London, England: Richard Wood from Reesink South East has been named Toro International Master Salesperson by Toro.

It’s the first time Toro has presented such an award outside the United States and only three are awarded a year globally.

Amy Dahl, Vice President of International Business at The Toro Company, presented the award to Wood during the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME), with the Reesink UK team and an extensive Toro international team present.

Dahl said: “We looked at all salespeople across the international division. Richard’s passion for the Toro products and his customers have seen him achieve over 50 per cent market share in his area. With 30 years’ experience in the industry and 12 years at Reesink, he fits all the criteria for this prestigious award.”

The Toro International Master Salesperson of the Year Award is not only an acknowledgment of high sales, but also a recognition of the ability to understand and anticipate the needs of customers.

Jon Cole, Divisional Business Manager at Reesink Turfcare, said: “Richard is consistent with his sales and has grown market share in what is a very competitive area. His customers feel he goes the extra mile for them every day. It probably hasn’t sunk in for him yet how much of a big deal this is globally.”

Wood’s three decades of experience prior to Reesink Turfcare come from dealer JSM, four years selling amenity chemicals and fertilisers for Sheriff Amenity, and before that sales jobs for other competitive turfcare machinery manufacturers.

Wood said: “Winning this award really was totally unexpected – I was shocked! It’s done as part of a team with my depot at Sheffield Park and it’s going to be exciting sharing the news with everyone.”

Alastair Rowell, Managing Director of Reesink UK, said: “Richard has an obvious passion for the Toro products and his customers and makes a valuable contribution to the industry.

“He goes above and beyond in his job and his work and it’s this commitment that has resulted in sales excellence and customer satisfaction for so many years. He’s done himself and the company incredibly proud.”

*Toro is an Executive Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.