Groundskeeper Chats

We continue with our Routes to Turf series by hearing cohost's Weston Appelfeller's turf origin story and how he ended up in the position he holds today. Appelfeller grew up dreaming of one day becoming a baseball umpire. Once he discovered that the turf industry was another route to being close to the game he loved, he dove in head first. Tune in for the rest of the story which includes gigs in C...

From bunkers in Idaho to growing grass on plastic in Colorado, Jess Lenihan joins us this week to share her Route to Turf story. Jess is the Sod Farm Manager for Green Valley Turf Co in Platteville Colorado. Similar to many turf stories, once Jess was exposed to the industry at an early age, she was all in.

Ben Hartman, Director of Field Operations for the Wichita Wind Surge, joins Meg for our next Groundskeeper Chat series: Routes to Turf! Hartman's story is unique because he represents the small percentage of the industry that knew about sports turf as a young kid! Listen along for how Hartman has made mentorship, advocacy and branding a priority in his career!

Sports Turf Specialist at the University of Michigan, Jason DeMink, CSFM joins us to talk about visibility for our industry. DeMink has been with the University of Michigan for 17 seasons and oversees football, baseball and softball. He joins Meg and Weston to share his passion for growing the profession

Director of Grounds for Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals FC, Dan Farnes, joins us to talk about helping our industry step into the spotlight during global events. Farnes does an excellent job of showcasing the job in a relatable, authentic and intriguing via social media. We dive into his thoughts behind social media and media relations and much more in Dan's episode.

Senior Marketing Manager for The Toro Company, Paula Sliefert's debut #GroundskeeperChat features everything that's great about our industry: passion, innovation and camaraderie.  Paula, Meg, Weston and Chris put their heads together to brainstorm ideas on how commercial partners can support the sports field managers who are bound to see an uptick in projects and stress as major events like the Wo...

Catch up with Groundskeeper Chat Hosts Meg Kruger and Weston Appelfeller as they give you the sneak peek into our next series: Capitalizing on Culture. The pair discuss the highlights from recent episodes, the guests they chatted with and their take on upcoming events happening in our industry. Like, subscribe and share Groundskeeper Chats with friends, co-workers or strangers on the street! Thank...

Another installment of our Groundskeeper Chat Rush Hour live from our booth at the SFMA conference in Daytona Beach! Tune in for turf origin stories and the most exciting things to emerge from the conference. Thank you to everyone who hopped on the mic with us and made SFMA another special week for the Pioneer and Groundskeeper Chat teams!

Closing out our Daytona Episodes the same way we closed out the show, with a jam-packed, speed dating, Rush Hour with The Women in Turf Team. We caught up with some OG favorites and met new friends. Tune in for turf origin stories and the most exciting things to emerge from the conference. Thank you to everyone who hopped on the mic with us and made SFMA another special week for the Pioneer and Gr...

BJ Thomas joined the Women in Turf Team at the Little League Softball World Series this past summer after getting connected with SFMA President, Sun Roesslein. The pair joined us to talk about the importance of finding a community within the industry and how The Women in Turf Team has impacted their careers.

At the SFMA Conference, Lynn Family Stadium's Field Maintenance Manager, Aaron Fink sat down for an episode with Meg and Chris. Aaron is a proud protégé of the Nielsen Mafia and is creating a championship crew of his own. Fink got his start working for Tom Nielsen at Slugger Field with the Louisville Bats. Then followed in Nielsen's footsteps to soccer at Lynn Family Stadium. Fink oversees field o...

2024 Pioneers in the Field class member Abby McNeal joined us at the booth in Daytona Beach to reflect on the recent honor. Abby shared with us how humbled she was to take the time to look back on her career and all those who helped her along the way. Here's what you'll hear in this week's #GroundskeeperChat:  The importance of networking and creating a community Why Parks and Rec is so special to...

We invited Ryan Bjorn back to our Groundskeeper Chat series during the SFMA conference in Daytona Beach. Bjorn recapped his SFMA session "The Future of Sports Turf". Meg, Weston and Chris caught up with Bjorn and asked him how manages the changes within his own organization and the industry as a whole.

Andy Ommen's, CSFM, origin story starts with a bad hop during a little league game when he was coaching his son's team. Years later, Ommen went from passionate parent to a Certified Sports Field Manger to SFMA's Field of the Year Winner to part-owner of Professional Outdoor Solutions. Andy joined us in Daytona Beach to talk about the building blocks of a brand and business.

Ben Jackson is the Director of Grounds of the Columbus Crew soccer team. Ben grew up outside of Columbus loving the crew and soccer long before it was cool. A high school assignment introduced him to turf and Darian Daily who took him under his wing and hired him on as a part-time crew member while still in high school. Ben went on to work for Matt Williams, complete his turf degree through The Oh...

Meg was thrilled to welcome back one of her very first guests of our Groundskeeper Chat series back to the mic! Ryan DeMay is the owner of Field Source Ohio and expert on helping groundskeepers create budgets, negotiate their bottom line and earn themselves a seat at the table. This episode brought OH-IO roots to Daytona Beach, here's what you'll hear in this week's #Groundskeeper Chat episode:  D...

Meg Kruger, joined by co-host Chris Bell, was thrilled to invite 2024 Pioneers in the Field class member Larry DiVito to our Groundskeeper Chat series. The trio recap the highlights of DiVito's origin story and his long-time career in Major League Baseball. DiVito shares his passion for groundskeepers finding the spotlight and helping this industry grow. DiVito is the Head Groundskeeper for the Mi...

Everyone's favorite vendor, Bulldog Field Equipment, joined us at the booth during the SFMA conference to give us an exclusive sneak peek into their latest project, turf toys! Listen along for your chance to be first in line for the toys we can't wait to get our hands on! Sign up to be an early advocate here: https://www.bulldogfieldequipment.com/toys

Andy Hebrard, owner and operator of Athletic Applications joined Meg, Weston and Chris in Daytona Beach to talk about the building blocks of branding and running your own turf business. Andy was born and bred into the turf industry and follows in the footsteps of his father, Mike Hebrard. Today, Athletic Applications provides top-notch football, soccer, baseball and painting services to the PDX, L...

Co-hosts Meg Kruger, Weston Appelfeller and Chris Bell sit down to recap their week in Daytona Beach for the National SFMA conference. The three discuss the show's highlights, trends and major takeaways.

University of Kentucky's Head Sports Turf Manager, Marcus Elswick joins Meg and Weston for a Groundskeeper Chat to talk about the behind the scenes of the Business of Turf. Marcus has been with the University of Kentucky for 13 years and shared his POV on crew culture and leading with positivity.

Tyler Morris of MetLife Stadium joins us mid-season to talk about the nature of his job and the high pressure it's paired with. Tyler shares some stories from the field and the many overnight conversions he and the crew lived through this season. Weston, Meg and Tyler bond over music, hobbies outside of work and everything in between. For your mental health boost give a listen to this week's #Grou...

Director of Grounds for the Philadelphia Union, John Torres discusses the evolution of groundskeeping and MLS since his start in the industry with Meg and cohost, Weston Appelfeller! Here's what you'll hear in our latest #GroundskeeperChat:  Who is John Torres outside of work? John's Turf Origin Story The Importance of "Knocking on the Door"  Collecting Data Points and Developing Budgets  Lastly,...

When do you sleep? That was our first question and most important question for Danny Losito, CSFM, Director of Sports Fields & Grounds for the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC. Losito comes to the chat with years of experience in almost every arena of the sports world, including shoveling ice for a local hockey team. His expertise expands far beyond the field. Losito shares with us how he ma...

Our Groundskeeper Chat co-hosts, Meg and Weston sat down to talk all things branding and how visibility can impact your crew, your career and your community. The duo will be LIVE at SFMA in Daytona Beach this year interviewing guests at the Pioneer Athletics booth, until then here's what you'll hear in this #GroundskeeperChat episode:  Branding 101, getting started  How to utilize social media for...