Two Ryder Cup Courses For EcoBunker

/in , /by

Two Ryder Cup Courses For EcoBunker: Working on a course for a Ryder Cup is a great achievement for any golf construction professional. To work on two in the space of a week, though, is pretty remarkable. But that’s what EcoBunker site manager Louis Palser will have done by the end of next week.

Louis has spent the last two days at Le Golf National in Paris, supervising EcoBunker’s part of the construction of the 2018 Ryder Cup venue’s new state of the art practice facility, which is being managed by golf consultant Alejandro Reyes (the former superintendent of Le Golf National). Flying directly from Paris to Rome, Louis moves on to the Marco Simone club, currently under reconstruction at the hands of European Golf Design architect Dave Sampson, in advance of its starring role in the 2022 Ryder Cup. There, for ten days, he will be working alongside EcoBunker’s top construction specialist Llewellyn Matthews installing EcoBunker’s AquaEdge lake edging product on the sixteenth and eighteenth holes.

Two Ryder Cup Courses For EcoBunker

Quite some going for a young man who is new to the golf business. Louis joined EcoBunker last year after studying civil engineering at Salford University, because ‘he wanted to use his construction knowledge, work outdoors and gain plenty of travel opportunities’, and spent 18 weeks last year on the company’s job at the new Dumbarnie Links in Fife, where he rose to be deputy site manager under Llewelyn Matthews. Now, he’s comfortable leading jobs, and has worked on EcoBunker projects in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and France.

EcoBunker CEO Richard Allen says: “With our contracting business growing rapidly we’ve had to invest in new construction management talent, and Louis has rapidly become an important part of our growth.”

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Andrew Rodwell – Obituary

/in , , /by

Andrew Rodwell – Obituary: SCH (Supplies) Ltd founder and former managing director Andrew Rodwell has died age 80. Many will know Andrew from the companies’ 33 years of extensive attendance at garden machinery shows across the country, where SCH have displayed their product range to potential customers and machinery dealers.

In 1986, Andrew recognised that the ordinary lawn mower tractor was capable of a lot more than merely mowing grass. With the help and encouragement of Malcolm Vandenburgh at Wests Engineering Ltd, the pair set about designing and manufacturing a range of grass care machinery. Before long, SCH (Supplies) Ltd was created and began selling products to a handful of local dealers.

Andrew Rodwell - Obituary

Through sheer hard work and determination the business flourished and expanded, and now has a catalogue of over 200 products, and a vast network containing hundreds of machinery dealers across the country. Andrew spent countless hours thinking of every possible need for the keen gardener, groundsman and game keeper, with the popular product range constantly evolving.

From the early days of SCH, Andrew was an advocate of training local aspiring engineers. He nurtured and mentored his young apprentices, some of whom have remained with SCH for over twenty years. The business now employs 25 people who design, manufacture and deliver the machinery.

In December 2018, Andrew and his family decided to hand over the running of SCH to two of his long term employees John Free and Ian Holder. SCH had been Andrew’s passion for over thirty years, and his hard work has put the company’s future on a successful trajectory. SCH will continue to trade as normal, so that his legacy is maintained.

Andrew has been described as a larger than life character, he was gregarious, often hilarious and a great British eccentric. He had a passion for anything mechanical from vintage tractors to classic cars. He will be sorely missed by SCH and all who knew him.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Gary Smith Joins STRI Group

/in , , /by

Gary Smith Joins STRI Group: STRI Group is delighted to announce the appointment of Gary Smith as an agronomic consultant, based in its Scotland office.

Smith has worked in the turf industry for over 25 years, mainly in a professional technical support role, including various new product launches in the chemical, nutrition and biotech industries.

Gary Smith Joins STRI Group

Until recently he was employed by Symbio UK and previously at Agrovista UK and Scott’s UK (now ICL) for 14 years.

Paul Woodham, STRI’s general manager of agronomy, said: “It’s an exciting time to welcome Gary who comes with a wealth of technical knowledge and industry experience. Gary will be a great addition supporting our operations across the business.”

Smith is one of several new faces to join STRI Group in May, as the business continues to grow across its global territories.

Consultant Samantha Maxwell joined STRI’s Melbourne-based business SportsTurf Consultants; Kate Breare and Oliver Thornton are the new trials officers at STRI’s UK research team.

STRI Group’s recent expansion has also seen new roles created, for a Planning & EIA consultant, as well as a CAD technician, in its new Consultancy division. Full details can be found on the jobs section of the STRI website.

Lee Penrose, STRI Group director, said: “STRI is always searching for ambitious and talented individuals to continue our growth as the leading provider of turnkey plan, design, build and operate services into sports developments. Engaging with industry leaders such as Gary ensures our work exceeds the expectations of our clients.”

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

AEA Appoint New President

/in , , /by

AEA Appoint New President: Newly elected President of the AEA, Mr Adrian Winnett, speaks of the need to retain and attract young talent into agriculture and engineering.

The UK agricultural engineering industry needs to continue finding ways to retain and attract young talent, not just from within but also from outside the industry, according to the newly-elected President of the AEA.

AEA Appoint New President

Adrian Winnett, Managing Director of Argo Tractors operations in the UK and Ireland, said: “It is a terrible shame that beyond our own circle neither of the words ‘agriculture’ and ‘engineering’ resonate in terms of a career choice with the majority of young people.

“Yet we all know what challenging, fulfilling and rewarding opportunities there are in agriculture generally and in the agricultural and groundscare machinery sectors in particular.”

Speaking at the annual conference of AEA, the organisation for machinery manufacturers and importers, Mr Winnett suggested that from the outside, agriculture is often thought of as being another world, of being insular and open only to those already in it with personal experience of farming or at least of rural life.

“We must do our bit to help change those perceptions if we are to capitalise on the wealth of talent that, at present, is attracted to other industries and commercial sectors.”

After two years as Chairman of the AEA’s Farm Equipment Council, Adrian Winnett was elected President by fellow members of the AEA’s management board.

“It’s an honour I couldn’t have imagined when I left school and started repairing tractors at my father’s equipment dealership in Towcester,” he said. “And, frankly, it wasn’t something I could foresee at any other time during my career in tractor and farm equipment sales.”

In September 2018, after around 10 years running the Amazone farm equipment business in the UK, Adrian Winnett was appointed Managing Director for the UK and Irish markets by Argo Tractors, the Italian manufacturer of Landini and McCormick products, with plans to recruit a larger team to support an expanded dealer network as a driver for increased sales.

“Dealer networks are restructuring as more manufacturers go ‘full line’ in the hope of securing more business from their dealerships,” he points out. “Argo remains focused on its core products – tractors from 43-310hp – while emphasising its support for dealer independence, which enables them to decide on the other products they sell.”

As President of the AEA, his role will be to lead the management board while the farm equipment and outdoor power equipment councils and specialist groups on manufacturing, training and education, chemical applications, sprayer testing, service management and all-terrain vehicles focus on current issues and initiatives.

“Consultation on proposed legislation as it impacts machinery and helping members interpret and implement new rules when they are introduced remain key functions of the AEA, along with the statistics and export services,” says,” Mr Winnett. “As our relationship with the rest of Europe and the world evolves, I think membership of the AEA by agricultural and outdoor power equipment companies has never been more important.”

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Campey’s Mick Parks Retires

/in , , /by

Campey’s Mick Parks Retires: Campey Turf Care System’s outside service engineer, Mick Parks, has retired from his role after 27 years at the company.

Mick started his job with Campey in July 1991 and has been a valuable member of the team ever since. His qualities, not only as an engineer but as a person, will be missed by everyone at Campey and the many customers he worked with throughout the years.

Campey's Mick Parks Retires

Mick was well known to his customers especially in the North West of the UK. When needed he would turn up at the customers site and fix many problems himself reducing downtime and allowing the greenkeepers or groundsmen to continue their work.

Speaking about his time at the company, Mick said: “I’ve really enjoyed my time at Campey , and I wouldn’t change it. Richard has always let me get on with the job and despite working alone most of the time I’ve always had the support of the Campey team and I’ve valued the support and friendship of my colleagues and Richard.”

Mick’s contribution has been greatly valued by Richard Campey, who is sad to see him go after so many successful years.

“Mick has been with us for a long time, and he epitomises everything that is good about the company,” he said. “He has represented us out in the field and always delivered excellent work, and he has been an esteemed member of our team throughout his 27-years with us.

“I’m sorry to see him go, but I’d like to thank him for his service and wish him all the best for his retirement.”

In retirement, Mick intends to spend a lot more time with his family, particularly his grand-children, and indulge his hobbies of cycling and walking.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.