Weerts is the owner and operator of Weerts Companies, Inc. Founded in 1973, Weerts Companies, Inc. does roadside seeding and sodding. Primarily serving as a subcontractor, they perform turf restoration and erosion control on county, state and federal highway projects. Additional services include site grading, excavation, blacktopping, sand and gravel hauling.
Established in 1987, Blue Valley Sod has grown considerably within Minnesota including a retail location in North Mankato. Blue Valley Sod produces quality bluegrass for both commercial landscapers and homeowners serving the upper Midwest
TPI’s new vice president is Ed Keeven, Jr., president of Emerald View Turf Farm, O’Fallon, Mo.
Ed and the Keeven family have been active members of TPI for more than three decades. During that time, his father Ed Keeven, Sr. and his brother Tom both served on the TPI Board. In fact, his brother Tom was TPI’s President (2001-02) and Keeven himself served on the TPI’s Board of Trustees prior to his recent appointment between 1987 and 1990.
Will Nugent, owner of Bethel Farms in Arcadia, Fla., was appointed TPI secretary-treasurer. Nugent has been active in the turf and green industry for years. He is the past president of the Florida Sod Growers Cooperative; and he has been active in both the Florida Turfgrass Association and the Georgia Turfgrass Association.
Bethel Farms is one of Florida’s leading agriculture companies; producing cattle, citrus, sod and grass plugs. The company employs more than 100 people, on over 4,000 acres of farmland, stretching throughout the Southeastern U.S. with locations in Florida, Georgia and Texas.
Eric Heuver, president of Eagle Lake Turf Farms in Strathmore, Alberta, Canada was elected to a three-year term on TPI’s Board.
Heuver has been a member of TPI for over twenty years and has served on The Lawn Institute Research Committee. In addition to his participation in TPI he is also active in other green industry associations including Canadian Golf Course Superintendents (CGSA), the Landscape Alberta Nursery Trade Association, Golf Course Builder of America, Calgary Construction Association, Canadian Nursery Association and the Western Turfgrass Association.
Jimmy Fox, president of Evergreen Turf in Chandler, Ariz., joins Heuver as a new TPI board member.
Fox studied geological engineering at the University of Arizona. Fox has been a member of TPI for over a decade and has been active in a wide variety of green industry associations. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Arizona Nursery Association and the Cactus and Pine Golf Course Superintendents Association. He is also active in the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, Sports Turf Managers Association, Arizona Landscape Contractors Association, Golf Course Builders Association of America and also serves on the Mesa Community College Education Advisory Committee.
