Based in Basel, Switzerland, The Roche Group is one of the world?EUR??,,????'?????<

Roche employs close to 65,000 people in 150 countries. Roche Diagnostics North American Headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Ill., where close to 3,500 people are employed. Involved in research, marketing, shipping, manufacturing and maintenance, these workers are spread across a 156-acre corporate campus with a total of 23 buildings. Somebody, of course, has to keep those grounds clean and green.

Groundskeeper Cheesman digs it when an irrigation valve goes bad. The grounds include 1,150 individual rotor and spray heads arranged in 70 rotor zones and 30 spray zones.

Keeping it Neat

Roche Diagnostics Corporation, based in Indianapolis, Ind., has its own in-house grounds maintenance team that spends every week of the year keeping the campus accessible, safe and attractive. The crew is headed by grounds manager John R. Davis III, who oversees five other employees. They include Craig Cheesman and Bill Brown, both Professional Grounds Maintenance Society (PGMS) Certified Grounds Keepers (CGK). The pair are assisted by grounds employees Travis Reynolds, Troy Bibbs, and ASC Certified Mechanic Thomas Enlow who also keeps the crew?EUR??,,????'?????<

With 57 total turf acres, the crew needs that kind of horsepower and versatility. Through the warmer months, mowing is perhaps the most time consuming single task on campus. It?EUR??,,????'?????<

 

This John Deere F935 is also used as a riding mower. Roche?EUR??,,????'?????<

To prioritize, the team divides the turf up into four categories that specify the level of care and maintenance. Category I turf lines high-traffic areas and gets mown twice a week, with regular irrigation. It gets fertilized up to five times a year. Lower categories get less fertilizer, water and maintenance. Category IV turf, for example, gets mown periodically but fends for itself in terms of water and fertilizer.

Seasonal Routines

The year usually starts in March, when snow removal gives way to tending turf, trees, shrubs and annual flowers. One task that signals spring is the annual rototilling of Roche?EUR??,,????'?????<

Groundskeeper Bill Brown, CGK, uses the facility?EUR??,,????'?????<

Certified mechanic Thomas Enlow repairs a Billy Goat push vacuum in Roche?EUR??,,????'?????<

Another spring task is spreading mulch over close to 100,000 square feet of planting beds. The crew uses close to 560 cubic yards of the stuff each season. When you consider that an average truckload measures between 11 and 16 cubic yards, that?EUR??,,????'?????<

Also in spring, trees and turf get fed. Category I and II turf areas get at least four pounds of fertilizer for each 1,000 square feet each year. It takes less time to fertilize than to mow, because Category III turf is only fertilized in fall and Category IV is not treated. A pair of workers can complete the task in about a day.

One other spring task is a big job that takes outside help to complete. Putting in flowers would take the small crew weeks to complete, forcing the neglect of many key tasks.

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The Roche team puts down close to 560 cubic yards of mulch each spring. The mulch is delivered by a local company (Green Cycle, of Indianapolis) and helps keep weeds out of planting beds while holding moisture in.

The John Deere 1070 tractor is rigged with an 11-foot-wide Land Pride bat-wing mower. The PTO-powered attachment is the quickest way to handle large, unobstructed turf areas.

Summer, Fall and Beyond

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Fall at Roche is time for more fertilizer?EUR??,,????'?????<

Backup mechanic Bill Brown uses a grinder to sharpen a rotary mower blade in the maintenance shop. Completing maintenance in-house saves money and gets equipment up and running with less schedule interruption.

Keeping trees healthy and vigorous is the most important way that workers can help them repel insects and disease. Japanese beetles are a problem in Indiana, and Roche?EUR??,,????'?????<

By September, frosts can affect annuals in beds and the employee garden. Soon snow will fly, and the Roche team will hitch their Boss V-blades to utility trucks to keep campus roadways clear.

Bill Brown braves January chill to attach banners praising employee achievement. The banners add color and boost morale for the close to 3,500 workers on site.

For sidewalks, however, the crew has a special tool. The John Deere F935 is usually rigged as a riding mower, with rotary blades attached under the operator?EUR??,,????'?????<

Davis and his crew keep the machine rigged for snow, so it spends the summer months inside the storage building.

Learn more about Roche Diagnostics?EUR??,,????'?????< www.roche-diagnostics.us