FROM PANIC TO PRIDE

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Chris Gibson, MD of GGM Groundscare has described the range of emotions experienced in running a professional turfcare company during the extraordinary and challenging trading conditions of 2020.

“Like most business people, I always remember my reaction to hearing the Prime Ministers address to the nation on 23 March that there would be a total lockdown,” he said, talking to Chris Biddle for the latest episode of the Inside Agri-Turf podcast.

“I sat up most of the night, writing notes, not knowing whether, or when, we could open the business – and this was of course at the very start of our busy season.

"So I called all my team together, talked it through at length, asked them for their thoughts and suggestions and gave them the responsibility to take charge of their role within the company.

"Eight months on, and I must say that I’ve ridden the rollercoaster from panic to sheer pride at what we’ve been able to achieve – and that is pride in my team for all pulling together. At the end of our trading year in October, we are very slightly up on my projections set pre-Covid, and I would have taken that back in March!"

Chris says that because of the restrictions on access to the showroom in the Spring and early Summer, this meant changing the layout of the showroom “which has been a real improvement”.

He tells how his team made calls to customers simply to say 'hello' during the early lockdown, “which I think help the mental state of both our staff and customers.”

He also says that having a hire department for professional customers was a great advantage. “Because local authorities had to prioritise other services such as bin collection, grass was left to grow so when conditions eased there were tough cutting conditions which resulted in a run on the flail mowers in our hire fleet.”

Chris also talks about the importance of service contracts and his belief that there is plenty of pent-up demand in the professional turfcare market for next year - as long as supplies can be maintained.

LISTEN HERE