One of the industry’s most recognisable and respected figures has announced he is stepping down from his role at Rigby Taylor.
After 50 years in the industry Richard Fry will leave his position as Rigby Taylor/OAS Marketing Director.
“A new team is being brought together with which I have been working with to ensure a successful transition, a team that will bring new ideas, energy and expertise to take the business forward, building upon the firm foundations and innovative approach to marketing that has been so much associated with Rigby Taylor’s industry presence over the past years,” he explained.
“I will be continuing in the background for a while longer, to further assist the transition but purely in an advisory role, when and where requested.
"It has been a privilege directing Rigby Taylor’s marketing programme for so many years and more recently, the implementation and integration into the industry of the four Origin Amenity Solutions brands. I have had the opportunity and fantastic experiences of working in marketing roles for and with some of the major amenity industry players over the past decades and seen at first hand the positive and exciting changes that have occurred within the industry over this time.”
Early in his career, after 10 years of working in a sales environment with May & Baker Ltd, at the time a key supplier of agricultural/horticultural crop and turf protection chemicals, Richard was appointed Business Manager to head up and invigorate the company’s small Sports & Recreational division. He renamed the division as M&B Environmental Products and over the next three and half years the business became the UK’s most influential supplier of turf protection products, launching many original and exciting pesticides to the industry.
Following on from this success, he spent a further three years managing the company’s national and international Laboratory Chemicals business before returning to the amenity industry and setting up a marketing consultancy company GreenLink Int. Ltd.
The company’s aim and objectives were to offer and provide a range of original, innovative and personalised marketing and business development strategies and promotional materials for companies in the industry. Over the years, Greenlink worked with ICI (and its renaming of Miracle and Zeneca), Toro, Jacobsen, Hardie, Farmura, Vitax, Supaturf, Aquatrols, Norsk Hydro, BSF, Milliken & Co, Top Green, BIGGA, BALI, STRI and many others.
“One of the businesses for which I undertook a consultancy role was Rigby Taylor Ltd,” he continued. “This relationship became much closer when the company was acquired by Origin Enterprises plc and I became embedded within the business as their marketing director and undertook the complete rebranding of the business.”
The team at Landscape & Amenity Product Update and TSP Media would like to thank Richard for his help, support and professionalism over the years and wish him the best of luck with whatever the future holds.
