Member Spotlight

Douglas Cosentino

• Grounds Supervisor and Landscape Manager Colby College, Waterville, ME

• A.S. In Turfgrass Management from UMass

• B.S. in Plant Biology and Recreational Tourism from Westfield State College

• Certified Master Gardener

How did you get your start in the turfgrass industry?

Working summers, after school, and spring breaks at Nashawtuc Country Club in Concord, MA.

Where did you go from there?

I worked in the golf industry for many years — on both the East and West coast — before making the jump to sports turf at Colby College.

Who were your mentors when you were first starting out in the business?

Dan O’Connell, who was the Assistant at Nashawtuc CC, taught me to not take everything so seriously and to have fun at work. I spent my first two years in college going for an accounting degree before he helped me realize that wasn’t what I really wanted to do, and I switched to turf. If you can still smile after an 80-hour week two decades into a career, then you’re in the right spot. When I got into management, I learned a lot from Matt TenEyck. Even though I spent the shortest time with him of any supervisor in my career, something clicked. I’ve stayed in contact with him for career and personal advice or just a good laugh ever since.

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received?

If you don’t look forward to going to work in the morning, you need to make a change. After 24 years in the industry, I still get excited when the garage door goes up in the morning.

What advice would you share with people starting out in sports turf management today?

Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and cold call someone for advice or help. Sometimes a quick call can give you an answer you would never think of on your own. Also, early on in your career try to get as much variety in your career as possible. I have worked in MA, CA, CT, CO, FL, NY and ME and every area had a different approach to the same situations or was dealing with similar issues that helped me later in my career. You miss out on a lot of time saving techniques if you always do it the way you’ve always done it. You need to embrace change.

What have you found the most beneficial about being a NESTMA member?

The availability of continuing education on current topics. Being way up North and with all in-person conferences going virtual, NESTMA’s increased emphasis on webinars has been very helpful. •