In 2022, the maintenance facility at Ozaukee Country Club was deemed structurally unsafe. The building, an old barn in Mequon, Wisconsin built while Abraham Lincoln was president, had served as the Grounds and Greens Department headquarters for decades. It housed management offices, a mechanic shop, and a windowless corner where plant production and horticulture work were squeezed beneath a dusty staircase. The upper level contained the break room, locker room, and storage for equipment valued in the millions. When the building was declared unsafe, the entire top floor had to be cleared out, which set in motion a long overdue bid to rebuild the maintenance facility.
At the same time, the club’s longtime horticulturist was retiring after 15 years. I stepped into the role just as the department entered this period of upheaval. Routine seasonal calendars and predictable workflows disappeared overnight. With no formal horticulture coursework yet completed, I assumed leadership as the Head of Horticulture at a pivotal moment, one that reshaped both the department and my professional trajectory.
