PROFILE

Running his business also showed him the importance of integrity and honesty when dealing with others, how to communicate with people at all levels, and the value of diversity in staffing.

However, by the late 1990s, the landscaping company that Jones and his wife had built was feeling the pressure from large landscape companies that were undercutting his business by offering deep discounts. Unable to compete, they eventually sold their business— but not before Beth found him a job as head groundsman for Durham Academy, a private school in Durham, North Carolina.

“ I was very hesitant about the idea, because I really had grown to enjoy entrepreneurship,” he said.“ But when I walked in for the interview, I saw two football helmets on the windowsill— one from the University of Pittsburgh, and the other from the Pittsburgh Steelers. The person conducting the interview was from Pittsburgh, and we hit it off right away.”

When Jones was hired by Durham Academy in 2002, he was initially under the impression that he would just be handling campus grounds, but it turned out that the position also included management of the athletic fields. Lacking knowledge in sports field management, Jones was reassured by his new boss that the school had a connection with the Durham Bulls.

“ I met with the head groundskeeper of the Durham Bulls, and he impressed me right away with his passion for sports field management and the science behind it,” said Jones.“ What should have been a 45-minute meeting turned into a threehour conversation. At the end of the conversation, I filled out an application to work part time for the Durham Bulls in addition to my job at Durham Academy.”

The head groundskeeper of the Durham Bulls at the time was Jimmy Simpson, CSFM, who himself would go on to be president of SFMA.

“ Jimmy is younger than me by close to 15 years,” said Jones.“ He was going to school full time and taking care of a

24 SportsField Management | February 2026 sportsfieldmanagementonline. com