The IAA’s 2015 Distinguished Alumnus, Mark Merrick, is a well-known and respected figure in Maryland’s turfgrass industry, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Genesis Turfgrass, Inc., Merrick leads 14 sales representatives in 6 states generating $21 million in sales annually. Not bad for a "boy off the farm" who did not know what he wanted to do in life.
Growing up on a farm certainly sparked his interest in the outdoors and growing plants, but like many high school students, Merrick didn’t realize that "you can go to school for that." So he pursued a degree in Elementary Education at Towson University. While attending college, Merrick worked part time at Towson Golf & Country Club, a job he really liked. He said it was "like working on the farm except you are growing grass."
After graduating from Towson State University, Merrick did not find a career in the classroom very appealing. So, in an episode that has been repeated many times for IAA students, Merrick asked Golf Course Superintendent friends Paul O'Leary and Mike Larson about their career preparation. Both recommended the Golf Course Management program at the IAA. With transfer credit and a lot of hard work, Merrick completed the IAA program in one year.
Meanwhile, Merrick had worked his way up to Assistant Superintendent at Towson. In 1986 he was named Superintendent at the venerable Elkridge Club in Baltimore. The Elkridge Club, well over 100 years old, started as a hunt club before the game of golf ever came to America. Unfortunately, most of the equipment and infrastructure of the club was equally aged. Merrick led several multi-million dollar renovation projects in a 20-year tenure that earned him the respect of club members and fellow superintendents in the area.
In 2005, Merrick changed career direction to explore the business side of golf turf. He worked briefly with a local startup company Growing Solutions. His talents were soon recognized by the giant agrochemical company Sygenta. Merrick managed the Mid-Atlantic territory for Sygenta Professional Products with 350 customers for 5 years. As the local company Genesis Turfgrass began to grow, Merrick’s management skills were once again sought out. Since 2010, he has managed and developed a talented team at Genesis which includes IAA alumni Ryland Chapman and David Nehila.
In addition to his work, Merrick is respected among turfgrass professionals is his organizational skills. Always a proponent of technology, he developed an active "group" page in the trade that was surprisingly active in the late 1990's called Baltimore Greens. He maintained calendars, events, memberships, and job postings as a hobby of sorts. It was a real forerunner to today's social media. Even today, Merrick maintains one of the most active job posting sites in the green industry on the Genesis Turfgrass website which is a tremendous resource for students.
Recognized at the IAA graduation luncheon, Merrick presented a two-page list of all the things he has accomplished and the places he has gone during his career. He concluded by saying it was all possible because he is a graduate of the Institute of Applied Agriculture. He encouraged all the new graduates to do the same.
