Course conditions | Summer 2012
Mark Lauret
Under the Hood
Equipment Technician at Treetops Mark Lauret was laid off in early 2002 due to company downsizing. A few months later he saw an ad from Treetops looking for a mechanic; he applied and was offered the job. 10years later he is still there. Mark is engaged to the love of his life, Holli. He has a son and daughter, Mark 25 and Cynthia, 20, he also has a grandson, Karsyn, who’s two months old. 1. Where did you receive your education? Well it started off when I was 10yrs. old, my Mother would get a bit upset with me when she’d find lawnmower engines torn apart and stuffed in boxes in my bedroom. From there I took automotive classes all through high school, enlisted in the Army right out of high school for 6yrs., where I trained to be a track vehicle mechanic. Did a stint with appliance, refrigeration and electronics repair, was a service manager at an RV dealership, so mechanical and electrical, is just part of me. When I was hired at Treetops, I had a great mentor, Tim Ross, who taught me hydraulics, diagnostics, repair, and rebuild. 2. What are your expectations from the Michigan Golf Course Superintendents Association? To continue to promote the importance and need for qualified and educated turf equipment technicians and managers. Also to continue the equipment tech/managers meeting, it’s great to get with everyone to share info. 3. What is the most difficult part of your job? Trying to make things work within the budget can be quite challenging at times. However we’re all in the same golf cart with that issue. Oh, one more thing, getting the operators to “Check the OIL!” 4. What is the easiest part of your job? You know, your job is only as hard as you make it. So work smarter, not harder. 5. What percentage of your time is devoted to non-equipment related tasks? Not much, on occasion I get to go out and run equipment, like walk mowing greens, I love it! 6. What type of continuing education do you feel is valuable to equipment technicians? Electronics, computer and satellite technology. 7. Who influenced you the most about equipment management? Tim Ross, Mark Wildeman, and Scott Pulaski, oh and of course, Doug Hoeh. 8. What is your funniest story from all of your years maintaining equipment? Wow, there’ve been many, but this one happened just this year, a new operator took a walk mower out to mow greens, mowed a whole green and could not understand why his basket wasn’t filling up with grass. Another operator stopped by and the new guy asks why he wasn’t getting any grass in his basket, he showed him exactly how he was mowing, he didn’t engage the reel. Well, you had to be there.
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