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A spotlight on Ramsay MacGregor

May 6, 2020/in News, People, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

A spotlight on Ramsay MacGregor: Ramsay MacGregor, amenity specialist for Agrovista Amenity, has enjoyed a long and successful career which can be attributed to his determination, drive, passion and strength of character. Although far from the end of his journey, the father of four often reflects on his career path, which all started when he […]

Rink DS800 impresses in Arbroath

May 6, 2020/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

Rink DS800 impresses in Arbroath: A Rink DS800 from Charterhouse Turf Machinery has dramatically improved the efficiency and results of topdressing the 18 greens at Arbroath Golf Links. A task that used to take the team approximately 24 man-hours can now be completed by Head Greenkeeper Alistair Wylie in just six, since the club took […]

A spotlight on Ramsay MacGregor

May 6, 2020/in News, People, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Rink DS800 impresses in Arbroath

May 6, 2020/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

A spotlight on Ramsay MacGregor

May 6, 2020/in News, People, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

A spotlight on Ramsay MacGregor: Ramsay MacGregor, amenity specialist for Agrovista Amenity, has enjoyed a long and successful career which can be attributed to his determination, drive, passion and strength of character.

Although far from the end of his journey, the father of four often reflects on his career path, which all started when he first left agricultural college in the early eighties. “When I came out of college there were no jobs in agriculture especially for farm managers – which is what I had been studying,” he says.

A spotlight on Ramsay MacGregor

“At that time, a lot of my friends were going to America and Australia to work on farms but I saw an advert for a job in Denmark and I like to be different – I don’t like to follow the pack. I phoned the number, spoke to a Danish farmer and a week later I was on a farm in Denmark. I stayed there for two years.”

Ramsay enjoyed his overseas adventure, which also included stints in Holland and Iceland, but at the age of 22 decided it was time to return to Scotland. As he departed his seat on the plane, little did he know that he was about to line up his next job immediately.

“I landed at the airport and went to meet some friends from my old college. While I was waiting to meet them, I picked up a newspaper and there was a job advertisement for a horticultural engineer. I phoned the number, went for an interview the very next day and got the job. However, the guy that interviewed me thought that I’d be more suited to sales.

“I learnt all of the machines in the workshop inside and out and from there I moved into the show room before eventually getting out onto the road.”

After a solid 12 years in sales, which also included a position at Aitken’s Sportsturf, Ramsay faced one his toughest decisions yet.

“At the time I was working for CSC (Chemical Spray Company), who are now part of Agrii, and my sales manager decided he wanted to set up his own business. There were four of us and we were all going to go and start up this business together. However, two of them decided at the last minute not to do it and it was just myself and the sales manager. We left in 2001 and started up a business called Terra Firma.

“I remember us both walking into a big empty warehouse and looking at each other, laughing and saying what have we done? The salaries, company cars and pensions – we gave it all up. It was scary, but we managed to build it up to a substantial size and that is probably what I am most proud of in my career.”

Since its creation in 2001, Terra Firma had grown into one of Scotland’s largest suppliers to the amenity and local authority markets. In recognising its potential, Agrovista bought the company in 2017. The combination of both companies’ industry knowledge, experience and customer service ethos quickly formed a strong, sustainable and service-focused business model.

“Agrovista is a great company to work for,” he said. “Admittedly I was apprehensive – particularly going from a small independent company to a massive organisation. Big ships are notoriously difficult to a steer, but I’ve been amazed at just how reactive they are. I’ve been really impressed. The company is big on education and I’ve always had a hunger for developing and learning. Every day I learn something new and I think the day that I stop learning is the day that I will hang the boots up. It’s not always about grass or weeds or weather, but about people. I love to learn about someone’s background or how they function and operate.”

Ramsay’s passion for conversation and people is demonstrated daily as he attends his diverse customer base. While he admits to enjoying the variety of his work, he also believes it has made him more aware of some the struggles faced by some amenity professionals – particularly greenkeepers.

“On any one day I could go into a couple of golf courses in the morning to see some greenkeepers, then in the afternoon I could go and visit a council and be talking about Japanese Knotweed, and then I could be out talking to a landscaper – I have a very diverse and interesting customer base which I really enjoy.

“Unfortunately, it does make me realise some of the troubles these people have. Greenkeepers are becoming under more and more pressure – whether that be from the club where they work or the members. The number of greenkeepers that are going off with stress is disappointing. In fact, so many greenkeepers have walked away from their jobs because of the grief they have received.”

Many of his customers will know that Ramsay is, in fact, his middle name. Allan Ramsay MacGregor is his full name, but by his own admission, he cares little for names or titles.

“Over the years I’ve had various titles, but I’ve never been big on them if I’m being honest. What’s in a name? It’s what is on the inside that counts. People take you for what you are and who you are.”

It is safe to say that most people Ramsay has encountered throughout his career have taken him for who he is and that is why he is such a respected figure in the industry – someone who people can turn to for advice, support or just a good conversation.

For more information, visit www.agrovista.co.uk/amenity.

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

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Rink DS800 impresses in Arbroath

May 6, 2020/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

Rink DS800 impresses in Arbroath: A Rink DS800 from Charterhouse Turf Machinery has dramatically improved the efficiency and results of topdressing the 18 greens at Arbroath Golf Links.

A task that used to take the team approximately 24 man-hours can now be completed by Head Greenkeeper Alistair Wylie in just six, since the club took delivery of the disc spreader in early summer 2019.

Rink DS800 impresses in Arbroath

“We were previously using a drop dresser which had given us 20 years of loyal service, but an upgrade was needed to make the process of topdressing less labour intensive” explains Alistair, who heads up a team of three greens staff. “Dressing all 18 greens would take the team a whole day to complete so when it came to looking for a new machine, I was clear that we needed a disc spreader to cover wider areas, more evenly and in less time.” On dealer recommendation Alistair looked into the Rink DS800 trailed model and was confident, without even having a working demonstration, that it was the one for the job.

50 tonnes of sand was applied to the greens in two operations last year, the first shortly after delivery and another in October. “Any initial concerns we had about the DS800 moving and turning on its four wheels quickly faded away – it doesn’t mark the surface at all and because it’s so simple to adjust the spreading thickness, we can conduct light dressings and leave barely any trace that any work has taken place. It has certainly reduced complaints from the members which is another positive!”

With a 0.8m³ hopper capacity, the DS800 model offers variable spreading widths of between 2m and 12m, and at thicknesses of 0.5 to 15mm. Alistair adds, “It was evident from the very first green that we’d made the right choice – this used to take 27 passes to adequately cover with the drop dresser and with the Rink, it took us just three! The labour savings we’re achieving frees up the rest of my team to carry out other tasks which is crucial when you’re looking after a large course with a small team.”

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.

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

A spotlight on Ramsay MacGregor

Rink DS800 impresses in Arbroath

A spotlight on Ramsay MacGregor

Rink DS800 impresses in Arbroath

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

A spotlight on Ramsay MacGregor

A spotlight on Ramsay MacGregor: Ramsay MacGregor, amenity specialist for Agrovista Amenity, has enjoyed a long and successful career which can be attributed to his determination, drive, passion and strength of character.

Rink DS800 impresses in Arbroath

Rink DS800 impresses in Arbroath: A Rink DS800 from Charterhouse Turf Machinery has dramatically improved the efficiency and results of topdressing the 18 greens at Arbroath Golf Links.

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