Sod Solutions hires new Florida Territory Manager

Sod Solutions is excited to announce Mark Kann has accepted the position of Florida Territory Manager. He will begin employment in February, bringing over 25 years of experience in the turfgrass industry to the company and who for the past 14 years has run the turf research facility for the University of Florida (UF) Plant Science Research and Education Unit in Citra, Florida.

“Mark Kann brings both an extensive professional background and impressive educational credentials into his new role within the Florida turfgrass market. He has clearly demonstrated his interest and expertise to work with producers throughout the region as a sod professional and will be a resource for Sod Solutions. We are excited to welcome Mark as our new Florida Territory Manager,” said Tobey Wagner, president of Sod Solutions.

Kann holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Turfgrass Science and a Master of Science degree in Horticulture Sciences from UF. In his Master’s program, Kann minored in Agricultural Education & Communication and Agronomy, with a research focus on evaluating educational programs.

During his time as the Coordinator of Research Programs at the UF Plant Science Research and Educational Unit, Kann managed numerous research projects involving turfgrass, ornamentals and greenhouse production.

“We are confident that Mark’s skills, background and personal values will prove to be great additions to our existing team,” said Christian Broucqsault, Sod Solutions chief operating officer.

Prior to his role at the UF, Kann served as both Golf Course Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent at several golf clubs in Florida. These positions allowed Kann to learn the management of golf courses, to include irrigation, fertilizer and pesticide applications, planning, maintenance and more.

“When I moved to Florida 25 years ago, I wanted a job on a golf course so I could play free golf. I started working in golf course maintenance and quickly moved up from raking bunkers to becoming a pesticide technician within a couple of years,” Kann said. “It was an exciting time for golf with Tiger Woods preparing to join the PGA, but also the beginning of environmentalists questioning the negative environmental impacts of golf course maintenance.”

Since then his passion for designing environmentally friendly golf courses expanded and changed his major from Landscape Architecture to Environmental Science while attending UF. Soon after changing his major, he met Ron Garl, a famous Golf Course architect, who gave him hope of designing golf courses himself one day. But, when the economy crashed and golf course construction halted, Kann embraced the Golf Course Maintenance path and eventually research.

Kann has received numerous awards and scholarships from Florida horticulture and turfgrass entities and has held numerous leadership roles.

“I have been extremely active in the turfgrass industry throughout my career, serving on the board of directors of several allied associations including the Florida Golf Course Superintendents Association (FGCSA), Florida Turfgrass Association (FTGA) and the Seven Rivers Golf Course Superintendents Association (SRGCSA),” Kann shared.

He served as president of both the FGCSA and SRGCSA and was FGCSA Education/BMP Committee Chair for nearly a decade.

“I played an integral role in helping to create the FGCSA Golf BMP Certification Program which was nationally recognized by the GCSAA for its importance to government relations,” he added.

His hard work and impressive number of licenses and certifications prove that Kann will be an asset when it comes to taking his extensive turfgrass knowledge into the field as Territory Manager.

Kann explained he has been able to work closely with researchers to see the good, bad and ugly of turfgrass research. In the golf course industry, he could diagnose the problems with grasses but in research, he was often restricted on what could be done to resolve issues.

“Many of the breeding trials restricted the use of fungicides and insecticides, so I just had to sit back sometimes and let nature take its course. However, this provided me the opportunity to see many grasses thrive under minimal inputs and recognize its importance in helping to reduce negative environmental impacts,” he said.

Kann expressed he feels fortunate for having been able to work with Sod Solutions for the past 14 years during his role at UF.

“I have always been impressed with the company’s mission, products and employees. I have seen them continue to grow and expand as a company and promote environmentally friendly turfgrasses which is something I feel very strongly about. I see this position as another great opportunity to serve the industry and share my passion, knowledge and experience of turfgrass,” Kann said.

He will begin his position as Florida Territory Manager the second week of February 2021.

“I have met so many great people from all sectors of the turfgrass industry throughout my career and look forward to keeping those relationships and creating many more as the Florida Territory Manager,” he concluded.

When Kann isn’t focused on turfgrass, you will likely find him in the kitchen or enjoying the great outdoors. He enjoys making German, Cajun/Creole, Mexican and Italian dishes for large groups, such as for fellowship events at his church. He also spends his spare time golfing, fishing, biking, gardening and spending time on the water at nearby lakes or beaches.

Sod Solutions has helped successfully develop and release to the market over 20 different turfgrass varieties over the past 27 years including PalmettoⓇ and CitraBlueⓇ St. Augustine, EMPIREⓇ and InnovationTM Zoysia and CelebrationⓇ, Latitude 36Ⓡ and NorthBridgeⓇ Bermudagrass. The company is based in the Charleston, SC area. For all media inquiries, contact Media and Content Manager Cecilia Brown at [email protected] or visit SodSolutions.com.

This article was written by Cecilia Brown.