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EDITOR'S BLOG

NEW BEGINNINGS
Summer sees new ventures
by TurfPro Editor, Laurence Gale MSC, MBPR

With summer upon us and turf professionals busy protecting their surfaces from the hazards the season brings, it was great to catch up with colleagues at the recent opening of Campey's new depot.

It was pleasing to see England's cricket team win an incredible match in the second Test over New Zealand at Trent Bridge. The Three Lions secured an astonishing victory after they chased down a fourth innings target of 299 set by the Kiwis, in just 50 overs, to seal their first Test series victory in 18 months.

The final session saw Johnny Bairstow smash a 77-ball century and captain Ben Stokes hit 75 off 70 balls, to see England home.

However, for me the real heroes of the Test, apart from the players who managed to perform unbelievably on that last day, were without a doubt the Trent Bridge grounds team led by head groundsman Steve Birks - who this year celebrates 25 years working at Trent Bridge.

I came across a video interview with Steve regarding the work he and his team do to prepare pitches at Trent Bridge that's well worth a view.

Let’s hope the England cricket team can be inspired to win further Tests for the remainder of the summer.

Tomorrow sees us celebrating the longest day (June 21st) and we may have witnessed some of the hottest days of this summer already with temperatures reaching an incredible 35 degrees C on Friday.

Drought stressed bowling green

These high temperatures will surely lead to some issues when maintaining natural turf playing facilities. In the main it will be about the ability to irrigate the turf to keep it alive.

Some clubs are even experiencing drought conditions already and there could even be a drought forecast if these dry conditions prevail. Some parts of the country have only had 3-4mm of rainfall compared to their normal average of 30 plus mm for the month. A recent article I penned (Irrigation is Vital) spoke about understanding the soil plant water relationships and how to maximise the use of water resources during drought conditions.

The month of June also signals the start of the egg laying season for Chafer Grubs and is a critical time for turf professionals to start a programme of Chafer grub control, we now have only one chemical insecticide product approved for use on chafers.

You can read a recent article about the emergency authorisation for chafer grub control that has been granted for this year, on TurfPro’s website.

Campey opening celebration

Last Friday I, along with over 100 plus Campey Turf Care Systems customers, friends and work colleagues, attended the official opening of their new depot in Bosley, Cheshire - a mere half an hour from their HQ in Marton Hall Lane, Macclesfield.

Speaking to Richard about the new depot, he said, “This is a new venture for us. We are expanding into new areas of agriculture, horticulture, and professional landscaping with new product ranges to appeal to a wider, more diverse user. Having this new depot allows us to grow the business and it gives us opportunities to take on more new staff and to hold more stock”.

Richard has spent over 40 years building a successful company, developing and supplying quality machinery for natural turf renovation and maintenance. Equally important is his pro-active approach to educating groundsmen and women in promoting a strategy of best practice. He is a great advocate for promoting the best possible sports surfaces across all walks of life and all levels of sport, collaborating particularly closely with his local clubs and local authorities in the Cheshire and surrounding areas.

Ian Howard and Andy Walker

Invited guests in attendance on the included Ian Howard md of Dennis SISIS, along with Toby Clarke and Andy Walker, who brought along some of their products. I had a chat with Toby who was in fact on his way to Australia to oversee some sales in Melbourne. He said this year had been one of their best years for sales, and they are looking forward to supporting the World Cup in Qatar when it kicks off on Monday November 21 at the Al Thumama Stadium.

L-R: Jim Croxton, Richard Campey Linda and Dean Cleaver

Also in attendance was Jim Croxton, CEO of BIGGA and Dean Clever, executive officer for FEGGA -both of whom stated they were having a busy year sorting out golfing relating issues, especially on the need to recruit and retain greenkeeping professionals.

On the football front I met up with a couple of high profile head groundsmen, namely Steve Speed from Port Vale and Tony Sinclaire from Man Utd. Both were looking forward to the new season that begins in August.

Steve Speed, centre, next to Richard Campey, left

It will be Steve’s forty third season at Port Vale and no doubt will be another busy season for one of the longest serving head groundsman in the football League. The Valiants were promoted to League One after beating Mansfield Town in the League Two play-off final. It has been a few years since I last visited Vale Park - so not wanting to miss a chance, I have arranged to go and see Steve in July ahead of the new playing season.

I would like to thank Richard and Julia Campey for inviting me to their special opening day where we were blessed with plenty of sunshine, ice cream, refreshments and food to celebrate a new milestone in the Campey story.

NEWS

JUDGES REVEALED
For 2022 Industry Awards

In our first WEB ONLY story the 12 twelve judges represent a variety of sectors operating in the grounds care industry, and together, will collectively select a winner for each of the nineteen award categories.

REESINK REBRAND DIVISION
New name established

In our next WEB ONLY story, the manufacturer says change is intended "to reflect increasing market diversity."

NEWS

NATIONWIDE DEALER COVERAGE ACHIEVED
In first year

Nationwide dealer coverage has been achieved

The arrival of a global electric utility vehicles manufacturer in the UK has achieved nationwide dealer coverage in its first year.

The arrival of Star EV, a global electric utility vehicles manufacturer, in the UK has achieved nationwide dealer coverage in its first year.

Reesink e-Vehicles, the UK distributor for the brand, has confirmed there are eight dealers stocking the vehicles alongside the company’s branches, meaning a total of 12 outlets are stockists in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Dave French, sales manager for Reesink e-Vehicles, said, “The response to the Star EV brand and the range of electric transport options it brings to the UK has surpassed expectation. We knew it would prove popular, as electric vehicles are a hot topic, but people have responded particularly favourably to Reesink e-vehicles, and Star EV as a brand.

“Like us, dealers have recognised the market for all-electric products is buoyant, as is the range of customers they appeal to. In a year we’ve seen customers from golf clubs, sports stadiums, holiday/caravan parks, private schools and estates all invest in Star EV, appreciative of the good mileage per charge, on-board charging and extensive warranty they bring.”

The dealers offering Star EV are:

John Osman Groundcare (North Wales)
Devon Garden Machinery (South West England)
Cheshire Turf Machinery (North West England)
Laird Grass Machinery (Northern Ireland)
Terry Harrison Machinery (South Wales)
Lloyd Ltd (North England and South Scotland)
Russells (North/East Midlands England)
AJ Mowers (West England).

Alongside Reesink Scotland, Reesink Burwell (East Anglia and Midlands), Reesink Sheffield Park (South East) and Reesink South West and Midlands.

CLUB CAR BUY ELECTRIC VEHICLE MAKER
Look to tap into new offerings

Manufacturer says they intend to increase the global reach of the combined brands.

Club Car has completed the acquisition of Garia A/S a Denmark-based manufacturer of electric street legal low-speed vehicles for the utility, consumer and golf markets.

The acquisition also includes Melex, which Garia acquired in 2021 to accelerate its growth in the utility space. Melex is a manufacturer of lightweight utility vehicles based in Poland.

“We are incredibly excited that Garia and Melex have joined Club Car. Together, we share a passion for innovation, design, and commitment to our customers,” said Club Car president Mark Wagner.

“We look forward to increasing the global reach of the combined brands. We see the acquisition as an opportunity to mature our go-to-market strategies and tap into new offerings - like street-legal utility and last-mile delivery.

“With the most extensive line-up of low-speed electric vehicles in the industry, we anticipate a strong growth trajectory for years to come,” Wagner added.

Both the Garia and Melex businesses will continue to be led by Jakob Holstein, who said, “Club Car is known for their extensive dealer network. This, combined with their operational expertise and commitment to delivering high-quality products, will take our brands to a new level.”

DEALERSHIP LOOKING TO PROGRESS IN PRO MARKET
Takes on new range

Company says they are currently about 70/30 in favour of domestic - but with new appointment hope to make further moves into commercial sector.

Action Lawn and Leisure has been appointed as a new Etesia dealer in Stirlingshire and surrounding areas.

The dealership was founded in 1998 by Bob Bruce. It is a family run business which prides itself on offering a personal service with good advice and excellent product knowledge. The company works with a variety of groundscare brands, but the time had come to set further ambitions according to Ian Bruce, son of founder Bob.

“Currently we are operating at about 70% domestic and 30% commercial,” he said. “We are looking to venture more into the professional market and want to be able to offer machinery of the highest quality. That is why Etesia kept coming into my head.

“We have dealt with a few Etesia machines over the years and have always been very impressed with what we’ve seen,” continued Ian. “Our local council has an Etesia fleet it was the only machine that came in for a service this year that didn’t need major repairs. This tells me it is of a decent quality because the council are quite boisterous with their machinery!

“I believe the Etesia products will help us attract larger contractors, landscapers with a few vans on the road and potentially some national trust sites - to name but a few,” he said.

“One of the biggest problems we’ve got in Scotland is wet grass and this is always choking up our customers’ machines. The Etesia machines are designed to cope with this very easily."

TORO UK OPEN VISITOR CENTRE
After significant investment

Toro UK have opened a new visitor centre

Facility will be used to host visiting customer groups.

Toro U.K. Limited have opened a visitor centre at their Spellbrook factory in Hertfordshire.

After significant investment, the company have converted an old agricultural building based by their test fields into a multi-functional visitor centre, that includes a kitchen, toilets, Wi-Fi and full audio visual facilities.

Described by the company as capable of holding small intimate meetings to large events, the building will give them the opportunity to welcome more groups to the site, including customers and dealers from both the UK and Europe.

In honour of the founder of Hayter mowers, the building has been named the 'Douglas Hayter Visitor Centre' and various nods to the site's history have been added in the form of a history wall, display cabinets and some heritage and special edition machines.

Toro UK combined the launch of the visitor centre with a celebration for staff of the Queens Platinum Jubilee.

Craig Hoare, sales & marketing manager, Toro U.K. said, "This visitor centre provides Toro with a really useful space to host and interact with our dealers and customers. From training to new product development, this visitor centre will be vital to growing our business in the UK.

"There was only ever one choice when it came to naming the building and I am so pleased we have been able to honour Doug Hayter, the man who started it all and to be able to bring some of our history into the building.”

JOBS

DIRECTOR OF COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS
Redexim UK

Redexim UK is seeking an experienced and dynamic professional with a strong background in product sales and marketing through a dealer network, preferably in the land-based machinery sector, to lead our continued growth within in the UK and manage all aspects of our commercial activities.

Redexim UK is part of the Redexim BV group who manufacture specialist machinery for the maintenance of sports turf surfaces. As a world leader in turf maintenance equipment, we have continued to develop an ever-increasing portfolio of innovative and comprehensive range of products for our global customers.

Through our continuous engagement with our customers, we ensure that we fully understand their requirements and desires. To complement our broad range of tier-1 products, we also offer leading after-sales and service programs. This includes a UK-wide distribution network, that provides the spare parts to keep our equipment running at all times, and reducing any potential down times.

We are seeking a Director of Commercial Operations to lead our continued growth within in the UK.

The Role

This newly created role is UK based and will manage all aspects of the company’s commercial activities in order to achieve:

agreed annual sales and contribution targets for the UK operations
performance within cost budgets
new and current business development objectives for each sector of the business.
a balanced and motivated working team with clear personal development targets that are met annually
a strong market place profile for the Company through a clear coordinated communications strategy
working as a constructive member of the company’s senior management team
all parts of the commercial department working effectively in the company within the operating guidelines and procedures.

Responsibilities

We are seeking an experienced and dynamic professional who will:

be part of the UK senior management team reporting to the Redexim UK Board and lead and manage a team of 3 Regional Sales Managers and a Sales Support Demonstrator
develop and implement the overall sales and marketing strategy and prepare the annual marketing plans for each sector of the business
lead new business development proposals with plans and marketing/ financial analyses based on market intelligence and other related research and data
on an ongoing basis review and modify as appropriate:
o customer, market sector and distribution strategy including key and national accounts, dealer strategy and individual performances
o the product offering, pricing and discount levels to the marketplace.
manage budgets, activity planning, monitoring and review for each sector
oversee dealer/customer support, service, warranty and training activity
oversee all marketing, sales, promotional and the company’s public relations activities
ensure all legal and compliance obligations within the Commercial operations and adherence to the company standing instructions and guidelines.

What you should have

strong background in product sales and marketing through a dealer network in the UK, preferably in the land-based machinery sector, to manage all aspects of the company’s commercial activities
experience and understanding of technical/engineering products and strong management track record in sales, national accounts and all aspects of marketing
good working knowledge of the regulations relating to employment, finance, contracts, health and safety, technical standards, data protection and business law to oversee all operational aspects of the UK sales and after-sales operations
competence in negotiation, people management and direct involvement in public/press relations coupled with demonstrable ability in business and financial planning, forecasting and control
effective communicator with excellent interpersonal skills to establish and maintain long-standing relationships internally with members of staff, senior managers and the Board, and externally with customers, press/media, business associations and government/public sector bodies
valid full driving licence, able to travel nationally with overnight stay away from home on regular occasions and occasional overseas travel on business.

What we offer

Competitive salary dependent on experience plus annual performance related bonus, 25 days annual leave per calendar year plus bank & public holidays, a fully expensed company car or annual allowance, defined contribution scheme and death in service life insurance. Flexible attendance at the company’s head office in Haslemere, Surrey as required and home working.

How to apply

For further details including details of the application process please refer to the application pack by following this link: News & Events - Redexim UK

Closing date: 27 June 2022

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