| Skyland Employees
Paul Toth
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Paul's bio continued.
When I closed my company in 2008, I quickly decided that retirement wasn’t for me. I’ve got to be active, got to be doing something. Besides, there is only so much golf a guy can play. Since I always enjoyed running up to Skyland to use the putting green or get in a quick couple of holes, I applied for a job. Now, I’m the guy you will probably hear before you see as you enter the clubhouse.
My ability to interact well with customers is the result of not only being a people person, but also my extensive experiences in retail. In 1932, my grandfather started Faroh’s Candy in Lorain, and when the company expanded to the Cleveland area in the 1960s, I was an integral part of the process. Since my father was a carpenter, I helped build the Southland store, and from 1964-1975, I was a candy maker and helped in the store. What I learned about business and customer service from my family, I utilized with my own company. For 22 years, I was the co-owner and CFO of NorCo Computer Systems in Brunswick.
As most people know, I’ve been known to play a round of golf or two. Some of my fellow employees tease that my love of the game boarders on the obsessive, but I believe I’m merely an avid golfer who takes pleasure in all aspects of the sport: I appreciate the beauty of a course, the skill involved of hitting a good drive and sinking a decent putt, and the camaraderie with my golfing buddies. In addition to golf, I also enjoy gardening and am a huge drag racing fan. Every year I go to Norwalk for the Nationals and Night Under Fire.
Since 2008, I’ve had the pleasure of working at Skyland Golf Course. It’s been an incredible experience meeting and getting to know all of my league golfers, especially my Wednesday morning ladies. Thank you, everyone, for sharing your stories about life and golf.
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Heather Butler
Heather Butler's bio continued.
My name is Heather Butler, and I am the Assistant Superintendent at Skyland Golf Course. Most customers know me as “the girl who mows the greens on Sunday mornings” or “the one on the sprayer” or as the turf crew worker elbow deep in an irrigation or drainage hole. In all honesty, you’d probably only recognize me if I was covered in mud.
I graduated from Brunswick High School in 1999, Notre Dame College in 2003, and am currently finishing my Master’s degree in English Literature at Cleveland State University. I am also working on obtaining licensure to teach Secondary Integrated Language Arts. During college, I was the starting pitcher for Notre Dame’s fast pitch team. At CSU, I have won the Andrew’s Foundation Award for my thesis prospectus and was a founding member of the college’s literary journal.
The 2011 season marks my 16th year at Skyland. I started in 1996 working carts on the weekends. In 1997, I joined the turf maintenance crew and was promoted to Assistant Superintendent in 2008.
Skyland Golf Course prides itself on being a “family business,” and for me, this is especially true. Not only do I get to work with a group of people that I literally consider my second family, but I have also had the wonderful opportunity to work with several members of my actual family. When I started in 1996, I joined my grandfather, Larry Virag, my brother, Bob Virag, and cousin, Wayne Zimmerman, who were on the turf maintenance crew and was served coffee, pop, lunch, and the occasional piece of homemade cake from my spunky, bartending grandmother, Ruth Virag. Over the years, Skyland has also employed my younger brother and my cousins, Danny and Holly Humphries. So, being here isn’t “work;” it’s hanging out with my family, and I can’t believe I get paid for it!
Some fun facts about me:
1. My nickname is “Kyle.” Rich Rhodes is really the only person who uses it anymore, but if someone tells you to talk to Kyle, they mean me.
2. I love to dig! It has to be my all time favorite job, and I have my own shovel.
3. I “tag” everything with “I love the golf course.” These small, endearing acts of vandalism started as a game for Rich Rhodes and Bob Auber in the winter. I would tag walls, doors, the inside of drawers, etc and see how many they could find. |
