Renamed the Tennessee Enterprise Center, this 2,582,918 square foot warehouse and manufacturing facility sits on 123 acres in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., just north of the Alabama border, and is equidistant between Nashville, Tenn. and Huntsville, Ala. It was formerly the largest lawn mower factory in the world, until its owner, Murray Ohio, filed for bankruptcy. As a result of Pinnacle’s acquisition of the facility approximately 300 new jobs have been created - with the potential for new job openings to double within the next two to three years.

The Tennessee Enterprise Center’s first tenants are Swisher Mower and Machine Company, Briggs and Stratton, and Assurance. Letters of intent to lease have also been signed that will result in another 700,000 square feet of occupancy.

Local and national media representatives joined dignitaries and VIP guests for a press conference and reception April 27 announcing, and celebrating, the acquisition and renaming of the facility.

Dow AgroSciences promotes two to district sales managers
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Adriana Ratterman and Mark Woodruff have been promoted to the position of district sales manager for Dow AgroSciences. Ratterman will lead the Central Midwest District’s ag chem sales reps located across Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky, while Woodruff will lead the ag chem reps in the state of Iowa.

Ratterman, a Modesto, Calif., native, most recently served as marketing specialist for herbicide products in the U.S. rice, vegetable, tree and vine markets. Previous roles with Dow AgroSciences included communications manager for the professional pest business and sales representative in Fresno, Calif.

Ratterman holds a degree in agriculture business marketing from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and a Master of Business Administration from Fresno State University.

Woodruff, who was raised on a dairy farm in southwest Ohio at Oxford, most recently served as a Six Sigma Black Belt. Previous to that, he held the positions of marketing specialist for the Northern Crops team and market research analyst for the U.S. group.

Woodruff holds a degree in agriculture business from The Ohio State University.

Leading plant scientist at helm of Purdue botany and plant pathology
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Twenty-four years ago, Peter Goldsbrough arrived at Purdue University as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, and now he’s taking the helm of the same department.

Goldsbrough’s appointment as head of the department is effective May 1. He leaves the Purdue Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture where he joined the faculty in 1986, becoming a full professor in 1997.

Goldsbrough earned his bachelor’s degree at Edinburgh University in Scotland and his doctorate at the University of East Anglia in England. He also did graduate work at the John Innes Institute in Norwich, England.

After his postdoctoral work at Purdue, Goldsbrough was a visiting assistant professor in the horticulture department for two years before becoming a full-time faculty member in that department.

This farm news was published in the May 3, 2006 issue of Farm World.