Steve Schiedel is no stranger to the sod industry. “I have been in the agri-business for over 30 years, doing tractor work and harvesting since I was 10 years old” says Steve. He and his brother Ron are co-owners of the Greenhorizons Group of Farms Ltd. Steve manages the daily operations at Hamilton Sod, Ontario Sod, Niagara Sod and Willow Valley Golf Course. Nothing motivates Steve more then the adrenaline rush of solving a problem and exceeding a customer’s expectations. He gushes, “I love to get things done right, and watch things grow- it’s the passion I have for this business that makes things feel a lot less like work.” When things aren’t going right you won’t hear or see Steve complaining or crying- “I just tell myself someone has faced or is facing a more difficult thing than I am faced with right now, so don’t complain and just get it done!”. This method has proven valuable for the company as Steve promotes his positive attitude to all his employees. He explains, “We have a team of individuals not willing to accept second best, as a team we are constantly challenging our procedures and process.” 

He and his brother are involved with many industry professional turf organizations and turf grass universities, ensuring they are utilizing the latest production techniques, strategies and turfgrass cultivars. “There is no tool more powerful than information in this industry” explains Steve. His passion for ever growing knowledge may be attributed to the associations he is a part of; NSGA (National Sod Growers Association), NGCOA (National Golf Course Owners Association), CGSA (Canadian Golf Superintendents Association), GTI Guelph Turfgrass Institute), TPI (Turfgrass Producers International) and IPM (Integrated Pest Management) to name a few. Steve isn’t just focused on his own industry though; he loves to read trade journals as well as very different industry literature. He explains, “It helps to find processes and techniques that could improve our own business strategies/agronomic processes as we integrate them in our own unique industry.”
Steve’s business etiquette, positive attitude and passion for constant improvement proves to be the biggest factors in his success. “Every day is so exciting. It seems to have a good combination of time to allow me to do long term planning and decision making along with the adrenaline rush of solving daily challenges and exceeding our customer's expectations”. This holds true to the company’s core value, “Making people happy”.