Tag Archive for: Group

Greenkeeping Trailblazer Group appoints new chairperson

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Greenkeeping Trailblazer Group appoints new chairperson: The Greenkeepers Training Committee (GTC) has announced the appointment of Les Howkins MG, golf course manager at The Richmond Golf Club in Surrey, as the new chairperson for greenkeeping for the Trailblazer Apprenticeship Employer Group.

The Level 2 Golf Greenkeeper Apprenticeship is undergoing a review by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) and Les will lead the Greenkeeping Trailblazer Group as it manages and responds to the review, ensuring the successes of the new Apprenticeships are built upon further.

Greenkeeping Trailblazer Group appoints new chairperson

Greenkeeping Trailblazer Group appoints new chairperson

Les has been involved with the Trailblazer Group since its inception in 2014 and is a huge advocate for greenkeeper training and education. Having held the post of chairperson of the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) from 2015 to 2019 and through his role as golf course manager at one of the most prestigious clubs in the country, Les is ideally placed to build on the leadership of former chairperson David Croxton, who sadly passed away in 2020.

Les said: “I am excited to take on this role and following the challenging times every golf club has experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to ensure that golf courses continue to be maintained and managed by highly skilled professionals. The ongoing review of the apprenticeship will provide for this need and produce the next generation of golf course managers.”

Jim Croxton, BIGGA CEO and GTC board member, said: “Les has a proven track record of leading committees and boards in our sector which, coupled with his passion for education, makes him the ideal candidate to lead the Trailblazer group at this time. With the Level 2 apprenticeship having been such an outstanding success in England and with Levels 3 and 5 poised to do likewise, we are at an exciting time for greenkeeper training.”

Fiona Lyttle, Learning and Development executive (GTC), said: “We were saddened with the loss of David, who was instrumental as the first Trailblazer Chairman for Golf Greenkeeping. With his guidance and determination, the GTC was able to build an excellent Apprenticeship programme from Level 2 to Level 5.

“We were delighted and privileged to be able to appoint Les as the new Trailblazer chairperson. Being an active employer and advocate for greenkeeping education, the Trailblazer group and I are looking forward to working with Les to maintain the level of apprenticeships our employers have become accustomed to and to ensure they have quality golf facilities for their members to enjoy.”

The Greenkeeping Trailblazer Employer Group and Trailblazer Apprenticeship programme is supported by golf facilities and governing bodies including England Golf, The Richmond Golf Club, Frilford Heath Golf Club, Colne Valley Golf Club, Colne Valley Golf Club, Gaudet Luce Golf Club, Portmore Golf Centre, Trentham Golf Club and Worplesdon Golf Club.

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STRI Group & WANDA CTI sign strategic alliance

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STRI Group & WANDA CTI sign strategic alliance: STRI Group, the world’s leading multidisciplinary service provider to the sports and environments sectors has signed a strategic alliance agreement with Wanda’s Cultural Tourism Planning & Design Institute (CTI), the subsidiary company of Wanda Cultural Industry Group, who is China’s largest cultural enterprise.

The cooperation is an exciting step forward for the Chinese football industry, as both parties, recognized as leaders in their respective fields will create international quality football facilities throughout China.

STRI Group & WANDA CTI sign strategic alliance

STRI Group & WANDA CTI sign strategic alliance

Building on the regional success already realized in China by STRI and Wanda, the cooperation will firstly set new industry standards for football surfaces then see the development of an elite R&D facility and design hub, supported by a new education offering. STRI will support Wanda as their local design and project management company as they roll out ambitious plans for multiple football venues throughout the country.

The R&D center will invite select industry stakeholders to have their products and systems positioned for validation and demonstration purposes, showcasing the very best in football pitch infrastructure and ongoing maintenance. STRI’s design capabilities will be supported locally by their construction partner Tizan Turf Science. Andrew Brooker, Company Director at STRI Group said ‘The cooperation is an exciting step forward for the development of new stadium and training venues in China, enabling facilities to compete on an international level’ Andrew went on to say ‘STRI Group are very pleased to have formed the cooperation with Wanda, who are now the world’s leading commercial real estate and sports company’.

The parties intend to engage architects and engineers to collaborate on the exciting projects already identified as future developments, bringing in the very best multidisciplinary teams to deliver world class venues.

Wanda CTI are excited for the future of Chinese football venues. They are very happy to have partnered with STRI Group, a global leader in the sports infrastructure industry. They are also very pleased that STRI’s multidisciplinary teams can bring environmentally sustainable design ethics to the collaboration.

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FLexGrass Group & Agronomic Services to partner

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FLexGrass Group & Agronomic Services to partner: We are delighted to announce the partnership between FLexGrass Group and Agronomic Services Ltd. FLexGrass will now supply its international customer base in conjunction with Agronomic Services Ltd.

FLexGrass can now deliver their quality sports grass solutions with all the plant nutritional requirements. Pre-preparation, renovation, grow-ins and follow up to ensure stability and establish the ultimate playing surface.

FLexGrass Group & Agronomic Services to partner

FLexGrass Group & Agronomic Services to partner

With the full range of plant nutritional products to compliment FLexGrass sport surfaces they now offer the complete service package.

Quotes

David Snowden said ‘We are thrilled to be working with Fabio and Lorenzo Travaini of FLexGrass group, this is a very exciting development for our business. Our first project together at Inter Milan has proved to be a tremendous success.’ David continues ‘FLexGrass have a fantastic quality offering of sports turf including hybrid and natural grass solutions, our combined knowledge and products make for a great partnership.’

Fabio Travaini commented ‘After many years of trials using alternative, quality, fertilizers to produce our excellent sports surfaces, we have now found what we believe to perfectly fulfil our customers high standards. This collaboration with Agronomic Services Ltd. gives FLexGrass Group all the options to serve its customers, the very best products available today.  With our joint expertise we can create a customised nutritional plan to meet the high expectations of our International clientele. We are thrilled to start this new adventure.’

Inter Milan training centre pitch after their October renovation process. Fantastic results achieved by the grounds team in conjunction with FLexGrass Group and Agronomic Services Ltd., using the Agronomics range and Floratine Foliars.

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STRI Group appoints new directors

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STRI Group appoints new directors: Following a period of strong growth, STRI Group is delighted to announce the appointment of two new company directors to its board.

Gareth Walters and Dr Ruth Mann have been appointed as Finance Director and Director of Research from January 2021, with both continuing to manage their existing departments.

STRI Group appoints new directors

STRI Group appoints new directors

Gareth will lead the group finance function, ensuring that effective processes and controls are in place across STRI Group, and will work closely with the Board to drive through strategic growth.

Ruth will be instrumental in ensuring STRI remain at the forefront of innovation and technological developments in the sports infrastructure and environmental industries.

Ruth said: “It is very exciting to be involved with researching and developing future solutions to challenges in the sports turf and environmental industries. The range of national and international partnerships and projects STRI is currently involved with demands a wide range of technical expertise, and I am looking forward to supporting the continued expansion of services.”

“STRI Group has grown in recent years to become a multi-disciplinary solutions provider in the sport and environment markets with a global reach.” Gareth said. “With two key strategic acquisitions made last year, 2021 represents an exciting time for the Group and I look forward to joining the Board to support this continued growth.”

STRI chief executive officer, Mark Godfrey, said: “STRI has continued to expand at a rapid pace over the last twelve months and we felt that now was right time to expand our board. Ruth and Gareth have been important senior figures at the company for several years and are helping drive change and growth across new markets. I am delighted to welcome them to the board”

For more information contact:
STRI’s marketing and communications team on +44 (0)1274 565131 or email info@strigroup.com

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GGM Group celebrate charity success

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GGM Group celebrate charity success: A Lancashire based business is ending the year on a high and celebrating raising over £10,000 for charity over the past two years – despite the restrictions caused by the global pandemic.

Colne-based GGM Group selected three charities to support, pledging to raise over £10k through an intensive programme of activity. After a great start in 2019, the business was determined not to be hampered by lockdown restrictions in 2020 and came up with their own ingenious ways to fundraise.

GGM Group celebrate charity success

GGM Group celebrate charity success

The businesses annual charity walking event was rethought with MD Chris Gibson travelling from his home town of Lancaster to the businesses’ head office in Colne and then back again covering a distance of 104 miles –  through a combination of cycling and walking. He was joined at different points on his journey by different members of staff undertaking different legs in pairs, to enable social distancing.

The business has thought further outside of the box in it’s fundraising efforts with a team of staff pledging to lose weight in aid of charity.

The fundraising has raised money for charities who are finding themselves cash-strapped during these difficult times. Greenfingers is the company charity for the second year running,  dedicated to supporting children who spend time in hospices around the UK, along with their families, by creating inspiring gardens for them to relax in. In addition, funds have also been raised for St John’s Hospice in Lancaster and Pendleside Hospice in Burnley.

Chris Gibson explains more:

“It’s a key part of our ethos at The GGM Group to give something back to the community and we are delighted to have been able to achieve our charity target, despite these difficult times. Now, more than ever, charities need our support and we are delighted to have still been able to help”.

The GGM Group has worked hard to find ways to keep the business operating this year, and  throughout the pandemic has worked hard to keep the whole team together, maintain its commitment to excellent customer service, and, where it was safe to do so, keep machines operational for professional and domestic customers throughout the season.

The company has also started recruiting again and are aiming to help some of the younger members of the local community with apprenticeship opportunities.

In addition, the business made a pledge during lockdown to become an eco-friendly organisation and strive to improve its green credentials even further, through a range of initiatives including electric vehicles, a wildlife wellbeing oasis at the Haydock branch and the recent installation of solar panels.

The GGM Group consists of two businesses across two depots. PSD Groundscare is the national distributor of specialist landscaping equipment, including AS Motor and Eliet, Koppl and TS Industrie. GGM Groundscare is a specialist supplier of tractors and high-quality professional land-based equipment for commercial and domestic use. Servicing the North West and Yorkshire, it supplies a range of products from leading franchises including Kubota, Baroness and Amazone.

Chris Gibson concluded:

“There is no dispute that this has been an incredibly challenging year for most businesses. I’m incredibly proud of how our team has pulled together and hitting our charity target really is the icing on the cake. Like most people, we can finally see light at the end of the tunnel and I’m confident of a bright 2021.

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