INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

In an effort to keep the pulse of the industry , SportsField Management recently reached out to industry professionals for their insights regarding current trends in the industry , challenges being faced , feedback they are receiving from others in the industry , positive developments , and their overall outlook for the industry . The following are comments from those who responded :

One of the biggest trends that I see sports field managers dealing with is the manpower shortage and , in particular , lack of a sufficient number of skilled workers . The COVID-19 pandemic has only amplified those issues , with many workers choosing to stay at home or choosing to take higher-paying jobs in other industries ( jobs that offer things that things that many sports field managers can ’ t afford , such as a bump in starting salary , a bonus just for applying , less labor-intensive responsibilities and air conditioning ). Some sports field managers rely on the addition of part-time summer help , but they have trouble finding people interested in these kind of jobs and then worry about who will keep showing up for work . Some that I have spoken to blame the heat , the hours and labor-intensive work for the struggles to find employees . Others blame a lack of work ethic , and many point to generational shifts . Let ’ s be brutally honest , a lot of young Americans don ’ t want to do manual labor anymore when they can get $ 15 an hour working fast food . Struggling to find entry-level workers and to pay them a competitive salary will be a challenge to many , and some sports field managers may leave the industry if they are burned out by the extra workload . I believe the key is to improve time management , offer competitive compensation packages to keep the best workers around , and provide an environment that workers enjoy .

– Paul Hollis , executive vice president , Redexim North America

Based off of everything I am seeing , labor is the main issue that everyone is having . More games to make up for the ones missed , and not bringing back staff that was laid off . Trending wise , I think people are looking at robots more . The painting robot has been on more and more Twitter pages . Autonomous equipment will take off with the labor shortage . That turns into GPS and drones taking off more if they can afford them . Everything else is the same thing we have always had . Some people don ’ t know what they can use , and are asking questions because they never have before . I think people would like more information on things like recycle dressing , shockwave , and fraise mowing , but they don ’ t have the time and are scared .

– Weston Floyd , research associate , Texas A & M University , Department of Soil and Crop Sciences

There are two major issues facing sports field managers as a result of the pandemic .

The first is labor . For example , I consult for the City of Detroit , and they have more than 50 positions in their parks maintenance division they can ’ t fill . Wherever I travel throughout the country , securing labor is a problem . Aside from the pandemic , believe it or not , those in the position of hiring feel one of the major problems is the legalization of marijuana . Potential employees aren ’ t even applying because they won ’ t or can ’ t stop smoking long enough to take a drug test . I understand it is also a major problem in the trucking industry as many drivers with Commercial Driver ’ s Licenses have lost their licenses or let their licenses lapse because they failed , or don ’ t want to take , a drug test . My understanding is that there are seven to eight loads available for every truck in the U . S . If you weren ’ t aware , freight costs in our industry have nearly doubled . For example , a full trailer load of infield conditioner to New Jersey was $ 2,800.00 in 2019 . The

44 SportsField Management | October 2021 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com