for me. Following the governmental procedures provided the structure to keep us focused and the council members were dedicated to working together to achieve our goals. It worked out well.”
Tis aerial view of Coombs Sod Farms, LLC, shows the office, shop, grain bins and several sod fields.
Te Coombs farming operations had long been on the cutting edge of equipment technology and land management, and handled the transition to computerized record keeping well. Tey were less innovative on the organizational side of the business.
John Sr. says, “When John Jr. came back, he wanted to do job descriptions, putting down what his duties were and what mine were. When I came into the business with my Dad, it was you’ll do whatever I tell you to do, which is how he’d always worked with me, and with Jim. But John Jr. made good points for having job descriptions, so I went along with it, and we worked them out.”
Ten, in 2009, in response to the economic downturn and their differing ideas on how to proceed, John Sr. and his brother Jim ended their partnership, splitting the family land, equipment and all related resources. Coombs Sod Farms, LLC, was formed as a partnership between John Sr. and his sons. In 2012, Kevin joined that operation full- time, armed with his BS in Turfgrass Science from Penn State University.
John Sr. says, “My sons looked at things differently after returning from college. Tey wanted the company to have a formal structure even beyond the job descriptions that we reworked to include Kevin. We started having company meetings with agendas and minutes, which was very foreign to me.”
It helped that the Coombs family has always been involved in industry-related groups. John Sr. says, “Te members of our township council appoint the mayor. I was serving on the council when they appointed me. It was not a role I wanted, but I was forced into it. I served as mayor for four years. It was a life changing experience
90
So stepping up as a member of the Board of Trustees was a logical step for John Sr. He says, “Te TPI Board took on strategic planning. Tat was foreign to me, to have a strategic plan and have to pay someone else to work with you to figure it out. I was used to shooting from the hip and doing what needed to be done. After going through it I know there’s a tremendous amount of value to it. I now recognize the value of a strategic plan for Coombs Sod Farms.”
Still, it was hard for John Sr.,
especially the first time he went into a Coombs Sod Farms company meeting. “But I remembered my Dad saying you have to keep up with the times or the times will go around you,” he says. “For our business to thrive and grow, I have to be willing to accept change. I’m very fortunate that my sons are smart and aggressive.”
Distribution of Responsibilities John Jr. says, “I manage the field crops, the potatoes, grains and spinach. Kevin manages the sod. We’re each managing all aspects within that crop group: planting, pest management, irrigation and harvest, along with parts, supplies, employees and the rest of the business management. Dad is our back up in all of this—and our sounding board.
“We determined this distribution of responsibilities would allow both of us to participate in all aspects of the annual production cycle, without overlapping. It’s not specialization. In looking back at the way my Dad and uncle operated in their partnership, they split the responsibilities by tasks. Dad did the spraying and planting and my uncle handled the harvesting and irrigation. It almost created a void for Dad when we started our new partnership, without the management and hands-on experience in harvesting and irrigation, because both technology and their operational practices had evolved over time.”
Kevin says, “It really works well. In the spring and fall, I focus on the sod sales. I’m primarily busy with coordinating, making sure the harvesting crew gets the right sod cut and staged, and communicating with our office and truck drivers. I usually run the bentgrass harvester, too. During the summer, my focus changes to basic turfgrass management, the fertilization, fungicide and irrigation programs.
TPI Turf News November/December 2017
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116
