6 minute read
Between the Lines
Penn State Turf Professionals Move into New Roles
As KAFMO matures as an organization, the founding leadership is always looking to the future. Succession and nurturing the careers of young people in the field has become a priority. Therefore, it is always good news to see members moving up the ranks in the turf industry. As we enter 2024, we want to recognize a few notable promotions in the Penn State sports turf family.
Notable Promotions
Herb Combs, who had served as Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities and Grounds since 2016, has been promoted to Associate Athletic Director for Facilities Management and Operations. He will oversee the day-to-day management of Penn State Intercollegiate athletics facilities and operations. George Peters has moved into the Assistant Athletic Director position after five years at University Park and previous work experience that includes coordinating outdoor athletics facilities at Oklahoma State and field maintenance at PNC Park for the Pittsburgh Pirates. And after working on the groundskeeping crew at Penn State since 2009, Chris Gawryla has moved into the role vacated by George Peters. He is now the new Supervisor of Grounds, which includes responsibility for the care of all of the sports fields and surrounding areas. We caught up with Chris Gawryla just before the holidays to find out more about him and his new role.
Guidance
Chris’s story is a perfect example of how schools can help a young person find the career he didn’t know he was looking for. When asked “What attracted you to a career in turf management,” many turf professionals will talk about their love for a particular sport. Chris Gawryla recalls that as he was looking into college, he spoke with his guidance counselor and mentioned that he liked working with his hands and being outside. It was his guidance counselor who steered him toward the turfgrass industry. “I cut grass as a kid but never really considered something similar as a career,” he remembers. “My parents and I looked at Penn State’s Associate’s degree program and the Bachelor’s degree program. As I entered college, I was still unsure what I wanted to pursue so I entered Penn State undecided, eventually landing in their Bachelor’s program.” Chris Gawryla graduated with a degree in Turf Science from Penn State University in 2007 and has been connected with the university and with the industry ever since.
Gawryla’s years of experience on the groundskeeping crew gave him all the hands-on experience he needs to prepare him for a supervisory role. He is also a problem-solver and an inventor who developed, patented, and until 2015 manufactured a device for putting lines on synthetic turf. He knows what it takes to maintain a top-level athletic facility, from the operation of various mowing and earth-moving equipment to the application of pesticides and herbicides for turf maintenance. He has also had long experience in leading a crew to accomplish a task. The biggest challenges he anticipates will probably come from the scheduling of events.
Network is Important
“I was fortunate enough to have been on the crew as a full-time member for a little over 13 years before accepting my current position. In that time, I’ve experienced a lot of what goes on, at least from the physical work side. Having great coworkers, paying attention, and asking questions over the years has really built a sound base of knowledge of the operation,” he says.
“As far as looking to people for help, the industry is always very helpful, but the most helpful are the people who work on the crew. They all have their own strengths and knowledge that supports everything that we do. Without their talents and willingness to contribute, we wouldn’t be able to produce near the product that we do.”
Beyond the direct support of his crew, Gawryla knows he can rely on the extensive network of people who have worked for the Beaver Stadium Grounds Crew. “Everyone, from all the former head groundskeepers to former student workers who have moved on to their own places in the industry” is a part of that network. When asked what he was most looking forward to, Chris Gawryla’s response showed just how strong his connection to his crew is. “I look forward to having the opportunity to continue to work with and guide a great group of people who have become a second family to me. Our full-time staff are very cohesive and that’s something that we strive to maintain.”
Outreach and Advice
Given how important Chris Gawryla’s school guidance counselor was to his career choice, we asked him about possible efforts to reach out to future candidates while they are still in school, like the FFA connection KAFMO has been cultivating. It turns out that this is no easy task. “This past spring, I tried to connect with ag teachers from local school districts about passing along job opportunities to graduating students who may be interested in the industry, but I didn’t have much success,” he recalls. So even though much has been done to improve outreach and get turf management on the radar as a career, it seems there is still work to be done in that area.
As someone who knows the field, Gawryla has good advice to offer to people interested in pursuing turf management as a career. “The turf industry can be a very rewarding place,” says Gawryla. “The best advice that I can give is to get out and experience what the industry has to offer. For anyone who is pursuing a degree I would say do as many internships as possible while in school. At Penn State there are many ways to gain industry experience: working with us on the Beaver Stadium Grounds Crew, working at the Valentine Turfgrass Research Center, the Penn State golf courses, and the State College Spikes. Just reach out and talk to the people who are in a position that you think you might want to be in.”
