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LANGHORNE, Pa. - Following its purchase of Duke-Weeks Landscaping (see The Brickman Group Acquires Duke-Weeks Landscaping), The Brickman Group Ltd. announced Aug. 7 the expansion of its sports turf management services to provide athletic field design and maintenance services throughout its 85 U.S. branches. Named Brickman SPORTSturf Services, the new division will be headed by Murray Cook, former president of Global Stadium Services.
"SPORTSturf Services will begin a new era in the management of athletic fields," said Scott Brickman, CEO of the national landscape and turf management company that is No. 5 on Lawn & Landscape’s 2000 Top 100 List. "Having Murray on board to guide the program through development and full implementation will allow us to grow this exciting new venture successfully."
The Brickman Group currently provides sports turf management services to several institutions and will begin offering complete sports turf services to professional, collegiate, municipal and private organizations across the U.S. SPORTSturf Services will offer field design and specification development, construction management, budget management and sports turf maintenance services to those clients.
Cook, president of SPORTSturf Services, will head the team to implement sports turf management operations in all of The Brickman Group branches. "This is an opportunity that will allow us to develop quality services for sports venues in the U.S. and abroad and, at the same time, create wonderful opportunities for turf professionals in the sports turf industry," he said.
Cook has more than 25 years experience in the sports turf and stadium management industry. As a field consultant for Major League Baseball, he has provided renovation and maintenance services for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, and the upcoming 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. He is also part of Cal Ripken’s team in the design and management services for Ripken Stadium and Youth Academy in Aberdeen, Md. Cook is president-elect of the National Sports Turf Managers Association.
Cook’s portfolio also includes providing consultation services for the development of Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex where he was the baseball stadium and sports field manager. Additionally, he provides management services for the spring training home of the St. Louis Cardinals and Montreal Expos, as well as other major and minor league facilities.
"This venture comes at a wonderful time for us," said Brickman. "With several new acquisitions over the past few years, we have numerous resources to provide the same quality of care to our new sports turf customers as we have with our landscape maintenance clients."