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PAUL FLOYD Creating Enriched Areas for Animals at The Birmingham Zoo: A New Twist on a Career in Turfgrass Management!
Al ab ama Tu rf Tim es > >> Spring 2022
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aul Floyd started working at The Country Club of Birmingham in 1989 and eight years later, became a 2nd Assistant. From there he was offered a position as a 1st Assistant at Mountain Brook Club in Birmingham. Five years later, he became a Golf Course Superintendent at Okefenokee Country Club in southeast Georgia. Paul says, “I started working at The Country Club of Birmingham in my early 20’s. Along the way, I realized that I enjoyed working outside and loved working on a golf course. I never knew you could have a career working on a golf course! Imagine that! Afterwards, I worked during the day and went to school at night at Jefferson State in Birmingham and earned my Turf & Horticulture degree. My main two instructors both taught at Auburn University, so I felt like I received a great Turf degree!” Paul had many mentors in the golf course community as he progressed in his profession. He credits Gary Bush (formerly at Mountain Brook Club) as a main influence, but others who he learned a lot from were Jeff Lee, CGCS, Les Williams, Jay Bradford, Kevin Cabaniss, Heath Puckett, CGCS, and Lee McLemore, CGCS. “These are a few of the people that took time and taught me things that I think about to this day. I also learned a lot from some of our sales representatives like Philip Hindman with Harrell’s Fertilizers among others.” During his career, Paul has served as a Golf Course Superintendent, Facilities & Operations Manager, and a Sports Turf Manager. Upon leaving his last job with The City of Decatur, he felt he wanted a new challenge. “I really wanted to try something different from what I did before. I live in Decatur, but I am
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from Birmingham, so I started looking at some companies in Birmingham that I was most familiar with. One of those was The Birmingham Zoo.” His position at the Zoo presented Paul with some new challenges. They were in the middle of a multimillion-dollar project that really interested him. “They hired me to be the Maintenance Manager, which includes facility maintenance, turf and landscape, and I am also in charge of their Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accreditation efforts for 2022. I am working with a lot of contractors and prioritizing projects. The Zoo is on its way up, and I am proud to be a part of their success.”
