Marty Thiel was honored with The Turf Professional of the Year Award at the 55th annual Rocky Mountain Regional Turfgrass Association (RMRTA) Conference and Trade Show in Denver.
Thiel is the co-owner of Graff's Turf Farms and has been a great friend of the turfgrass industry, said Dr. Tony Koski, who made the presentation. Koski is Extension Turf Specialist and Colorado State University professor.
Thief began his career in the turf business at Graff's Turf Farms in 1992 as a seasonal laborer, but within a year was working fulltime at the farm, which was started in 1979 by Randy and Betsy Graff in Fort Morgan, Colo.
Thiel said he loves producing crops of fine turfgrass beginning with the initial tillage, to seed selection and all the way through to the harvest. These crops end up on some of the most high profile golf courses and sports fields in the country, including Invesco Field at Mile High, Coors Field, Busch Stadium, Wrigley Field and others across the nation.