From Real Estate to Turf Sales: A Lifetime of Business Leadership
Tim started his professional career as director of limousine services with Arrow Travel Agency right here in the City of Manassas. While with Arrow, Tim studied real estate law at the Shannon and Luchs Real Estate Law School in Vienna, Virginia. When he obtained his real estate license, he started working for Shannon and Luchs’s location in Manassas, finding success selling both residential and commercial real estate. He became proficient in home financing and assessing property values in order to effectively counsel his clients when setting asking prices or placing bids on homes.
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In 1984, Tim’s good friend Craig Betterly asked him to help out at his sod farm in Bristow. Tim initially worked at Centreville Sod part-time in the early mornings before his real estate appointments later in the day. Finding his passion working with the land and managing a small business, by the time 1984 came to a close, Tim was working as assistant manager with Craig full-time. In 1985, shortly after Tim married Susan, he became the farm manager—a position he held for 36 years.​
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Over the years with Centreville Sod, Tim's experiences as manager varied, ranging between managing a labor force of up to ten workers to operating and
maintaining high-tech farming equipment. His computer savviness has allowed him to effectively work with state-of-the-art equipment. Additionally, he dedicated himself to advancing the profession of turf producer. He was a member of the board of the Virginia Sod Growers Association for ten years, four of which were spent as President. He also worked as the state representative for Turf Producers International for two years. During that time, he attended several conferences in multiple states and lobbied Congress for farmers’ rights.
