Te storefront of S.Y. Wilson & Company is inviting to shoppers in Arlington’s trendy Depot Square.
Bobby says, “If was a God-send for all of us. Te success Shelby experienced through barrel racing brought her out of her shell. Te skills and abilities she developed through riding made an impact on everything else she did. She was able to enjoy a typical teenage high school experience at a wonderful facility called Concord Academy.” Tat private, state-approved school provides students a unique learning community tailored to their specific needs. It covers a flexible core curriculum of general academics that leads to achieving a high school diploma and gaining the skills needed to succeed in the community.
In addition, Bobby reports, Shelby then participated in the University of Memphis TigerLIFE college curriculum program. LIFE stands for Learning, Independence, Fostering Employment and Education.
Bobby says, “Shelby puts 110 percent into everything she does—and she always has—even through all those years working with doctors. Now, at 25, she’s competing in barrel racing at the adult level about every other weekend, loving it—and excelling in it.”
Branching Out During all this, Bobby was continuing to grow the sod business, following the master plan he’d learned from his Dad: buy, develop and sell. Bobby says, “When our growing
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community neared our original 74 acres, Dad pointed me in the right direction, telling me who to call first.” While the world of business had changed since Mr. Bob’s developer days, the same principles applied. Bobby says, “We started developing that land into residential subdivisions, selling them, and making enough money to buy more land further out. At our peak we owned and leased 2,200 acres for growing turfgrass.”
About 1987, a customer asked Bobby about nursery stock. It seemed a good fit with turfgrass production, so Bobby and Kim started Te Stockyard Horticultural Supply. Bobby says, “Kim ran that operation and both Robert and Shelby worked with her there.”
Keeping everything going was possible because, as Bobby says, “I delegate well. Doug Estes, general manager of Winstead Turf Farms, does an excellent job. We have a great team, led by Doug, concentrating on our turfgrass production. Another very important part of the team came on board in September of 1987. Tat’s Mary Ann Christopher, our receptionist who answers the phone and knows more about grass than anybody. She trains all the new folks. My oldest sister, Kent W. Lee, came to help us at the farm in 1990 and stayed until three years ago. My other sister, Gail W. Doster, started working at the farm in 2005 and is still with us. Now my niece, Alaina Joyner,
TPI Turf News November/December 2018
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