Former Exec 'Turfs' Suit And Tie

(Thursday, April 10, 2008) - Bruce Marshall has abandoned his suit and tie and boardroom meetings for the great outdoors and the other kind of green.

The former senior executive at Money Mart and Island Hearing has taken a hard left on the career path this spring, starting a pesticide-free, organic lawn care franchise in the Greater Victoria area.

And the grass is greener here, says a relaxed Marshall, who is drumming up business with residential and small commercial customers with the Turf Logic brand, a Barrie, Ont.-based company that promotes environmentally friendly lawn care and custom fertilizers.


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Font:****"I sat for 20 years in boardrooms and behind desks, had big staffs and both were public companies ... and I just decided to tie it all up, get in shape and get outside," says Marshall, 49. "Some people would call it a mid-life crisis. I call it mid-life relief."

An avid gardener who's always been obsessed with his lawn, it wasn't much of a leap, says Marshall. He's been concerned with his own yard's ecosystem for years, banning chemicals from his property and trying to convince neighbours to do the same.

Turf Logic has developed fertilizers that do not contain animal byproducts, processed sewage, livestock manure or chemical pesticides, says Marshall.

He says the growing consumer demand for environmentally friendly goods and services, particularly in the lawn and garden sectors, is "significant." People are making changes in the way they live and what roles -- no matter how small -- they play in the global scheme of the environment, he added.

Marshall cited a recent survey commissioned by the Capital Regional District where 76 per cent of homeowners said they would support bylaws restricting the use of pesticides on residential properties.

"While 100 per cent pesticide-free has its obvious benefits for health and the environment, I like the fact it's kid and pet friendly," said Marshall. "Most services continue to use pesticides in select areas. I'm pretty sure kids, cats and dogs don't know how to avoid these select areas."

Turf Logic was founded 15 years ago in the Ontario golf course industry by Rob Corey and Frank Reddick, who spent a combined 40 years in the fertilizer business in Canada. There are franchises in Ontario as well as the B.C. Interior and Lower Mainland.

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