F o r e Y o u r I n f o r m a ti o n
P age 7
Affiliate Member Highlight: Rodney Muller, Sierra Pacific Turf By John Farley Rod Muller is the best kind of salesman. He’s knowledgeable, professional, punctual and above all a former golf course superintendent. He has the tools and the background to do the job well. And being a former superintendent he’s easy to trust. He’s “been there” and “done that”. He’s a man of the cloth if you will. He hails from the Midwest being born in Pratt Kansas. He grew up and went to school there. He graduated from MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kansas with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management and Human relations. If that wasn’t enough, he went on to Kansas State University and received a Bachelor of Science degree in golf course management. Suffice it to say, he’s well educated. Once his education was complete it was time for Rod to enter the work force. He took an internship as assistant superintendent at Indian Hills Country Club and then moved onto the Topeka Country Club where he was the assistant superintendent for six years. At this point California was calling his name and he answered. He and his wife Debbie loaded up and drove out to San Francisco where he worked at Monarch Bay as the assistant. He was only there for nine months before he was snapped up by Tilden Park Golf Course in Berkeley as superintendent. After cutting his teeth in the bay area he applied for and received the job as superintendent at Empire Ranch Golf Course in Folsom. Since his course and my course were both managed by the same company I had the pleasure of working with Rod on several occasions. We would share equipment and manpower whenever we would aerate greens. What I noticed
most about Rod was his relaxed easy going disposition. He never seemed to get too wound up about anything. A very valuable trait in this business. He was part Chuck Yager and part Jeff Spakoli. He had the skills and training to face any situation and the cool surfer attitude to get him through any rough spots. Rod worked at Empire for six years and then in 2016 went to Rancho Murrieta Country Club as superintendent. He was looking forward to renovating the course as new management was set to take over the property and had grand plans. Sadly the deal fell through and his hopes of renovating the course were dashed. He was then offered the job of GM and he took it. He did that for a year and decided it wasn’t his cup of tea. At this point he was ready to make a career shift. He was offered a job with Sierra Pacific Supply as the Rainbird rep and took it. Rod said “ It’s a great company and I was glad to join the team”. He’s been there since early 2018 and doesn’t see any changes in the near future. In other words, he’s quite happy where he’s at. And by the sounds of it, Sierra Pacific is happy to have him. I’m happy too because Rod now calls on me and it’s always nice to see him. He looks forward to a nice long career at his new gig. Rod enjoys playing golf and is a solid nine handicapper. He played in college and still loves to play in tournaments. But golf isn’t his only hobby. He’s an accomplished fisherman. He can fish for bass because growing up in Kansas it’s what you do. But he’s also a really good trout fisherman. I know because he sends me pictures of the fish he catches and cooks for dinner. Living in Jackson he has ample opportunity to do what he loves. Fishing and golfing are just the tip of the iceberg.
He also loves to ski and is quite good at it. With Kirkwood resort only an hour away he spends many days on the slopes of the Sierra mountains. He and his wife Debbie live in a beautiful house that they renovated. He installed a pool for the summer months and a woodstove for the cold winter nights. His house sits on 5.5 acres which gives him room to roam and he needs the room not only for himself but for his dogs Bosley, Mingus, Kozmo and Sturgis. Two of which have graced the pages of the Dog days calendar put out by the GCSAA. He also plays baseball but not your ordinary baseball, he plays “vintage” baseball which is a throwback to old school baseball. The rules are vintage but NOT the players he was quick to point out. It’s not old guys playing ball it’s young guys playing old ball. Big difference. I asked Rod what he enjoys most about his current job and he said without hesitation” It’s the people you meet”. He went on to say how most guys are pretty down to earth and all working towards a common goal. He also enjoys the fact that we all try to help each other out. Most guys are more than willing to offer advice even equipment and manpower. “You don’t see that in many industries,” Rod went onto say. I couldn’t agree more and the fact that Rod sees it that way tells me he’s going to be a very successful salesman. Rod doesn’t like the term “salesman” much. He prefers to think of himself as a “trusted advisor”. Someone who can help solve problems and move the industry forward. I certainly wish all salesman saw it that way. I guess that’s what sets him apart from the pack. I look forward to Rod calling on me for many years to come. My office door is always open to guys like him!