Medina Turf Monday

-Our Roots Run Deep-

This saying means more than just a reference to our high quality turf grass. This saying represents our farms rich history and reputation. Having opened up doors in the 1960's under Cliff Gregoire (Father of both Scott and Ryan) we operated under the name "Medina Sod" for almost 50 years. (Yes, that is the same Medina Sod from The Big Lebowski, more on that in the coming weeks We have always strived to provide the best quality turf grass to homeowners, landscapers, and municipalities. In 2008 Scott Gregoire (Son of Cliff, Ryan's older brother) purchased the farm and for 10 years counited the family reputation of providing quality turf grass while also growing our customer base. We are extremely grateful for our predecessors for the work they did helping build both our family and farms reputation in the turf grass community. In 2018 when Scott retired Ryan (Scotts Brother) and Kelly (Ryan's wife) purchased the farm. However, this time things where going to be a little different, While providing high quality turf grass for our customers is still our purpose we decided to rebrand into Medina Turf Farms. On top of this we also became a women ran business by our owner Kelly Gregoire (Something we are extremely proud of). We all are also very proud of our farms deep history so much so that we developed the slogan "Our Roots Run Deep" and hope that it honors everyone that has contributed to the making of our family business...

Oh that's not all, this post is just week 1 of Medina Turf Monday ( Our soon to be Emmy award winning Facebook and Instagram series so follow us there for more!!!).

If this farm could talk... well it would probably go on forever, so with that I will try to listen, learn and give voice to the story's that our farm needs to tell.

Thank You for listening,

Your Friendly Neighborhood Turf Farm

-International Women's Day-

Here on the farm we have a long history of women leaders and team members who have helped build the farm into what it is today. We would like to take a moment to recognize their work along with talking about some of the sacrifices they have made.

Growing up on the farm everyone was tasked with lending a hand with whatever was needed to be done. Growing up Cindy, Nadine, and Jody (Daughters of Cliff And Garlene Gregoire) often had roles such as laying sod, mowing, selling corn on weekends and any handy work that needed done. On small farms everyone has to work and pull together to help build the business. Later in life both Cindy and Nadine had roles in the office and used their immense hands-on knowledge of the industry to help build the business side of the farm. I would also like to highlight that Cindy worked through all 3 regimes of the farm and showed an incredible ability to adapt to change. Jody spent time as one of our mowers and worked alongside our guys for many years. Throughout interviewing my aunts they made it clear that it was never about them being women and more about them having the mindset for doing whatever they could to make sure the farm was successful. This is a mindset we ask of all of our employees.

Women in the workforce have always been a pillar of the farm and while Cindy, Nadine, and Jody have all retired we still have very impactful women in our business, Karen Stallings helps work in our office in her free time, She Is awesome at keeping you in check and makes sure no foul language is said in the office. Karen brings a smile to the faces of many of our guys and definitely isn't afraid to lighten the mood or laugh with anyone. Marijane Powell (Kelly Gregoire's Mom) volunteers to come in at times as well. She loves to spend time with all of us and often is a good person to talk to about the business or vent to when times are tough. Finally, Kelly Gregoire Is our first woman owner in Medina Turf History. Her impact can not be understated and everything she does aids at the development of our business and women in turf grass everywhere. Kelly has never been scared to jump into a forklift or equipment if it needs done, She works long hours when needed and deals with all types of situations in our day to day operations. I think the best story I have of Kelly is people often call asking for "The Man In Charge '' which often leads to her responding with "You are talking to her". Kelly does not put up with any sort of disrespect or sexism. She walks the walk and talks the talk every day and in doing so inspires a lot of grown men to try and be like her.

I think it is also important to highlight the roles of all the wives, sisters, mom's, and any women who stand with our male employees. Farming is a hard industry and there are often long hard days. We try to be as understanding as possible but we cannot stress the importance and respect we have for the family of our guys. Being able to raise kids, work your own job, and be there for our guys when they need is really a superpower. My Grandmother Garlene Gregoire (Grandma Hindus) had this super power. While my Grandfather Cliff Gregoire (Grandpa Hindus) often worked long hours, my grandma helped raise 5 kids, work jobs such as the school lunch lady, and be a listening ear for everyone all the time. Her impact can not be understated in the building of what we are today. We are thankful for her and every woman like her, who may not work for the farm directly, however their roots are just as ingrained in our being as the guys who work here every day.

Thank You,

MTF