LINDA PITTILLO BRADLEY HONORED WITH FEMALE LEADER AWARD
In 2012, Linda was elected to serve on the Turfgrass Producers International (TPI) Board of Trustees, an honor that she shares with her father, Fred Pittillo, who first joined the association back in 1987.
During the 1980s, Fred made the successful transition from dairy farming into turfgrass production after trying to grow carrots for Campbell Soup, among many other ventures. In 1987, he planted four acres of Falcon fescue and the following year, expanded to 18 acres while securing a loan to buy more used sod equipment. By the early 1990s, Turf Mountain Sod was providing and installing sod for larger jobs such as new golf courses. As the demand for sod grew, they sold their last dairy cows in 1993.
After coming to work for the farm in 1995, Linda gained a greater appreciation of how her parents, Fred and Merle, worked together to build their operation. Linda admires her dad’s business decisions and his initiative in organizing the North Carolina sod producers.
Linda Pittillo Bradley and Gerry Brouwer at presentation of Brouwer Kesmac Female Leader Award. Photo by BE Productions
Te Brouwer Kesmac Female Leader Award is presented to a woman who shows a commitment and passion not only to the turfgrass industry but to the education of others and the proliferation of the industry as a whole. Tis individual represents the core and often familial values held by the community and provides overwhelming value and richness to the turfgrass farming collective.
Fittingly, the Award to honor and recognize one of these many worthy individuals was presented on behalf of Brouwer Kesmac on February 6, 2024, during the Women in Turf Reception, held in conjunction with the TPI International Education Conference & Field Day in Orlando, Florida. Te recipient was not notified prior to the presentation, adding an element of surprise to the much-deserved honor.
Tat recipient is Linda Pittillo Bradley, a sixth-generation farmer and the co-owner of Turf Mountain Sod in Hendersonville, North Carolina, with her brother, Wayne Pittillo. She is a graduate of Appalachian State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management. She is the current President of the North Carolina Sod Producers Association, where she also served as Secretary-Treasurer up until 2001.
TPI Turf News May/June 2024
Linda has always been a leader and an advocate for community education and being good stewards of the land, something she learned from her grandfather Louia Pittillo, who taught her the value of land conservancy at a young age.
Linda’s strong commitment to the turfgrass industry was demonstrated by her service on the TPI Board of Trustees, where she advanced from the position of Trustee to Secretary/Treasurer, then to Vice President, and in 2017, she became the first female President of Turfgrass Producers International (TPI).
As Steve Trusty once wrote, “Linda Bradley is TPI’s first woman president. It’s a role she is uniquely qualified for and one she approaches with respect and appreciation for those who formed and nurtured the association.” Linda continues to be a leading ambassador for the turfgrass industry and sod producers. As she said of her service to TPI, “You need to give back to the organization that has given you so much.”
Tus, the presentation concluded with this statement, “On behalf of Brouwer Kesmac and TPI, we would like to give back to you today and recognize all that you have done for the turfgrass industry.”
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