Lely UK has announced the appointment of David Cole, once its sales manager, to head up the company’s turfcare division, best known for its distribution of Toro professional turf machinery and irrigation products for the golf, sport and amenity sectors.
David joins Lely from Toro dealer covering the south east, John Shaw Machinery (JSM), where he was managing director, working from the firm’s head office in Sheffield Park, East Sussex. His move follows Lely’s acquisition of JSM in December 2013, which paved the way for him to become senior manager of the turfcare division, basing himself at the distributor’s St Neots, Cambridgeshire, headquarters.
His new role embraces all aspects of distributor support for the Toro business with David overseeing everything from parts, service, warranty, training, sales and marketing, as well as Lely’s national dealer network. It also includes its other product portfolios, TYM Tractors and Otterbine water aeration systems.
It’s all a bit of a homecoming for David, who returns to Lely having left the firm about 15 years ago to join JSM, after working as Lely’s national sales manager selling Toro. His wide knowledge and experience with Toro across the professional turfcare industry makes him the ideal candidate for the job.
He says: “It’s always exciting moving to a new company, but, having previously worked for Lely as sales manager, I already knew a lot about the company and, of course, Toro.”
As part of his new role, he will also oversee the implementation of a new business development plan aimed at enhancing Lely’s national network of dealers, together with further improving customer service and training.
“Supporting our customers is very important to me,” says David, “and training our staff to provide excellent service adds value to everything we do. Teamwork is crucial here. I want us to go above and beyond for every customer who contacts us.
“Toro is already highly successful, but I want to push for more growth and even higher levels of customer satisfaction.”