FUTURE LEADERS FELLOWSHIP SPOTLIGHT Compiled by Suz Trusty
TPI’s new members-only program—the TPI Future Leaders Fellowship—is the result of the TPI Leadership, Innovation, and Technology (LIT) committee’s collaboration on developing a small-group leadership experience to bring together new and current leaders in the natural grass industry. It’s an immersive 24-month program, with a balance of dynamic classroom and virtual presentations, experiential learning opportunities, in-depth leadership text analysis paired with travel, service projects, and teamwork, all focused on developing new skills and enhancing existing leadership characteristics. Within this interactive framework, participants individually contribute to the long-term success of their career and their organization and become even more effective advocates for the natural grass industry. As the cohort moves into the second half of the program, we’re sharing the stories of its participants.
Kelsey Sandbothe – SelecTurf, Inc.
Kelsey Sandbothe is a co- owner of SelecTurf, Inc., located just outside of Jefferson City, Missouri, and about 30 miles from Columbia, MO. SelecTurf grows a little over 550 acres of turfgrasses and 50 to 60 acres of soybeans and wheat, primarily for crop rotation.
Kelsey’s role is “running the office,” which sod producers know is a multi-faceted, management-level position that encompasses accounting, personnel management, sales and marketing, which includes pricing and all the truck routing, business
development, the website, social media, and whatever else it takes to keep everything running smoothly.
SelecTurf is a third-generation family business. Kelsey, and her brother Clint Keeven, are transitioning to full ownership from the two other co-owners, their parents, Jim and Kathy Keeven. Clint focuses on the production side of things, from variety selection to planting, growing, harvesting, and delivery, much of it in-house, with three full-time truck drivers on staff. Kelsey says, “Clint and I work well together, and he and Dad collaborate on
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decisions such as variety selection and field allocation. It’s a smooth transition. Mom and Dad have been great mentors and they’re always there when we have questions.”
For Kelsey, joining the family business was always an option, but nothing she pursued. She says, “I love to try new things; do new things. In high school and even in college, I didn’t have a specific career goal, I wanted to do something different every week. So I chose a multipurpose major, earning a business degree at the University of Missouri in Columbia.”
After college, she worked as the office staff for a real estate appraisal company. “Tey were eager to teach and mentor me through the steps to become an appraiser, but I wasn’t sure that was the right fit. Ten Mom and Dad reached out about being part of ‘your family farm,’ and how my skills fit the business needs and the opportunities it offered for me.” Te dynamics of the business and the entrepreneurial element were the deciding factors for Kelsey. “Every day is different, with its own set of challenges. It all depends on you to make it work and you need to keep learning continuously to make it successful.”
Tough Kelsey and her husband, Sean, went to the same high school (she was a freshman when he was a senior) they first met, through mutual friends, when she was a junior. She says, “We’ve stuck together ever since. Sean went to a two-year program for construction management and worked for SelecTurf for about ten years. He left three years ago to start his own construction business.”
Keeping that entrepreneurial spirit flowing, Kelsey is also helping Sean with the office side of the construction company and with the management of their rental properties. In addition, the couple keeps busy with their two children, Charlie, and his big sister, Allison, who just completed Kindergarten.
Kelsey says, “I joined the cohort because I wanted to grow in the business as a leader and grow for others in the turfgrass industry.” She considers the travel aspect a plus. Tough she couldn’t make the Germany trip, she’s excited about the Washington, DC, trip this fall. She says, “For the one-on-one pairings, I traveled to Oregon to meet with Melissa Clark of DLF USA and learn about the seed production process. She came to our farm to learn about sod production. We both gained a deeper understanding of the other’s side of our industry.”
Kelsey says, “Te program’s top benefit for me is the relationships I’ve been able to form within the group, to collaborate, share successes and challenges, and network via phone calls, emails, and texts. Allie Shriver has been great
TPI Turf News July/August 2023
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