Grass and Aqua-Yield.”
Warren teaches grandson Jaxon how to hook a fish.
through the typical chaotic stage.” As the Aqua-Yield website (
www.aquayield. com) reports, it “utilizes unique technol- ogy to provide instant cellular access to the plant and more efficient delivery of nutrients that result in a higher germina- tion and vegetative establishment rate; soil nutrient rebuilding and maximiza- tion; leaching and runoff waste reduc- tion; and dramatic volume reduction of fertilization.” Warren adds, “On average, Aqua-Yield clients have shown a 15 to 20 percent increase in turfgrass density and root mass.”
Family is Most Important After 27 years of teaching everything from first through sixth grades, Tammy retired. Warren says, “That was seven years ago, when Audrie, our first granddaughter, was born. Tammy loved education and teaching and all of ‘her kids’ and she’s still very sup- portive of that. But Emily was working for me full-time, handling the book- keeping and accounting at that time, and her husband, Blake Dowdle, was concentrating on getting into medical school at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. That meant Emily was their family’s primary income earner and she was filling an important role in BioGrass. She’d taken her maternity leave and needed to get back to work. By retiring, Tammy would be able to take care of Audrie, while Emily was working—and it was something that Tammy really wanted to do. Looking back, that’s one of the best decisions we’ve made.”
In June of 2014, Emily and Blake moved to Iowa City, Iowa, when he
BioPlay sod covers the fairways of the Salt Lake Country Club.
was accepted into the University of Iowa Medical School’s orthopedic surgery program. Their Audrie is now a 7-year old, their Olivia turned 5 in early December, and Isaac will be 3 in March. Warren and Tammy have become frequent travelers to Iowa City.
Their son Clark is involved with the BioGrass business and also is a co-founder and the COO of Aqua- Yield. Warren refers to Clark as very ambitious and says, “He’s also a digital marketing consultant and an adjunct professor for the University of Utah Technology Education Department. And he has great business sense. His social media expertise contributes greatly to our marketing of both Bio-
Clark lives in the Salt Lake City area with his wife Jamilyn, and their three children: 6-year-old Jayda, 4-year-old Jaxon, and Ethan, who will be a 1-year- old in February. Tammy and Warren love having them so close, always finding time for those grandchildren and the family tradition of every other Sunday dinners together.
“We all raise our kids to be adults,” Warren says, “We want them to follow their dreams and succeed in them. We just wish it would always be close by.” The constant for Warren is—and long has been, “My sweet Tammy,” he says. “I don’t know what I’d do without her. She’s my sounding board; my sup- porter; my best friend. She keeps me straight. Tammy has had the greatest influence on my life and I’m still learn- ing from her.”
Suz Trusty is co-editor of Turf News.
All photos provided by Warren Bell, Clark Bell, Emily Bell Dowdle and Don Heslop.
Don captured this blast of sunshine hitting Lone Peak in the Wasatch Mountains just before sundown while wrapping up harvesting at the Bluffdale farm. Lone Peak is a federally designated Wilderness Area that overlooks Salt Lake County.
TPI TURF NEWS • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016
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