ATA Member Spotlight on Mickey Pitts.

Mickey Pitts was born on Christmas Day in 1948, in Red Level, Alabama. Raised on a farm near Andalusia, Mickey had two sisters and no brothers, allowing him to claim the title of ‘favorite son.’ He often helped with farm chores, instilling a love of agriculture and a skill set that would inspire his later career.

Mickey graduated from Red Level High School and attended just one year of junior college before being drafted by the military. He decided then to enlist in the Air Force for four years, hoping to avoid deployment to Vietnam. Nevertheless, he deployed to Vietnam in January of 1970, serving 13 months overseas. Mickey was a crew chief on fighter jets and was under fire many times, but fortunately, made it home intact. When his active military career ended, Mickey joined the Alabama National Guard and served with them for many years.

Upon his return to the United States, Mickey met his future wife, Jenny. They married in 1971 and have two daughters, Amy and Ashley.

Mickey’s career in the turf industry started when he left the Air Force and decided to return to his roots. He started working with Don Cotton at Turf Pride in the 1980’s. Mickey found that his childhood on a farm made him a good fit for turf sales. He worked at Neary after Turf Pride, then settled at Tieco in 1993.

After working at Tieco for almost a decade, Mickey moved to Beard Equipment in 2001. Soon afterwards the World Trade Center was destroyed in a terrorist attack. Mickey, still in the Alabama National Guard, expected to be called into service in the Middle East, but fortunately, he remained stateside and retired from the National Guard in 2010.

Prior to joining Beard Equipment, Mickey had been acquainted with Herman Bloch and when Beard began selling John Deere equipment, Mickey really found his sales footing. He received a John Deere ring and many other honors from John Deere over the years. Mickey’s sales strategy is to be friendly with everyone — whether they are purchasing equipment or not! “Personability and kindness to potential customers can help overcome sales challenges most of the time. Convincing potential customers that the equipment is worthwhile can be difficult, but a good product and a friendly face overcomes most obstacles, according to Mickey. “It’s simple, but the key to sales success is kindness.”

During his career, Mickey has traditionally enjoyed playing golf. He doesn’t get out to the course much anymore, but that doesn’t mean that he has slowed down — he spends time with his granddaughters, Lily and Ingram. He has also increased his travel, visiting everywhere from Alaska to Key West with his wife and friends in the past few years.

Mickey reflects on his career thus far by thanking his coworkers — “The guys I’ve worked with have always been a blessing in my life.” Mickey has never met a stranger — he loves his job and the people he does it with!

The Alabama Turfgrass Association has been blessed to have Mickey as a member for many years, and he has also served on the ATA board and then the executive board as Treasurer and Vice-President. Thank you, Mickey for your service to your country, your employers, your customers and your ATA Family!