collaboration is a prime example of that. Arthur reports he had a couple farms for which the King Ranch lease had expired. He approached Will about leasing part of one of them, a thousand-acre property near Van Vleck, just outside Bay City, to supply the sod for the Harmony Outdoor Brands customers in that area. Tey had negotiated a five-year lease on 700 acres of that farm. Will had made a tremendous investment in establishing the grasses on that property during the first year and had planned more planting during the second year, expecting to continue development throughout the terms of the lease.

While the Milberger properties were water-secure with strategically placed wells, much of the county relied on access to water from the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA). Arthur says, “LCRA reduced the water allotment, in effect cutting off the water supply to those dependent rice and sod farms in Matagorda County, which includes Bay City.” Arthur recognized the severity of the problem and the struggles the county was facing. So he saw the pros and cons when the Argentina-based Tenaris company, the largest manufacturer of seamless steel pipe in the world, expressed interest in building a manufacturing facility on 1,500 acres, including all of the farm that Will was leasing. Arthur says, “Tenaris wanted to buy, not lease, the property they needed and I really didn’t want to sell it. But the potential county-wide impact of a two-billion- dollar pipe building company was incredible. First, I got Sue’s blessing on the project and then I approached Will about the possible sale. Most people would have told me to bug off.” Instead, Will said, “Let’s talk about it.”

Tey met and discussed the many positives and negatives on both sides of the equation. “A potential impossible situation became a straightforward evaluation, weighted heavily by Will’s compassion and overall concern for the welfare of the people within the county,” reports Arthur. “He agreed to void the lease as of July 2013, allowing him to harvest the sod that would be sales-ready by then, along with a financial settlement that left a bit of profit for both our companies. Because of Will Nugent, Tenaris is generating employment for hundreds of subcontractors and their thousands of workers and, once the construction is completed, will be hiring 600 employees.”

Family, Friends and Memories None of this, the industry-focused service and “tons of business startups and rollups and sold downs,” would have been possible without the strong support of Sue and the girls. “Family is the heart of our business,” says Arthur. “You’re all in it together. Te roles and responsibilities change over the years, but the strength of family remains the core.”

Daughter Regay is married to Shane Hildreth. Tey have a daughter, Audrey, and a son, James Arthur. Regay formed a marketing company, RHM Marketing, which operates out of her office building in Houston. Lesley and her husband, Shaun Shoaf, live in San Antonio with their two sons, Cole and Eric. Lesley worked at Milberger Landscaping &

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TPI friends gather at the Harbor next to Karankawa Village after the 2013 Conference. Left to right: Chip and Shari Lain, Rob and Wendy Davey, David and Sheri Doguet, Randy and Betsy Graff, Arthur and Sue Milberger, Jim and Kathy Keeven, and Tommy Keeven.

Nursery prior to taking time off to be a stay-at-home mom. With the boys now in Pre-K and Kindergarten, she’s again involved in the business, currently researching new business opportunities. Youngest daughter Whitney is married to Clint Laird. Tey have two sons, Wyatt and Reid. Whitney earned her Masters Degree from Texas A&M with her thesis focus on water conservation. She works for Mausuen Consulting developing water strategies for water districts and big urban irrigation users.

A strong network of working relationships that grows into life-long friendships is at the root of the turfgrass industry. Steady, reliable, dependable and hard-working, these folks find balance in those friendships and having fun together. Arthur and Sue thoroughly enjoy all of these get-togethers, including the post-TPI Conference gatherings, especially when they have the opportunity to host them.

Obviously, hospitality is part of the Milberger family DNA, so of course they welcomed an Australian study tour group into their Bay City home in 2009. A week of “show and tell” in the sod production operations was balanced by highlights of the Lone Star state. Te Aussies wrapped up their trip by attending the July 27-31 TPI Summer Convention and Field Day in East Lansing, Michigan.

Growing Again In 2014, Arthur became a partner in, and president of, Milberger Turfgrass, LLC, the center of their grass-related enterprises. So now he’s back to turfgrass production, and sublicensing of different products, along with a plethora of other endeavors. Life is less stressful without the golf/sports division which resides at King Ranch now, and Sue and Arthur can enjoy all six grandkids.

As Arthur says, “All of these enterprises have a unique synergism. You create one to serve the other; and though it doesn’t always end up with growing grass, it all comes about because of the grass business.”

Suz Trusty is co-editor of Turf News. All photos courtesy of Arthur J. Milberger.

TPI Turf News January/February 2017