SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/32290
F.O.Y. | Glen Allen Stadium ST: How do you balance your work and personal time? HENDERSON: Fortunately, the balance is much better now than it was in the past. I’m not exactly sure why, but the golf industry seemed to consume more time than sports turf. In either case, when you really like your work and love having time with your family, balance seems to take care of itself. It certainly helps that Kris and Haley are very understanding of my work. The hardest part to balance is how much control you give your staff. Due to the number of fields we maintain I have to be able to trust the staff to perform their tasks well. I am very fortunate to have a staff that is very dependable and a management that is very supportive of the work we do. ST: How are you dealing with any budget restrictions that seem to be hitting all munici- palities now? HENDERSON: Just like other munici- palities we have had to do some belt tighten- ing. We have gone through our program and tried to find savings where possible, but still deliver the same or better customer service. With that being said, we have had tremendous support from Recreation & Parks Manage- ment, the County Manager’s Office, and the Board of Supervisors. Their vision and leader- ship has greatly helped us through these tough economical times. ST: What’s the best piece of turf management advice you have ever received? HENDERSON: I’m not sure I can point to one piece of advice and say that it is the best. When I first started in the turf business I tried to work for people who were successful and learn what made them successful. I learned something different from each that I be- lieve that I have retained over the years. The key is to be confident in your decision making, but at the same time remember that you still have more to learn. Mistakes will happen, but you have to rec- ognize it and learn from the experience. I have never worked for them, but I still love listening to guys like Bob Campbell and Mike Goatley talk about their experience in this industry. I’ve been grow- ing turf in the golf industry or sports turf industry for 20 years now, but if I listen to either one of them for 30 minutes, I will take away something I can use on a regular basis. So, I would say listening is very important. I am very fortunate to have a staff that is very dependable and a management that is very supportive of the work we do. 40 SportsTurf | June 2011 ST: Are you yet involved in “sustainable” management practices? If so, what are you doing? HENDERSON: Didn’t the turf industry invent “sustainable” management practices? I think in the current economical environ- ment and the scrutiny of the turf industry in general requires us to use as many of these practices as we can. We are proactive in our management practices to be good stewards of the environment. We have not ventured into battery powered mowers as of yet, but I wouldn’t rule out the possibility. We have always taken periodic soil tests to make sure we are on target, but we are currently working on nutrient management plans for our sites based on these test results. As far as organic fertilizers, we have used quite a bit over the years, but I don’t think we could ever achieve the turf quality we want with a strictly organic approach. We have made really good use of quality compost in the construction and renovation of native soil fields. ST: What job would you like to be doing in 10 years? HENDERSON: Hopefully, I will still be working in the County of Henrico. I don’t think I will ever be too far removed from turf. Now, in about 15 years, maybe I will be changing cups at some golf course before my 9 AM tee time and then catching a local football or baseball game in the afternoon. ■ www.sportsturfonline.com