Bernhard’s new Director of Finance and Operations

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Bernhard’s new Director of Finance and Operations: Bernhard Company has appointed Patrick Collins as its new director of finance and operations.

Patrick Collins, who joined Bernhard in September, will oversee finance and operations at Bernhard Company’s manufacturing plant, based in Haverhill.

Bernhard's new Director of Finance and Operations

Bernhard’s new Director of Finance and Operations

He has worked in a variety of industries, and his financial experience in manufacturing companies such as Telefonica UK Ltd, BWI UK Limited and   Honda UK will bring valuable experience to the team. Patrick is a keen golfer, and he also coaches Rugby and Cricket; his interest in sports will be a great asset to Bernhard Company in him understanding our industry.

Bernhard and Company Chairman, Stephen Bernhard, said: “Patrick joins us at a challenging time, we are all very excited to welcome him into the business, his skills and experience will reinforce our ambitious strategy.”

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A spotlight on Siân Workman

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From Agrovista Amenity

A spotlight on Siân Workman: Siân had not initially envisioned herself in a marketing role. As a child she dreamt of being a veterinarian and an affinity for nature and animals led her to embark on a Zoology and Conservation degree at university. A notoriously difficult industry to land a career in, Siân had to reassess her career path. Little did she know that a fulfilling opportunity was around the corner – one which would allow her natural skills to flourish.

“While it may seem unrelated having a Zoology and Conservation degree and be working in the amenity sector, it has actually been very beneficial,” said Siân. “Just having that background and interest in science and biology translates for a greater understanding of my role.

A spotlight on Siân Workman

A spotlight on Siân Workman

“My degree underpins my natural scientific interests, being fascinated by biology and the chemistry behind a lot of the products we encounter. I’m always talking to the technical team to try and understand how everything works better.”

This inquisitive interest in biology has resulted in an oasis of plants being grown around her desk.

At the time, Siân was undertaking various roles at a local sports centre and when the opportunity arose to join Agrovista Amenity, she did not think twice about applying for an interview. This was, in part, fuelled by her love for Welsh rugby.

“I am a big Welsh rugby fan and I had heard that some people within the company had been involved with the Principality Stadium pitch – which is what my dad calls The Cathedral! There was a lot going on at the time and they were starting to do the synthetic threading into the natural pitches. It just so happened that we were talking a lot about that process in my circles and amongst our family. It sounded like a good company to work for, so I applied and fortunately was offered the role.

“Yes, it was different to what I originally set out to do, but it turned out that I really enjoyed doing something with so much variety. I felt that I was good at the role so I invested all my efforts into doing the best job I could.”

Siân quickly discovered that the company culture and its values would enable her to thrive. It was the perfect fit and with the support of the company she set about obtaining some esteemed qualifications – something which she pinpoints as a proud moment in her career history.

“From the moment I walked in, I could tell that they were incredibly supportive and would work with you to help progress your career. They want their staff to learn and develop and, for me, being science-based, it suits the way I work – I am always eager to learn.

“I’ve received fantastic on-the-job learning; I’ve completed a number of online seminars, learnt basic HTML, completed a CSS course and I also achieved all of my Google qualifications.  I’m particularly proud of my Google qualifications because they were very intense and trying to juggle those with my workload wasn’t easy.”

Siân uses these qualifications to the company’s advantage. She manages e-commerce activity for the amenity side of the business including pay-per-click campaigns, online adverts, integral analytics and gets involved in various projects that are related to e-commerce.

“My role involves disseminating content from the technical team to our product pages, social channels and other marketing literature and keeping in mind the audiences and restrictions of those. My interests and science background helps me fully understand what I am trying to communicate better.

“It’s also about recognising any trends or issues in the marketplace and catching them early. The technical team play a big part in this respect and can predict when certain products will be of interest. This corresponds with what I am seeing through the online statistics or searches, and what customers are saying on reviews or comments on social media.

“We ping ideas back and forth in our marketing meetings and I’ll present them with monthly reports. If we notice a drop in something, then we will investigate the reasons behind it. We make a good team and it helps us to produce marketing that is transparent, valid for the relevant platform and relatable to online content.”

The importance of teamwork and collaboration is an essential ingredient of any business, and furthermore, Siân believes that Agrovista Amenity boasts an environment which promotes an atmosphere that fosters friendship and loyalty.

“There was a friendly atmosphere as soon as I arrived, and now some of my closest friends are people I’ve met here. Everyone is extremely easy to work with and I would struggle to leave for anywhere else.”

Perhaps it is this environment which has enabled Siân to thrive – in her five years at Agrovista Amenity she has received two promotions. She has found purpose, fulfilment, and happiness in her role. Outside of work, Siân has a keen interest in strength and fitness for gymnastic discipline and she still has a love for animals – as she explains.

“I have a snake and a Snow Bengal cat at home which resembles a leopard, so he needs a lot of exercise. He comes out on walks with us and we get horrendous looks from neighbours – which my partner is absolutely mortified about!”

Let’s just hope Agrovista never has a bring-your-pets-to-work day.

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Hayter & Toro appoints new LCE & Siteworks Sales Manager

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Hayter & Toro appoints new LCE & Siteworks Sales Manager: Toro, a global leader in turf and landscape maintenance, has welcomed Matthew Coleman to the team. Joining the business as a Sales Manager, Matthew will be responsible for growing the LCE and Siteworks side of the business for the UK, reporting into Craig Hoare, Sales & Marketing Manager – UK Direct Markets.

Matthew joins the Toro team from his previous role at Fuchsia Exhibition Services, a family run business of 40 years, dedicated to events and exhibitions services within the grounds care and construction markets. Fuchsia specialises in the design and construction of exhibition spaces for several top companies in the grounds care industry, including Toro.

Hayter & Toro appoints new LCE & Siteworks Sales Manager

Hayter & Toro appoints new LCE & Siteworks Sales Manager

Matthew has over 12 years of experience in the grounds care market, importing and distributing zero-turn, stand-on and remote-control mowers around the UK for brands such as Ferris, Wright, Spider and Avant. Combining his technical knowledge and sales management experience, Matthew built a successful dealer network that has allowed him to enhance his knowledge of the grounds care industry whilst establishing successful industry relationships.

Now taking on his new role with Toro, Matthew will be a fresh pair of eyes for the LCE and Siteworks side of the business. His main responsibilities in this role will be to educate the UK market on the Toro LCE and Siteworks ranges and how Toro’s equipment in those areas can be a huge asset in successful sales growth.

Matthew said: “I am incredibly excited to be embarking on this challenging journey with Toro, helping to grow the LCE and Siteworks business for the UK.”

“On a day-to-day basis, I’m looking forward to visiting dealers all around the country and becoming a product specialist for the LCE and Siteworks product lines. I’ve joined Toro at a really exciting and poignant time, where products such as the Dingo have huge potential in the UK. It’ll be great to start talking about these products more with dealers.”

Welcoming Matthew to his team, Craig Hoare, Sales and Marketing Manager said, “I am really pleased Matthew has joined the team and this signifies Toro’s intent to grow within the UK Landscaper, Arboricultural and Construction markets.  Matthew has a wealth of experience and is respected within the industry and will be well placed to manage and support our dealer network, ensuring Toro builds meaningful and successful partnerships in the Professional Landscaper market.”

In his personal life, Matthew enjoys sports, having studied Sports Science at Loughborough University. He enjoys rugby and has been taking part in offshore water ski racing for the last five years.

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Reesink’s Richard Harris retires

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Reesink’s Richard Harris retires: Richard Harris, managing director of Reesink Turfcare IRE, has announced his retirement from the company. Richard was instrumental in the development of the Lely, Reesink and Toro brands in Ireland and leaves a career which spans 31 years in the turfcare industry.

Richard started his career in 1974 working with a leading supplier to the petrochemical industry, followed by a move to a major distributor within the electrical industry. He started working with the then Toro distributor for Ireland, J C Distribution, in 1989.

Reesink's Richard Harris retires

Reesink’s Richard Harris retires

In 1994 Richard took on the management and development of Lely Ireland (as a sister company of Lely UK) into a combined agriculture and turfcare machinery business. He has played a leading role in helping develop the Toro brand and reputation for quality products that today sees it as a market leader in golf. A past president of the Farm Tractor Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA) in 2014, when the agriculture and turfcare divisions separated within Lely, Richard moved with the turfcare side of the business which then joined the Royal Reesink Group in 2016.

The last few years have seen Richard spearhead considerable investment by the Royal Reesink group in both Toro and other brands (such as Trilo and TYM) in Ireland through their base in Nurney, Co Kildare. Focusing on establishing a stand-alone business, the industry-respected Reesink Turfcare sales team has been together for many years moving along with the company changes. This allowed Richard to focus on building up the customer service, parts and technical support areas to enhance Reesink’s support for Toro and Trilo fine turf and grounds customers in Ireland. Richard hands the business over in a strong state to maintain and build customer satisfaction levels on a par with all Toro European distributor operations.

Roon Hylkema, managing director of Reesink Turfcare BV and a colleague of Richard’s since 1991, says: “Richard and I have worked together for a great many years. We were originally from different companies, I was with Jean Heybroek BV and he was with Lely UK, but we had the Toro brand in common. Then in the last four years when Reesink acquired Lely, as Reesink had acquired Jean Heybroek in 2010, much more closely as we worked together to raise the Reesink profile in Ireland. He’s the type of colleague, employee and friend you’d want in your professional life, honest, straight-forward, loyal and reliable, and he’ll be greatly missed for the contribution he has made to the development of the business in that time and throughout his career.”

Richard says: “During my career I have had the privilege of working with so many great teams of people both within our own companies in Ireland, the UK, The Netherlands and Denmark, as well as within The Toro Company and more recently Vanmac/Trilo. I have shared some great experiences and relationships with many colleagues and contacts within these companies and the turfcare and agricultural machinery industry at large over the years. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time working within this industry.

“While looking forward to now having time to focus on other interests, I will certainly miss it all and will keep an eye with interest on the future development of the business and the turfcare industry. While COVID-19 has affected the whole industry and will bring many challenges and changes to the way we do business in the future, I have no doubt that Reesink, Toro and the turfcare industry will bounce back over the next couple of years and grasp the opportunities that will present themselves.”

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A spotlight on Chris Turpie

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A spotlight on Chris Turpie: Chris Turpie, amenity specialist for Agrovista Amenity, provides an insight into his career to date, his varied client base, and his pride at building up an impressive customer portfolio.

Chris has been working for Agrovista since 2010 and credits the challenge of working on a completely new project as the only motivation needed to accept the job. At that time, the nation was suffering from a recession hangover and Agrovista did not have a local authority and industrial division. Never one to shy away, Chris got straight to work.

A spotlight on Chris Turpie

A spotlight on Chris Turpie

“It was a huge challenge and arguably the biggest highlight of my career,” said Chris. “I didn’t have a ledger when I joined but I’ve built one over the last ten years and that was no mean feat especially during a recession. This was at a time when local authorities weren’t spending money, so yes, it’s an achievement and I’m proud to have played a part in building up this side of the business.”

Chris originates from Scotland but moved south when he accepted an assistant greenkeeper position at the prestigious London Golf Club in Kent. Four years later, and following a two year spell at Boughton Loam, he embarked on a new role in construction working for Championship Sports Surfacing. In his two years at the company he worked on some fantastic projects.

“I constructed four grass tennis courts at the Bank of England during that period and was also involved in the construction of Pennyhill Park – the England rugby team’s training ground. We built a version of the Twickenham pitch at Pennyhill and the team trained on it for six weeks twice a day in the lead-up to their 2003 World Cup glory. It was a great project to be a part of and we completed it within six weeks.”

Chris then spent six years as an area sales manager for Fleet Line Markers before he joined Agrovista Amenity. A decade later and he hasn’t looked back.

“It’s no secret that this is the longest I’ve ever been with a company and every picture tells a story,” he said. “I have absolutely no desire to leave – Agrovista is an exceptionally good business and they really support their staff. They invest in their people and there are plenty of opportunities for progression.”

Chris continues to work closely with his portfolio of customers which he has worked hard to establish over the last ten years. In fact, not many people know that Chris is closely involved in helping to keep some of London’s most iconic open spaces maintained and well groomed.

“I look after some of London’s Royal Parks including Hyde Park and Regent’s Park. I work closely with the contractors and take soil samples, provide advice, recommend products, and write reports. It’s a pleasure working on these sites.

“The diversity of my portfolio is incredible, and the variety is probably the best part of my job,” he continued. “There are no two days that are ever the same, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

From Royal Parks managers to airfield operations managers, from contracts managers to greenkeepers, Chris’ working days are indeed varied. He admits to relishing the opportunity of learning everything he can about his customers and the sectors they represent. However, he has also found that each of them has their own challenges to overcome.

“Everyone has their own obstacles but in particular, contracts managers trying to run a council contract have not got an easy task,” he said. “They are always under huge demands to save as much money as they can and quite often it can seem impossible. There’s also quite a high turnover in council contracts which presents challenges for me.”

Born in Scotland, Chris enjoys spending time with his family and following his two football clubs – Liverpool FC and Heart of Midlothian F.C.

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