NEWS
MARTYN PARRISH JOINS ICL Martyn Parrish has joined ICL as Technical Area Sales Manager for North London and surrounding counties. He began his career in greenkeeping and started working at his local golf club at the age of 16. During his time as a Greenkeeper, he completed his foundation degree in Sportsturf Management at Myerscough College and participated in the Ohio State Programme on a 12-month internship in which he worked on a Jack Nicklaus course construction and a grow-in in Texas. He then moved away from golf and accepted a position as a Grounds Manager on a landscape construction project of a 400-acre site in Henley on Thames. Martyn worked in this role for six years before joining Maxwell Amenity, later to be acquired by Agrovista Amenity, as a Technical Area Sales Manager. “I will be working with a lot of the same people in many of the same areas,” said Martyn. “I worked with some fantastic people at Agrovista Amenity and many of them will be friends for life, but you have to keep challenging yourself and the opportunity to join ICL was just too good to turn down.” n www.icl-sf.co.uk
MAKING TURF MATTER
www.turfmatters.co.uk
Exhibitors continue to invest in SALTEX Early indications for SALTEX 2022, which takes place on 2 and 3 November at the NEC, Birmingham, are extremely positive after show organisers reported a hugely successful loyalty period. Over 100 exhibitors have re-booked for SALTEX 2022 and many more continue to confirm their presence during the discounted early-bird period. In 2021, 93% of exhibitors generated new sales leads with many taking direct orders on the show floor. The 2022 floorplan already boasts a strong showing of renowned exhibitors. Furthermore, an incredible 15% of 2021 exhibitors have also purchased extra stand space for SALTEX 2022 which is testament to the success of the 2021 event. Cramer, who exhibited at SALTEX 2021, has over doubled the size of its stand for SALTEX 2022. Cramer, supported and distributed by Handy, used SALTEX 2021 as a launch platform to promote its 82V range of commercial ground care equipment. “SALTEX 2021 went way beyond our expectations,” said Handy’s Sales and Marketing Director, Mark Moseley. “What really opened our
eyes was the quality of visitor and the heightened interest in the Cramer products. On our stand we had a lot of large dealers which is what we were looking for; we had big contractors, who are the kind of people we need to be talking to; and we spoke to many councils that want to convert from petrol to battery powered products. “It was one of the busiest shows we have ever experienced,” continued Mark. “In fact, we took a certain number of catalogues that we thought would last us for two days, and they were all gone within the first two hours of the show opening.” Toro UK is exhibiting with a bigger stand at SALTEX 2022 and Matthew Colman, Sales Manager, revealed why: “Finally, we had the chance to showcase new
and innovative products within our landscape contracting equipment. “It is with huge excitement that we’re going even bigger at this year’s SALTEX.” Comments such as these can only be a reflection on the growing number of exhibitors in the 2022 show. After a year’s absence STIHL UK, Barrus and Vale Engineering have also confirmed that they are returning to SALTEX 2022. “SALTEX continues to grow, and the sales team are receiving new enquiries every week,” said Geoff Webb, GMA CEO. “We are also delighted to be welcoming back exhibitors who were unable to join us in 2021. There is extremely high demand at this period in the sales cycle taking us back to pre-pandemic levels.” n www.gmasaltex.co.uk
COLLEGE OPTS FOR MAREDO MT 200 FLEX VERTICUTTER Head Groundsman, Donny Reid, and his team at Robert Gordon’s College in Aberdeen, always try to be one step ahead when it comes to preparing playing surfaces. “Our 39-acre site is constantly in use, so we have to be mindful of when and where classes and fixtures are happening. We aim to have the areas prepped and ready for use,” explained Donny.
4 | TURF MATTERS | MARCH-APRIL 2022
The arrival in September 2021 of a Maredo MT 200 flex verticutter to the school’s Countesswells Sports Fields from local ground care dealer, Fairways GM, is a significant purchase in their quest for constant quality. The Maredo is a very thorough and purposeful scarifier and targets the area just below the grass’s surface. Carbide-steel tipped blades are
spaced 40 mm apart and make very precise slits that cause minimal surface disruption. The unit comprises three independently floating heads and an ‘A’-frame with a pivot point making turning simple. Each head measures just over 63 cm giving a 1.9 m total working width. The MT 200 removes thatch cleanly and at speed. Easy
adjustment allows for a light scarify by just letting the blades touch the top layer or it can be set deeper down to depths of around 25 mm where it removes much more. “Controlling thatch in the top layer of a natural grass surface is so important,” continued Donny. “The amount of organic matter we can take out with the Maredo is amazing.”
