TUCSON, Ariz., (June 29, 2007) - Rain Bird Corporation announces the promotions of Barbara Booth to group director, and Michael Roberts to director of its Golf strategic business unit (SBU).
Booth, formerly the director of the Golf SBU, will retain responsibility for this division while adding golf services, the golf and commercial pump station operation, and new business development to her responsibilities. Booth joined Rain Bird in 2000 as the Accessories SBU’s business development manager. Her success in that role led to a promotion to marketing manager. In April 2004, Booth was promoted to director of the Golf business unit.
Prior to joining Rain Bird, Booth was the vice president of finance and business development for Visual Concepts, a software company based in Ventura, Calif. She also had eight years of experience in a variety of sales, marketing and management roles with Sempra Energy and Chevron. Booth earned both a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
As director of the Rain Bird Golf SBU, Roberts will have general management responsibility for the company’s global golf irrigation business. Roberts came to Rain Bird in July 2006 as the Golf SBU quality manager, leading the unit’s successful efforts to enhance product quality and improve responsiveness to customers’ field issues. More recently, Roberts was selected to oversee Rain Bird’s product research center.
Before joining Rain Bird, Roberts was vice president of research and development at Duracell®/Gillette® (now subsidiaries of Procter and Gamble). In this role, he had general management responsibilities and was responsible for the entire Duracell technology portfolio. Previously, Roberts held various positions in product research and development, and engineering management. He is originally from Ireland and received an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from University College in Dublin. Roberts also earned a master’s degree and a doctoral degree in chemical engineering from the University of Rochester, in Rochester, N.Y.
“I look forward to the challenges of this expanded role,” said Booth. “I’m also extremely pleased that Michael will be leading the Golf SBU. Michael has demonstrated exceptional leadership and has a wealth of experience in product development, which will be a valuable asset to the division and to our golf irrigation customers.”
About Rain Bird Golf
Rain Bird Corporation - Golf Division manufactures
a wide range of irrigation products for golf courses: pump
stations, EAGLE™ Gear-drive Rotors, the EAGLE Wireless Rotor
Series, field controllers, map-based central control irrigation
systems, decoders, swing joints, flow meters, filtration
systems, valves and irrigation accessories. Rain Bird
Central Control and Pump Station components are serviced
and supported by a comprehensive Global Service Plan (GSP). These
products are sold worldwide through an extensive network
of specialty irrigation distributors. For more information,
please contact 1-800-RAINBIRD or visit www.rainbird.com.
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Contact:
Sarah Willnerd
(402) 437-6411
sarahw@sramarketing.com
