that is the tricky question of when to visit. While you have a job to do by making sure that people know the products that your company has to provide, you also need to respect the hectic schedule that a turf manager has going on each day, especially during the growing season or doing a large project. Obviously, there is not an easy answer. Depending on what part of the world you are in, the amount of visitors you get will vary. I know here in the Philly area, between equipment, chemicals & other products, my guess would be there are somewhere in the high twenties number of Reps. Everyone is competing for a piece of a smaller pie and the sales process has become much longer in most instances. I know for me,there is more texting and emails, but you hope you are doing your job correctly when you are told one of your competitors calls everyday asking if the decision has been made. Obviously,good communication in the relationship is one of the hardest parts to keep flowing with how busy things can get. I think it is a pretty inventive idea, using social media to get the word out that right now is not the best time to stop in for a visit.
WJC
WJC
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Reversal of Fortunes
When you said this morning to take out the new triplex out to mow greens, does the "new triplex" have over 3000 hours? Lots of clubs have fallen behind in their equipment replacement plans and now have been trying to get the process restarted. While the clubhouse gets new rugs and the golf cart fleet lease keeps on rolling, you are using equipment that was meant to be replaced years ago.
Recently, I had the chance to work with a golf course that was at this tipping point. Their main rough unit was purchased used and had over 10,000 hours! Yes, that is not a typo, over 10,000 hours.
The club has been doing well with play and would buy a piece when something would get to complete failure. The need for investment was obvious, but how do you get the board to understand where you are in your fleet needs?
We put together, what I would call for lack of a better term, a reverse proposal. I took pictures of all the equipment that needed to be replaced. Then, we collected the hours and years for each and put it in to a formal proposal, almost like you would for an equipment quote or bid. The part that I think helped to sell it to the board was the formula on each page showing the hours on each unit and how that would translate to car miles. I used 75 miles=1 hour on piece of turf equipment. I have heard all sorts of different conversions, but that is the one I use. Then add in multiple operators, being run at full throttle and what translates to off road use to help drive home the point,and hopefully,they see a clearer picture. Obviously, not an exact science, but it helps to speak a language that the board or owner will understand.
WJC
Recently, I had the chance to work with a golf course that was at this tipping point. Their main rough unit was purchased used and had over 10,000 hours! Yes, that is not a typo, over 10,000 hours.
The club has been doing well with play and would buy a piece when something would get to complete failure. The need for investment was obvious, but how do you get the board to understand where you are in your fleet needs?
We put together, what I would call for lack of a better term, a reverse proposal. I took pictures of all the equipment that needed to be replaced. Then, we collected the hours and years for each and put it in to a formal proposal, almost like you would for an equipment quote or bid. The part that I think helped to sell it to the board was the formula on each page showing the hours on each unit and how that would translate to car miles. I used 75 miles=1 hour on piece of turf equipment. I have heard all sorts of different conversions, but that is the one I use. Then add in multiple operators, being run at full throttle and what translates to off road use to help drive home the point,and hopefully,they see a clearer picture. Obviously, not an exact science, but it helps to speak a language that the board or owner will understand.
WJC
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Steak Or Sizzle?
Recently the GCSAA had started the "Thank a Superintendent" marketing campaign. I think this is a excellent way to attempt to grow the understanding of who is providing these great playing surfaces. But I will tell you, there are many Turf Managers who do not like to talk about themselves or their accomplishment. However, there are definitely more and more Superintendents who are using what is available to communicate to their members about what projects and day to day maintenance is being completed. The guys who made comments about ,"you and your Twitter" , a few years ago are now realizing it is not going away.
As the social media world continues to grow, I think it will become harder and harder for a Superintendent not to become a part of it. I have had the discussion,over the past few years, with many turf managers, who want nothing to do with any of it and that is their right. If it is not who you are, it is tough to change. The problem is the way people communicate and get their information is evolving.
What is interesting is how is it all perceived. Absolutely, it is an easy way to get information out quickly, but there another part of it that people struggle with....self promotion. Self promotion is not something that many of us are comfortable with, but often it is something that is an unwanted necessity. The discussion of is it the steak or the sizzle, I have had many times with people. The guy down the street has pretty much the same conditions as you and for some reason they are getting seen as more than they are. Why? Well they have a weekly blog explaining the past week's projects, they tweet great pictures that make the course look good constantly, they have been posting You Tube videos of projects and equipment in use. What are you doing to communicate with your members?
Your blog was set up two years ago and you posted something last November. You think Twitter, Instagram and You Tube are for teenage girls , but you are frustrated when you keep getting comments about what they are doing at your neighbor's club!
The truth is the current expectations of people is to have instant information and it is not going to get any less. The days of the article in the club's monthly newsletter with your recap of the past few weeks, is probably not going to cut it. While finding your "voice" in social media is not easy, it is something I would urge you to consider starting.
WJC
As the social media world continues to grow, I think it will become harder and harder for a Superintendent not to become a part of it. I have had the discussion,over the past few years, with many turf managers, who want nothing to do with any of it and that is their right. If it is not who you are, it is tough to change. The problem is the way people communicate and get their information is evolving.
What is interesting is how is it all perceived. Absolutely, it is an easy way to get information out quickly, but there another part of it that people struggle with....self promotion. Self promotion is not something that many of us are comfortable with, but often it is something that is an unwanted necessity. The discussion of is it the steak or the sizzle, I have had many times with people. The guy down the street has pretty much the same conditions as you and for some reason they are getting seen as more than they are. Why? Well they have a weekly blog explaining the past week's projects, they tweet great pictures that make the course look good constantly, they have been posting You Tube videos of projects and equipment in use. What are you doing to communicate with your members?
Your blog was set up two years ago and you posted something last November. You think Twitter, Instagram and You Tube are for teenage girls , but you are frustrated when you keep getting comments about what they are doing at your neighbor's club!
The truth is the current expectations of people is to have instant information and it is not going to get any less. The days of the article in the club's monthly newsletter with your recap of the past few weeks, is probably not going to cut it. While finding your "voice" in social media is not easy, it is something I would urge you to consider starting.
WJC
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Check the Flux Capacitor
Last week, Andy Billing, VP of Turflux, delivered the first GPS Sprayer unit sold to White Manor CC here in Philadelphia. While there are multiple users in the Pittsburg area ,where Turflux originated, this was the first here in Eastern Pa.
In the morning, Andy started by driving the border of the property with the unit on his trailer on the streets surrounding the golf course, to start the mapping process. He was also controlling the unit remotely from the cab of his truck with his laptop. We then spent some time going over the nuts and bolts of the system and some of the recommended processes.
The next step was the mapping process. With the request of multiple maps around the greens complexes, it would have been a good day to have a FitBit. Following the painted lines to mark each map needed, made walking required. Once everything was mapped, it was time to see how the sprayer was reacting to the parameters that had been locked in. To see the unit reacting with individual nozzle control and sub-inch repeatability, I got to say was pretty cool!
From our first meeting with the Turflux group back in the fall, I really thought this was going to be something special. To be able to control your chemical applications so precisely and the ability to be this exact, it is truly amazing. Then throw in that you can put it on any type of sprayer, old, new, Red, Orange or Green.....and I think we have a winner.
WJC
In the morning, Andy started by driving the border of the property with the unit on his trailer on the streets surrounding the golf course, to start the mapping process. He was also controlling the unit remotely from the cab of his truck with his laptop. We then spent some time going over the nuts and bolts of the system and some of the recommended processes.
The next step was the mapping process. With the request of multiple maps around the greens complexes, it would have been a good day to have a FitBit. Following the painted lines to mark each map needed, made walking required. Once everything was mapped, it was time to see how the sprayer was reacting to the parameters that had been locked in. To see the unit reacting with individual nozzle control and sub-inch repeatability, I got to say was pretty cool!
From our first meeting with the Turflux group back in the fall, I really thought this was going to be something special. To be able to control your chemical applications so precisely and the ability to be this exact, it is truly amazing. Then throw in that you can put it on any type of sprayer, old, new, Red, Orange or Green.....and I think we have a winner.
Andy Billing giving the review of what was done to the unit to upgrade it from the standard spray system to the Turflux system
Starting the mapping process
More of the mapping
WJC
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Frosty Field Day
As I sat on my couch, after using up all the hot water in my house, trying to warm up from our field day Wednesday, for some reason, all that stuck in my head was Leslie Chow from, "The Hangover II."He had been locked in an ice machine and after being pulled out just kept saying
"Chow so cold, Chow so cold...". The planned set up didn't start off with excitement,with temps in the mid-twenty's at 7:00AM! We did catch a break for few hours of sun, but the cold rain starting during lunch and hit pretty hard during break down making it tough for our group.
The interesting part of what could only be defined as raw weather, was it probably helped to make attendance at our field day so good. Anyone you talked to on the Sports Field Management side will tell you they are struggling to get fields open for play. From totally saturated conditions to frozen ground, getting fields open is an very big challenge. If the weather had been better, guys would have been at their own facilities trying to work on the fields.
Our program started with a heavy frost that caused us to change the schedule. Luckily we had the synthetic field maintenance talk with Chuck Hicks from Redexim ready to go. About mid-morning the sun started to peak out and we were able to break into our product stations. After about an hour and a half of product presentations, we were focused on the important part....Jim's Steaks!
Our hosts at Episcopal Academy, CJ Lauer, Assistant Director of Facilities and Joe Beyer, Director of Grounds, were an unbelievably gracious and a huge help!
I also can't thank enough all of our vendors, who came in to support our field day.
The great part was the feedback from customers and vendors was all very positive, even with the tough weather conditions.
WJC
"Chow so cold, Chow so cold...". The planned set up didn't start off with excitement,with temps in the mid-twenty's at 7:00AM! We did catch a break for few hours of sun, but the cold rain starting during lunch and hit pretty hard during break down making it tough for our group.
The interesting part of what could only be defined as raw weather, was it probably helped to make attendance at our field day so good. Anyone you talked to on the Sports Field Management side will tell you they are struggling to get fields open for play. From totally saturated conditions to frozen ground, getting fields open is an very big challenge. If the weather had been better, guys would have been at their own facilities trying to work on the fields.
Our program started with a heavy frost that caused us to change the schedule. Luckily we had the synthetic field maintenance talk with Chuck Hicks from Redexim ready to go. About mid-morning the sun started to peak out and we were able to break into our product stations. After about an hour and a half of product presentations, we were focused on the important part....Jim's Steaks!
Our hosts at Episcopal Academy, CJ Lauer, Assistant Director of Facilities and Joe Beyer, Director of Grounds, were an unbelievably gracious and a huge help!
I also can't thank enough all of our vendors, who came in to support our field day.
The great part was the feedback from customers and vendors was all very positive, even with the tough weather conditions.
LUNCH!
Mark Pena from Jacobsen
Chuck Hicks from Redexim talking Synthetic Fields
Sumner Cross from Lawn & Golf talking about Smithco
WJC
Monday, March 23, 2015
March Madness
The first day of spring 6+" snow storm here in Philadelphia was about the last thing anyone was hoping for. Adding to a winter that has made it very difficult to do most projects, people have had enough. Visiting with most turf manager ,they are itching to get started on the season. One club even had an opening tournament planned for this past weekend, not so much....
What is looking like a slow start, a super wet spring is probably coming our way. Following a winter where most clubs have had no golf in months, it's not what the doctor ordered for what ill's the business of golf. I spoke with someone this past week who attended the public golf course owners meeting recently and to say the least people, were very focused on the lack of play this winter and how many courses were still not open for play yet.
Hopefully, we start to see some higher temperatures and some good weather, especially this Wednesday for our field day at Episcopal Academy!
WJC
What is looking like a slow start, a super wet spring is probably coming our way. Following a winter where most clubs have had no golf in months, it's not what the doctor ordered for what ill's the business of golf. I spoke with someone this past week who attended the public golf course owners meeting recently and to say the least people, were very focused on the lack of play this winter and how many courses were still not open for play yet.
Hopefully, we start to see some higher temperatures and some good weather, especially this Wednesday for our field day at Episcopal Academy!
WJC
Saturday, March 14, 2015
And You Want To Be My Latex Salesman?
Have you ever thought about leaving the turf management side of the business to go into sales, or the dark side, as many have referred to it? Job opportunities are harder to come by and the younger segment of turf managers ,though smaller in number, are spending longer at their first position. More and more, I am hearing of people moving away from the golf world for another job. You like the business, but just can't get a break. While sales is not for everyone, it is a way to stay involved in something you love.
As Tim Moraghan, of Aspire Consulting, once said in an Assistant education program, "Everyone in the room can grow grass, but what separates you from the pack?" If you are thinking about sales, have you done anything towards opening that door? Even just to read a book on sales to see if it peaks your interest might be a good start. "The Little Red Book of Sales", by Jeffery Gitomer is one of my favorite books and gives an excellent vision of what sales is all about. Also, take a look at S. Anthony Iannarino's blog for another resource.
The question that you need to look at is what does a sales person really do? Is it just driving around all day listening to sports talk radio and making an occasional stop to ask the question, "you need anything?". What is funny, if I asked a bunch of Superintendents what sales person drives them crazy and why, they could tell you immediately. That guy is the one that doesn't value my time and doesn't have a purpose for his visit. Now ask what they like about the guys who they do business with and why. I can almost guarantee that number one answer is that he gets back to me. There are definitely some other things that play into it, like value in the products they sell and in the end do you make it easier for the turf manager to do his or her job.
I have some classifications I believe sales people fall into. Whether it is the professional visitor or the total account salesperson, you need to think about how would you do the job and be successful. Sales is definitely not for everyone, but it is an option to explore when you are ready to start the second phase of your career.
WJC
As Tim Moraghan, of Aspire Consulting, once said in an Assistant education program, "Everyone in the room can grow grass, but what separates you from the pack?" If you are thinking about sales, have you done anything towards opening that door? Even just to read a book on sales to see if it peaks your interest might be a good start. "The Little Red Book of Sales", by Jeffery Gitomer is one of my favorite books and gives an excellent vision of what sales is all about. Also, take a look at S. Anthony Iannarino's blog for another resource.
The question that you need to look at is what does a sales person really do? Is it just driving around all day listening to sports talk radio and making an occasional stop to ask the question, "you need anything?". What is funny, if I asked a bunch of Superintendents what sales person drives them crazy and why, they could tell you immediately. That guy is the one that doesn't value my time and doesn't have a purpose for his visit. Now ask what they like about the guys who they do business with and why. I can almost guarantee that number one answer is that he gets back to me. There are definitely some other things that play into it, like value in the products they sell and in the end do you make it easier for the turf manager to do his or her job.
I have some classifications I believe sales people fall into. Whether it is the professional visitor or the total account salesperson, you need to think about how would you do the job and be successful. Sales is definitely not for everyone, but it is an option to explore when you are ready to start the second phase of your career.
WJC
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Welcome Home
For the first time, in over 20 years, walking on to the floor at the GIS and not wearing my standard previously required jacket and tie, felt a little weird. But as the day went on, the lack of razor rash on my neck from my collar and the comments about my bright orange Cutter Buck wind breaker, felt pretty good!
The week started out pretty rough, as it did for many trying to work their way South. A phone call at 3:00AM telling me my flight had been cancelled, but my ride to the airport on the same flight telling me, "No it is not!" caused some confusion. I learned the drawback of the discount websites for tickets (Expedia) was that our connecting flight from Dallas to San Antonio had been canceled, so they bumped us off the first leg out of Philly and re-booked us for Wednesday afternoon. We got lucky and jumped a last minute flight with Southwest to make it in just about midnight on Monday.
Tuesday was filled with training meeting with Smithco & Turfco in the morning and a cold morning out at Oak Hills CC. This was followed by the Jacobsen business meetings. I have to admit that by the closing speech, at the end by the President of Jacobsen, David Withers, I was feeling like I was back playing football and looking for my helmet to run out onto the field. His passion for the business makes him someone that people want to follow. I have been very lucky to have had the opportunity to be around while he interacts with people and it is why Jacobsen is a large company with a small feel to it. This was followed by the awards ceremony in which Lawn & Golf Supply Company won the "Service Dealer of the Year Award"!
Tuesday night was my first chance to attend the Jacobsen customer party that I have been hearing about for years. And yes it lived up to all I had heard....Lots of refreshments, food and a live rodeo. Throw in a live band in one room, DJ in another and about 2000 people and I believe that's a party!
Wednesday's trade show was very busy and lots of talk about Jacobsen's new heavy duty work vehicle. The trade show layout was different and the word "flow" kept coming up. The layout seemed very segmented. The day was spent visiting other company's we work with like Ventrac, Turfco, Smithco, Turflux, Par-Aide and more which led to some tired legs. Roll right into a post show meeting and then into the Pennsylvania Room and now your feet are feeling it.
Thursday was more of the same in the AM with more of a look at competitive equipment and other products that might be in need of a distributor. After grabbing a bite for lunch the show became a pretty much ghost town.
Friday's travel day, with a check out of the hotel at 7:00AM and the truck pulling up to the house at 7:00PM, was a long one. Our connecting flight in Dallas spent an extra 2 hours on the tarmac waiting to be de-iced and hoping we did not get the news that airport would be shutting down with the snow. Some people did not get out until Saturday.
All in all it was definitely a different experience with the change. I was touched that some old friends in distribution and manufacturing made the point to come to the Jacobsen booth to find me. Some others I ran into throughout the week had some very nice things to say that I really appreciated!
Another GIS in the books, now come on Spring!
WJC
The week started out pretty rough, as it did for many trying to work their way South. A phone call at 3:00AM telling me my flight had been cancelled, but my ride to the airport on the same flight telling me, "No it is not!" caused some confusion. I learned the drawback of the discount websites for tickets (Expedia) was that our connecting flight from Dallas to San Antonio had been canceled, so they bumped us off the first leg out of Philly and re-booked us for Wednesday afternoon. We got lucky and jumped a last minute flight with Southwest to make it in just about midnight on Monday.
Tuesday was filled with training meeting with Smithco & Turfco in the morning and a cold morning out at Oak Hills CC. This was followed by the Jacobsen business meetings. I have to admit that by the closing speech, at the end by the President of Jacobsen, David Withers, I was feeling like I was back playing football and looking for my helmet to run out onto the field. His passion for the business makes him someone that people want to follow. I have been very lucky to have had the opportunity to be around while he interacts with people and it is why Jacobsen is a large company with a small feel to it. This was followed by the awards ceremony in which Lawn & Golf Supply Company won the "Service Dealer of the Year Award"!
Tuesday night was my first chance to attend the Jacobsen customer party that I have been hearing about for years. And yes it lived up to all I had heard....Lots of refreshments, food and a live rodeo. Throw in a live band in one room, DJ in another and about 2000 people and I believe that's a party!
Wednesday's trade show was very busy and lots of talk about Jacobsen's new heavy duty work vehicle. The trade show layout was different and the word "flow" kept coming up. The layout seemed very segmented. The day was spent visiting other company's we work with like Ventrac, Turfco, Smithco, Turflux, Par-Aide and more which led to some tired legs. Roll right into a post show meeting and then into the Pennsylvania Room and now your feet are feeling it.
Thursday was more of the same in the AM with more of a look at competitive equipment and other products that might be in need of a distributor. After grabbing a bite for lunch the show became a pretty much ghost town.
Friday's travel day, with a check out of the hotel at 7:00AM and the truck pulling up to the house at 7:00PM, was a long one. Our connecting flight in Dallas spent an extra 2 hours on the tarmac waiting to be de-iced and hoping we did not get the news that airport would be shutting down with the snow. Some people did not get out until Saturday.
All in all it was definitely a different experience with the change. I was touched that some old friends in distribution and manufacturing made the point to come to the Jacobsen booth to find me. Some others I ran into throughout the week had some very nice things to say that I really appreciated!
Another GIS in the books, now come on Spring!
WJC
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Private vs. Public
As we all know, the competition for a superintendent's position in today's market has gotten pretty crazy. The theory of supply and demand is in full force with lack of positions and candidate pool full of qualified and sometimes over qualified turf managers. Here in the Philadelphia market, there have been recently more positions open on the public golf side. I know that 20 years ago, it was not a big transition to go from an Assistant at a private club to a Superintendent at a Public course and then land a Superintendent job at a good private club. Recently, it seems that to make that move is not as simple.
If you are currently an Assistant at a Private facility and feel you are ready for a Superintendent position, do you pursue a Superintendent position at a Public facility? While the chance to run your own operation is what you are most looking towards, in the long run, it may have some other factors that make it not for you. While there is an immediate opportunity to make more money now, in the long term, shot at the gold ring of running an operation that has a large budget and the salary that is commiserate with it becomes harder to reach. What has always been the strength of many Public golf course managers, is the ability to do more with less. For some reason, this has not translated recently when opportunities appear.
Obviously, no one has the crystal ball to see what is the right career move, but judging recent history and looking at the current market, there are some interesting choices to be made.
In the end, it is about what is best for you.....
WJC
If you are currently an Assistant at a Private facility and feel you are ready for a Superintendent position, do you pursue a Superintendent position at a Public facility? While the chance to run your own operation is what you are most looking towards, in the long run, it may have some other factors that make it not for you. While there is an immediate opportunity to make more money now, in the long term, shot at the gold ring of running an operation that has a large budget and the salary that is commiserate with it becomes harder to reach. What has always been the strength of many Public golf course managers, is the ability to do more with less. For some reason, this has not translated recently when opportunities appear.
Obviously, no one has the crystal ball to see what is the right career move, but judging recent history and looking at the current market, there are some interesting choices to be made.
In the end, it is about what is best for you.....
WJC
Monday, February 9, 2015
Lunching With The President
This past week, I was on a day trip down to visit the Jacobsen Factory in Charlotte. While the trip with a customer was thrown together quickly, in the end it was excellent. When I was telling another customer the day after about how impressed I was with everything, he said,"drank the Orange Kool Aid did you?" and I just laughed and said, "it tasted great!". From a factory tour that completely blew my expectations out of the water, to a distribution center full of new products and even getting to see the new Cushman being built on the assembly line, the day was very productive. Finishing up with lunch ,with the president of Jacobsen, David Withers, and the Vice President of Customer Care, Brad Adamson, it was something I hope that I can replicate in the future.
WJC
WJC
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
When I see or speak with anybody lately, especially customers I have called on for years, I get the same question, "So how is it going?". To some, my answer has been with a laugh, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!". When you start a new job, there is always a transition period. For me, it is mostly learning how to do the day to day things at Lawn & Golf, like knowing how quotes are done and expenses. In the end, sales is sales. You visit customers and discuss their challenges, and hopefully, you have a product or a service that makes sense to help resolve it. Sure, product knowledge is still a work in progress, but that comes with time and working with people who know more than you.
The plans for the future at Lawn & Golf are exciting as we learned in a company wide meeting this past week and I am glad to be a part of . As a few people have said to me, " you are back to your old self. You can even hear it in your voice." It is good feeling to get up in the morning and look forward to going to work. You might say it is Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
WJC
The plans for the future at Lawn & Golf are exciting as we learned in a company wide meeting this past week and I am glad to be a part of . As a few people have said to me, " you are back to your old self. You can even hear it in your voice." It is good feeling to get up in the morning and look forward to going to work. You might say it is Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
WJC
Monday, January 12, 2015
History Repeating Itself
The advantage of experience is it gives you a very clear perspective on how things change. This past week, we hosted an educational event with our partners from Turflux. While GPS technology will be talked about more and more as the turf industry continues to evolve, the reality is that to me it is eerily similar to the transition to the Raven controller from a manual sprayer. On the sales end, we spent a bunch of time trying to be comfortable with how the Raven worked. For many customers, the thought of letting a computer be in charge of chemical applications on their turf was unthinkable. Currently, if you were to sell a manual sprayer without any computer system, it is almost unheard of in our area. I truly believe that in the next 5-10 years, GPS spraying will be the same. The reactions to technology challenges are not seen the same as they were. I know for me, I am on about my 5th smart phone, with the last few phones meltdowns catastrophic for the phone, but not my information. With all the advantages that come with GPS technology and the bugs having been worked out on the Ag side, I think we are at the start of a new phase in turf management.
WJC
WJC
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)