NEWS Former Toro CEO dies at 79 Roger Mant RIP
Fontwell Park have announced the death of Roger Mant - the man who kept the racecourse in fine condition for more than forty years.
Roger was head groundsman from 1959 until 2003, when he passed the reins over to son Paul, who still does the job now.
A Fontwell spokesman said: “With great sadness, we report the passing of Roger Mant, Head Groundsman for over forty years at Fontwell.”
“Roger, 82, retired in 2003. He was regarded as the second most important person in the history of the course after the track's creator Alfred Day. Our thoughts are with his family.”
Roger was one of the VIPs selected to open the new grandstand a decade ago and he and his family are well-known by all who go to Fontwell regularly, be they race-goers, jockeys, trainers or owners.
A tribute to Roger’s work is sure to be put in place once racing returns at Fontwell Park later in the year.
Phil Bell, who was the boss at Fontwell from 2002 to 2012, said: “Roger retired shortly after I started at Fontwell Park but stayed working with us part-time for many years.”
“It was clear when you spoke to everyone who knew him, including the country’s leading trainers and jockeys, that he was held in the very highest regard.”
“He was Mr Fontwell for decades and always presented the track, fences, hurdles and racecourse grounds in perfect condition. His commitment and dedication to his work was exceptional - a great man.”
Kendrick “Ken” B. Melrose, former chairman and chief executive officer of The Toro Company, passed away Sunday May 3rd 2020 at the age of 79.
“Ken was a great man, and the epitome of an exceptional leader,” said Rick Olson, current chairman and chief executive officer of The Toro Company.
“The culture he instilled continues as a positive influence and will guide The Toro Company long into the future. Ken was passionate about supporting the industries we serve and helping our customers succeed. The impact of his generous philanthropic initiatives will continue to positively affect many in our industry and our communities.”
Ken joined The Toro Company in 1970 and, over the course of the following decade, served in a number of leadership roles with increasing responsibility. In 1981, as the company faced extremely challenging times, Ken was named president. Toro say that Ken’s belief in and ability to connect with people, his fortitude while making tough decisions, and his commitment to quality and innovation, all
Jeff retires from Reesink Jeff Anguige takes early retirement from industry after 46 years
Reesink Turfcare has announced the retirement of its national sales manager Jeff Anguige after 21 years working with the Toro UK distributor and its predecessor Lely UK, and a total of 46 years serving the turfcare industry.
Jeff, 63, began working in the industry straight after leaving college, learning the business working at golf and grounds dealerships and turf machinery manufacturers such as Ransomes. In 1999, he joined the then Toro UK distributor Lely UK, with headquarters at St Neots, Cambs., as national Toro sales manager, responsible for spearheading sales of its golf course and sports turf maintenance machinery.
At Lely, and latterly Reesink, he has played a leading role in helping develop the Toro name
10 PC June/July 2020
and reputation for quality products that today sees it as the market-leading brand it has become.
It is, he says, his biggest career achievement: “Toro has been the constant in my working life at Lely and Reesink,” says Jeff. “For over two decades I’ve worked with a brilliant team to help it grow to where it is today - in my view, holding the number one spot for quality with its reputation preceding it.”
Jeff has seen many big changes throughout his time in the industry. Among the biggest, he says, is the way in which clubs now buy their machinery. He says: “When I started, people tended to get their cheque book out and buy one piece of equipment at a time, outright. Now, the majority of customers invest in fleet
deals on finance. It gives the option to have more machines straightaway for the same level of investment, as well as the latest technology to maintain playing surfaces. The upscale is huge, as is the improvement in quality of playing surfaces. It’s certainly a very different market to when I started, and very much for the better.”
helped lead the organisation through financial difficulty to record results at the time.
Ken outlined his business philosophy in his book published in 1995, Making the Grass Greener on Your Side: A CEO’s Journey to Leading by Serving. As Ken wrote, “Everyone has the potential to contribute to achieving the goals of the company. If you unleash that potential, market leadership and financial success will be natural by-products.”
After leading the company for twenty-four years, Ken retired as CEO in March of 2005. During his tenure, Ken oversaw a number of acquisitions, including Wheel Horse, Exmark, Lawn-Boy and Hayter, and company sales grew from $247 million to $1.7 billion.
“We owe much to Ken’s principled leadership, and his legacy cannot be overstated,” added Rick Olson. “He was a rare transformational leader who saw the best in people and knew how to inspire them to work together and exceed their own expectations in order to achieve great things.”
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