PBI-Gordon Corp. recently launched its new Field Development Team to serve customers and distributors nationwide.
The team that consists of Brian Aynardi, Ph.D., Alan Estes and Kevin Miele will serve as an added resource to the PBI-Gordon end-users by providing:
- Training on new and existing products
- Product trials and demonstrations
- Consultation on emerging turfgrass issues
- Educational materials to end users
- Timely guidance on the control of problematic pests
"The PBI-Gordon Field Development Team was developed with the specific needs of our end-users and distribution partners in mind," Aynardi said. "The diverse backgrounds and decades of experience in sales, research, distribution, and field application on our team gives us a well-rounded perspective on the industry. Through new and existing product training, new product trials and demonstrations, technical support, developing educational materials, and providing timely information for the control of problematic pests, we welcome opportunities to collaborate, consult, and solve."
Aynardi is the regional director of the PBI-Gordon Field Development Team. He joined PBI-Gordon in 2016 as manager of university and contract research for the Northeast. His area of expertise is fungicides for both cold-season and warm-season grasses.
Aynardi earned bachelor's and doctoral degrees in plant pathology from Penn State. There he gained extensive experience overseeing fungicide field trials and completed his dissertation on the biology of the dollar spot pathogens. Since joining PBI-Gordon, he has worked with the research and development team on the development of new active ingredients and next generation products in the company’s portfolio and has assisted with product training.
Estes is the team's southeast field development representative. His territory covers all states from Virginia to Florida and west to Texas.
He earned a bachelor's degree in horticulture and a master's in applied economics and statistics from Clemson, and specializes in herbicide resistance, and rates and timing of herbicide applications for weed management.
Before joining PBI-Gordon in May 2024, Estes was the pesticide product registration manager at Clemson.
Miele is the team's northeast field development representative, and for the Field Development Team. His territory covers all states from Virginia north and west to the Chicago area.
A former golf course superintendent, Miele earned a bachelor's degree in turf management and a master's in plant science from the University of Connecticut.
Experienced in conducting fungicide trials and developing rotational programs for preventive turfgrass disease control, Miele has worked with a wide range of cool-season turfgrass species.
Employee-owned PBI-Gordon offers a line of herbicides, fungicides, plant growth regulators and other products for the professional turfgrass market.