Tag Archive for: retirement

David Withers Announces Retirement from ISEKI

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David Withers Announces Retirement from ISEKI: David Withers, Managing Director of Iseki UK and Ireland, will retire at the end of 2025 following a distinguished career spanning more than four decades in the turf care and grounds maintenance industry.

Speaking at the SALTEX show in 2025, David reflected on his time at ISEKI, describing the process of building the brand as “one of the most fun and satisfying things I have done in my career.” Under his leadership, the company has doubled its sales over the last eight years and continues to grow.

David Withers Announces Retirement from ISEKI

David Withers Announces Retirement from ISEKI

David  began his career demonstrating verti-drains for Charterhouse Turf (now Redexim), followed by 25 years at Jacobsen, including six years as President. His eight-year tenure at ISEKI UK & Ireland as a stand-alone entity marks the culmination of his full-time professional journey.

“I feel it is time to finish full time work… I may still do a bit of consulting and advise for a couple of companies, but plan to end serious work and focus on developing a golf swing and a tan!” he said.

Expressing confidence in the future of ISEKI UK & Ireland, David said that he had worked with Alan Prickett for around 30 years and am very comfortable leaving the business in his hands to keep it growing and prospering for many years to come.

He also extended his gratitude to dealers, customers, and fellow manufacturers for their support and partnership throughout his career, wishing them continued success.

In addition to his role at ISEKI, David has been an influential figure within the industry, serving as a director of the Agricultural Engineers Association for many years and as its president in 2022. During the recent AEA 150th celebrations, he spoke at an event in the Houses of Parliament.

He has also recently taken up a Directorship at the Grounds Maintenance Association and intends to continue contributing to the organisation in his retirement.

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SALTEX announces retirement of Derek Walder

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SALTEX announces retirement of Derek Walder: SALTEX, the UK’s premier event for the grounds management professionals and volunteers, announces the retirement of ‘Mr SALTEX’, Derek Walder – its long-standing Operations Manager.

He will step down following SALTEX 2024 on the 30th and 31st of October at the NEC Birmingham, marking his 42nd and final exhibition.

SALTEX announces retirement of Derek Walder

SALTEX announces retirement of Derek Walder

Derek’s career spans more than six decades, beginning in the early 1960s in horticulture as a gardener on a private estate in Sussex. His love for working on lawns then led him to become Assistant Head Greenkeeper at a golf course in Hertfordshire. In 1970, he became the Grounds Manager at a major sports field complex in Southwest London, famously used as the training ground for Wimbledon FC during the “Crazy Gang” era.

His involvement with the Grounds Management Association (GMA) dates back to 1969 when he joined the then-National Association of Groundsmen. His first engagement with SALTEX came as a volunteer when the show was held at Motspur Park, Southwest London. After eight years of volunteering, Derek took on the role of Operations Manager when the exhibition moved to Windsor Racecourse in 1979. Over the decades, he has watched SALTEX evolve first-hand, overseeing its tenancies at Windsor, Peterborough, and the NEC, Birmingham.

During his time with the GMA, Derek has held positions of General Secretary and Chairman and his dedication to the industry has been widely recognised, earning him a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 1988 for services to groundsmanship. In 2014, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the GMA Industry Awards and, in the same year, he was awarded up the ‘Unsung Hero’ award by the Association of Event Organisers. Derek was subsequently inducted into the GMA Hall of Fame in 2021 as an acknowledgement of an illustrious career in the industry spanning more than half a century.

Speaking on his upcoming retirement, Derek said: “Looking back at SALTEX, I never imagined that on a cold autumn day in 1979, when we arrived at Windsor Racecourse for the ‘Windsor Exhibition’, I’d still be involved 42 years later. Over those years, we have seen so many changes in the industry of which the exhibition has adapted to, and for 56 of those years I was in the profession so I could appreciate what needed from a visitor perspective. Even now, I still get the same buzz when the doors open as I did in 1979.”

Geoff Webb, CEO of the GMA, said: “Derek’s dedication to SALTEX and the grounds management industry has been remarkable. His expertise and leadership have played a vital role in shaping the exhibition into the premier platform it is today. His legacy extends far beyond the various roles he has held within the GMA – he is embedded in the culture of grounds management, having served most notably with the ‘Crazy Gang’. Over the years, what has stood out to me is Derek’s passion for SALTEX, which he has developed as a personal commitment. His work has provided the GMA with a strong foundation for the future. What many people may not know is the incredible amount of voluntary work Derek has done for both the association and SALTEX, of which we are grateful for and wish him all the best in his retirement.”

SALTEX 2024 will be an opportunity for the industry to celebrate Derek’s contributions and to honour his dedication not only to the exhibition but to the industry as a whole. Register for your free ticket now: https://www.saltex.org.uk/.

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Retirement of Barrus Managing Director

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Retirement of Barrus Managing Director: The Board of E P Barrus Ltd is announcing that in December 2023 Managing Director, Mr Robert Muir, will retire from his position after 32 years with the company, including more than 11 as Managing Director.

Robert joined Barrus in 1990 from Ransomes Consumer Ltd, where he was Managing Director. He has contributed enormously to the growth and success of Barrus during his tenure. First as a highly capable Finance Director ensuring the financial stability of the company; and then as Sales Director and Managing Director. As well as being a popular leader of the company, he is hugely respected by both Barrus’ suppliers and customers.

Retirement of Barrus Managing Director

Retirement of Barrus Managing Director

Robert was instrumental in taking Barrus into the Garden Tools market, first with Wolf-Garten, then Wilkinson Sword and Town & Country. More recently he has been leading the drive on electrification within the markets that Barrus operates in, not least with the design & building of a hydrogen fuel cell powered inland waterways vessel.

Odgers Berndtson has been appointed to lead the search to identify Robert’s successor.

“It is hard to know where to start to thank Robert for his dedication to Barrus and his friendship to me and my family. There have been some interesting times over the last 32 years and Robert’s unwavering commitment has served us very well” said Robert Glen, Owner of Barrus.

“I have known and worked with Robert for over three decades. He is a tremendous leader and on a personal level, adviser, so I am thrilled that we will retain his wise counsel and expertise as he has agreed to remain on the board of the company as a non-executive director”, said Tara Glen, Barrus Chairman.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Tara Glen, E P Barrus Ltd Chairman: tara.glen@barrus.co.uk

Clare Glackin, Odgers Berndtson: clare.glackin@odgersberndtson.com

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Retirement for Robert Bayliss

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Retirement for Robert Bayliss: Robert Bayliss has said goodbye to Weymouth Golf Club in Dorset after 42 years serving the James Braid-designed parkland course.

Now 65 years old, Robert originally came from a sports-ground maintenance and horticulture background, landing a post as head greenkeeper at the club in 1978 when he was only 22. Initially thinking of the position as he says, “another rung in the ladder”, he ended up enjoying his work so much he stayed until his retirement, over four decades later!

Retirement for Robert Bayliss

Retirement for Robert Bayliss

One of Robert’s biggest achievements while at Weymouth Golf Club has been his involvement in training and education, club accreditation and charity work, he says: “Training and education are paramount when it comes to staff improvement. In the early days, one of my priorities was to obtain funding for training and education from committees. Although challenging, once it became apparent that increased technical skills, as well as greater motivation and morale, resulted in an overall improvement on the work carried out on the course, getting support for these areas became a lot easier.

In Robert’s long-run career he’s experienced many advances to the greenkeeping profession, some of which he calls “remarkable”. He says: “The evolution of mechanisation and machinery is remarkable and has made the lives of greenkeepers everywhere a lot easier and safer, not to mention more productive. There’s now an open world of possibilities when it comes to the maintenance and design of turf, which simply wasn’t there when I started out.

“I sometimes relay to younger greenkeepers how many of the machines they take for granted today didn’t exist when I started, and when they did, it was only a few prestigious clubs that could afford them. The rise of technology means now we all have the machinery we need to do the job properly.”

Toro is the one brand Robert has worked with from the very beginning. “Bringing new equipment from the United States, it completely revolutionised the greenkeeping world,” he says. “One machine that, without a doubt, made my daily routine so much better was the Toro Greensmaster 3 riding greensmower; it did so much to cut maintenance time on the course.”

Robert’s personal favourite, however, was the Toro Sidewinder with its mowing units able to shift sideways, allowing the mower to cut close to obstacles while keeping both operator and machine away from hazards. “If ever there was a mower that can lay claim to being in a class of its own, then surely this is it,” says Robert.

With the club a Toro customer and considering Robert’s long-term relationship with local Toro dealer Devon Garden Machinery and his long-standing contribution to the greenkeeping profession, the news of Robert’s retirement was certainly a milestone to be marked.

John Pike, previous regional manager at Reesink Turfcare, who has also recently retired after 48 years in the turfcare industry, was happy to be involved, he says: “I was delighted to come out of my retirement for the special occasion of marking Rob’s retirement. I worked with Rob for many years as did Dennis Lumley, who worked at Devon Garden Machinery before his retirement, so we arranged a surprise lunch meeting for Rob. There, Elliot Wellman, who is Weymouth’s current contact at Devon Garden Machinery, and I presented Rob with a Reesink/Toro decanter, plus a nice bottle of malt to fill it!”

Robert calls himself “extremely fortunate” to have been surrounded with individuals who would end up becoming long-time friends, one of which is deputy Rob Mabb, a most-trusted work companion of 35 years and recently promoted to the course manager position at Weymouth upon Robert’s retirement, is one of them. A choice that Robert couldn’t be “more pleased with”.

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Goodbye seeds, hello retirement

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Goodbye seeds, hello retirement: DLF have announced that one of the most well-known names in the seed industry, John Hughes, will be leaving at the end of February to embrace his well-earned retirement.

After spending most of his working life at some of the country’s leading seed providers to the golf and sports turf markets, John has made many friends and contacts who will be sure to miss his invaluable support, knowledge and advice.

Goodbye seeds, hello retirement

Goodbye seeds, hello retirement

Having obtained a BSc Hons in Applied Biology from the University of Salford, John worked at the Welsh Plant Breeding Station (Aberystwyth) in the Chemistry department, and in Plant Pathology at the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB). He also spent some time teaching Biology. This love of knowledge-sharing set John up for a long and illustrious career in the professional amenity market where he enjoyed positions at Germinal Seeds and Cebeco Seeds before this was acquired by DLF in 2002. For the last 18 years, he has been a fundamental part of the sales team for DLF Seeds in his role as Regional Technical Manager for the North. His wealth of knowledge and experience saw John become a key contact for turf managers, helping to formulate seeding programmes for some of the areas biggest sporting venues.

Commenting on his retirement John said, “the last year has been challenging for the obvious reasons which has also meant that, sadly, I have not had the opportunity to say my farewells in the traditional way. I wish to thank all of my customers for their ongoing support and help over the years – many of whom I can say I now consider to be friends. When the situation allows, I look forward to using my retirement to spend more quality time with my friends and family, especially my grandchildren, and I may even find the time to get a few jobs done around the house and pick up my electric guitar which has been gathering dust for a few years!”

We join the team at DLF Seeds in wishing John all the very best for a long and fulfilling retirement.

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