When I first met Cody Mancuso for an interview about his time at Penn State, I knew right away that he was an easy-going, and fun-loving guy. Although a little timid at first, he soon opened up and a lively conversation unraveled. A short time later I had learned of his background and his internship experiences.
When I asked Cody how he first got into the turfgrass industry, he promptly replied that Jim Bellows, a former employer, had encouraged him to gain a degree before continuing his career. I inquired if he had any advice for a person like myself who was attempting to get into the industry. To this he replied with a slight chuckle and grin aimed towards Dr. Kaminski, “Gaining a Penn State diploma would be my first step.” He was genuine, and his reasoning was sound, because Penn state currently holds the number one turfgrass program in the world. When I asked him to look back over his years spent in Penn State classrooms and to pick out his favorite course, he remarked that it had to be the class he spent under the tutelage of Jeffery Berger. On the other hand, he felt that the class most applicable towards his career had to have been his entomology class. In addition to his many classroom memories, the women's volleyball games stood out as his most memorable times. Once he leaves the PSU campus he will no longer be able to enjoy watching the girls play competitively, but he will be able to return to and enjoy the warm climate in Phoenix, Arizona. Following his graduation, Cody is planing to put his education to work back in Arizona for SBS while managing their new outdoor maintenance department. He also hopes to incorporate the lessons he learned over his internship, mainly the “Bobby Knight style of leadership”. We hope he refrains from strangling any of his players as Bobby did during his coaching career. No, I don’t think we have to worry about Cody, all he wishes to accomplish is to encourage his “players” to become well rounded and serious; Cody plans to do this by calling them to the next level, challenging them to push themselves to their limit.
With a concerned eye for the environment around him, Cody is lucky, he will have little disease to manage in Phoenix, so he can refrain from the use of chemicals. Knowing he was from Arizona, a state’s turf I am unfamiliar with, I asked him what grass type he would prefer to manage. Admittedly, having had little turf type experience, Cody is more than happy to stick to his all time favorite, Bermudagrass. His exposure to the species has been a positive one, and he believes it is a rather easy turf to manage which performs well for his applications.
Nearing the end of our interview, Cody concluded with his thoughts on the two year program. He firmly believed this academic program had prepared him for the real world better than he had previously thought possible. The pool of information he was taking away with him would help propel him to success in the industry. With our time up, Cody left with a warm smile and a firm handshake, I truly believe Mr. Mancuso is someone with a bright future ahead of him.
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