Featuring: Rich Bristol and Sue Bristol (Kennedy)
B.S. Horticulture - 1982
It really all began one January day in 1982 when Rich Bristol was sitting in the rear of Dr. Bauske’s class when Sue Kennedy walked in and he knew right away that this was the one! Now, the trick was getting her to talk to him! You’ll see that it all seemed to work out pretty well, thanks to Dr. Charlie Hall and Iowa State!
Rich and Sue went on to receive their B.S. degrees in Horticulture that year. Immediately after their marriage in January of 1983, they ventured west to Denver. Rich began working in the exterior horticulture industry while Sue began in the seldom-mentioned-in-college industry of interior plantscaping. The following year, Rich joined Sue and began learning the business from the ground up.
In June of 1988, expecting their first child, Rich and Sue started Bristol Botanics in their tiny basement. In the fall of 1989, they moved to a “real” office, expanding twice in the eleven years they were there. In the summer of 2000, they were able to purchase a 6,600 square foot, two building facility in Littleton, Colorado. In September, 2007, the company moved into their new 30,000 square foot facility in Englewood, Colorado. The move gave Bristol Botanics the opportunity to operate the three main divisions of the company with great efficiency. The three main divisions are; 1) interior foliage design, installation and maintenance (limited exterior designs), 2) commercial floral design, and 3) commercial holiday design and installation. While the company is based in the Denver area it can provide services nearly anywhere! Today, Bristol Botanics is Colorado’s largest interior foliage company.
Being former collegiate athletes, Rich (baseball) and Sue (basketball) look at everything as it relates to the team and how individuals can best serve that team. They also give all credit to their success to those around them, their team. Something they try to instill among all of their employees is to have fun every day. Yes, we work hard and sometimes the job at hand can be difficult, but we persevere knowing that we are creating something special for every client we have.
In the 23 years that Bristol Botanics has been serving the Colorado front range, the company has experienced fantastic growth, despite more than a few economic downturns. We now employ approximately 30 full time employees, adding upwards of 100 more during the holiday decorating season. The company has been a shining example of Sue’s Iowa farm girl work ethic and Rich’s ability to talk to anyone about anything. Some of the important foundations have been to always do the job right the first time, treat people with respect, always do what you promise and put family first.
As for those children, well, the oldest, Samantha, graduated in May, 2011 from Juniata College in central Pennsylvania with a degree in Chemistry and a minor in Geology. She has just begun her graduate studies at Iowa State, of all places! Her Masters project includes determining the origins and geochemistry of precious metals. She will be working mainly with gold ore that she collected in Greece just prior to the start of the school year. While at Juniata, Sam played volleyball for one of the top ranked college teams in the country, played the cello in the school orchestra and was chair of many clubs and committees. Our second child, Jackson, is in his second year at the United States Air Force Academy. His major is Political Science with a minor in French. After flying for a while, he would like to work as a liaison officer in an embassy with possibly a future in politics. In June, 2011 he earned his jump wings while jumping from a perfectly good airplane, five times! Jack has also enjoyed his time with the Academy’s rugby team as a freshman starting player. His highlight last year came when he was named to the Western All-Star Team where he competed as a representative of the Academy.
As for personal time, which is tough to get when you own a business, Sue likes to work in her garden where she grows many perennials and vegetables. Both Rich and Sue love to watch Academy rugby matches, following the team around the country. Sue also stays active as a past state president of P.E.O. while Rich stays active with his affiliation with Denver’s Building Owners and Managers Association. Property management is a new vocation for Rich as he and Sue own three commercial buildings they have acquired during the company’s growth. He has also just been placed on the Board of Directors for the Air Force Academy’s Association of Graduates Affinity Group which supports the rugby team. This past year, he created the team’s website and has been actively supporting the team any way he can. Every weekend, the house is overrun with Air Force cadets seeking a respite from the rigors of Academy life. While the official sponsorship is of only five cadets, there are many more found in various positions of relaxation on any given Sunday.
This year they were blessed with the opportunity to support the ISU Foundation’s efforts to build new horticulture greenhouses. We hear our name will be in there somewhere so let us know when you find it!
The website for Bristol Botanics is www.bristolbotanics.com and for the Air Force rugby team, it’s www.usafarugby.com
Featuring: Marcus Jones, Assistant Scientist, Department of Horticulture
Ph.D. Horticulture - Spring, 2011
I graduated from Iowa State University with my Ph.D. in May 2011. While the end result was exciting and very gratifying, often times the best memories occur along the way. So let’s take a step back and look at my journey at ISU.
Growing up in southern Iowa, I enjoyed nothing more than the time I spent on the golf course learning to play the game. After learning about Iowa State’s turfgrass management program, I decided to devote my time in college to my growing passion for this field. During my years as an undergraduate, my three internships took me across the country and I had the opportunity to work the 2002 PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota and the 2003 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.
As I neared graduation, I became interested in teaching and research and decided to pursue advanced degrees in turfgrass science. Research for my master’s degree focused on management practices that allowed turfgrass professionals to better control troublesome grassy weeds. Before returning to school to obtain my Ph.D., I started my career as an assistant golf course superintendent. This position allowed me to experience the problems turfgrass professionals encounter in the field on a daily basis. It motivated me to continue my education and learn to problem-solve on behalf of these professionals.
My doctorate research examined the competitive ability of various creeping bentgrass cultivars and their potential for renovating existing putting greens through interseeding. Results from my research will improve our ability to recommend turfgrass cultivars and could potentially lead to new management practices to exploit and accommodate differences in growth among various cultivars.
In addition to my duties as a graduate student, I served as the “coach” for our undergraduate turfgrass students each year as they prepared for the Collegiate Turf Bowl Competition. My students provided me with countless memories as teams from Iowa State have placed first nine out of the last 10 years.
I’m currently on the staff in the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State as an Assistant Scientist. My duties include managing our turfgrass plots at the Horticulture Station, conducting research, and teaching Horticulture 454 – Turf and Landscape Irrigation. I also serve as the editor/contributor to our iaTURF blog which provides timely updates for turfgrass professionals.
Iowa State and the Department of Horticulture have provided me with many great opportunities and memories and I’m looking forward to contributing to our department in the future.
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