Facility With a Heart: Elkhart Spotlight
Advanced Turf Solutions has 24 locations that proudly serve customers in 15 states. Elkhart is one of the oldest, having been a part of the ATS family since 2002. The facility started as a mini-warehouse and grew steadily over the years. Today, the Elkhart location has a 23,500-square-foot warehouse and showroom.
Product knowledge and customer service are core to the operations team in Elkhart. They go the extra mile to help lawn care operators, homeowners, sports field managers, and golf course superintendents find the solutions they need for their turf. Since 2012, Jim Stoller has been leading the charge as facility manager in Elkhart.
Jim’s six-man team enjoys getting to know their customers so they can provide a personalized experience for everyone they serve. Customers know to expect convenience and professionalism from the whole crew in Elkhart. Get to know two of the team members who make up this all-star lineup below.
Chris Stoller
Assistant Facility Manager
Employee Since 2013
It’s been almost ten years since Chris’s brother recruited him to ATS as a driver. Since then, his role has grown into assisting Jim with operations management in Elkhart. Working closely with his brother is “the opportunity of a lifetime,” Chris says. “It’s a privilege to work with your family members.”
In addition to the family aspect of work, Chris enjoys building relationships with customers and catching up whenever he sees them. Relationships are core to the culture in Elkhart. The bond he has with coworkers is another thing Chris appreciates about the job: “We have a very good crew. The more we work together, I think, the better we get.”
Chris, Jim, their other brother, and their sister grew up on a farm in nearby South Bend. Chris has two sons, a daughter, and two grandkids. When they’re not busy with the kids, he and his wife enjoy hiking together. Chris is also a fan of NASCAR and Purdue football.
John Smith
Warehouse Associate
Employee Since 2020
John will celebrate two years at ATS in December. His previous experience in lawn care and lawn/garden retail made for a natural transition, although he has still learned a lot about turf products since coming to ATS.
His favorite thing to learn about on the job, however, is his customers. John enjoys getting to know them and helping with whatever they need on a given day. He values the work environment at ATS, where management is supportive and trustworthy. Jim’s leadership is an excellent example of an open-door policy, John says: “It’s good to be at a place where you can trust management.”
John has spent most of his life in Elkhart but was born in Cincinnati, where he became a fan of the Bengals and Ohio State. John’s parents and sister also live in the Elkhart area, along with his son and two grandsons. In his free time, John enjoys reading, hiking, kayaking, and playing disc golf.
