Howard Barnes - President/Owner

Howard and JW Thomas started Quality Grassing & Services on November 23, 1982. With over 43 years of experience in management and sales, Howard started QGS because he was highly motivated to fulfill his entrepreneurial dreams and wanted to build a future for his family. When Howard initially started QGS as a grassing company, his intentions were to be the best and most trusted company in the industry. Since its beginning, QGS has progressed into a full service golf course, site development, and grassing company. QGS won the 1997 Best Small Builder and 2002 and 2003 Best Large Builder awards from Golf Course News Magazine. QGS is also a member of the Golf Course Builders Association of America, Florida Turf Grass Association, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, Suncoast Underground Contractor's Association, National Underground Contractor's Association and the Tampa Bay Business Association. Today, Howard is amazed at the progress QGS has made and is very happy to see the company flourish and hopes that the company will continue to grow and diversify.

Born and raised in Lithia, Florida, Howard is an honest, straight forward, outgoing, and fun loving family man with a driving desire to achieve goals. He is married with four children and four grandchildren. Howard is a member of the Alafia Baptist Church, a Life Member of the NRA, and a member of the Tuteen Hunt Club. In his spare time, he coached Little League Football and Baseball and now enjoys woodworking, gardening, hunting, fishing, and sporting clays.

J.W. Thomas - Vice President/Owner

JW and Howard Barnes worked together during the summers performing golf course renovations. They wanted to expand their business to be able to work throughout the year and saw a need for a more qualified contractor in the industry. JW knew that they could fill that need by using the basic principles of quality and workmanship. His original intent was to work hard and hire good people. Starting out as a seeding and mulching contractor QGS grew and began providing turf installation on golf courses and eventually began completing entire golf course renovations. Today, QGS has grown further to include new construction for golf courses and site work development. JW is very happy with the progress QGS has achieved as a company and intends to keep up the hard work and hopes QGS will continue to flourish.

Originally from Plant City, Florida, JW is a dedicated, honest, and hardworking family man. He is married with three children and four grandchildren. During his free time, JW enjoys traveling.

Donald Thomas - Secretary/Treasurer

Originally from Plant City, FL, Donald has over 27 years of experience in the construction industry. He started with QGS in 1983 as a laborer and worked his way up through supervision and management to his current position. Donald is a member of the Florida Turf Grass Association and the Florida Sod Growers Cooperative. An honest, hardworking, and strong leader is the best way to describe Donald.

In his spare time, Donald enjoys participating in the Sunshine Swampers, a 4x4 wheel drive club. Sunshine Swampers is a non-profit family oriented organization that does benefits for charities for families and children in need. He is married with one child and one grandchild and enjoys mud racing, boating, fishing, and hunting.

Jim Armstrong - Executive Assistant Vice President of Golf Development

Thomas H. Barnes - Executive Assistant Vice President of Site Development

Originally from Lithia, Florida, Thomas grew up in this business. He joined QGS Development in 1990 and has held every position including laborer, estimator, pipe foreman, equipment operator, job foreman, project superintendent, division manager, and is now the Executive Assistant Vice President of Site Development. Thomas started at the bottom and worked his way up to the top learning all facets of the business as he rose through the ranks. He holds the Certified General Contractor and the Certified Underground Utility and Excavation Contractor License for the company.

Greg Fowler - Corporate Controller

Greg has an MBA and over 35 years of accounting and business management experience. He has held various Accounting positions over the years: Retail Store, Hospital, Hotel Chain and the Corporate Controller with a Cruise Line/Casino. His first experience with the construction industry was as Senior Accountant with a company that built and repaired ships and barges.

Greg joined QGS Development in January of 2006 and is currently the Corporate Controller. Accounting is a discipline that transcends business types and Greg's varied experience in different companies gives him an extra insight into business modeling and analysis. He also has experience in several Accounting systems which give him the ability to modify Accounting procedures to enhance reporting and streamline office functions.

Larry Woody - Division Manager

Paul Cope - Irrigation Manager

Paul has 42 years of experience in the golf course construction industry. He started out in high school working part time for a landscape and irrigation company. He has worked out in the field as a laborer and also owned his own golf course construction company for 15 years. He has traveled all over the world working on golf courses including Asia, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Paul started with QGS in 2003 as our irrigation foreman and is currently our Irrigation Project Manager as well as our Representative for Golf Construction in the United States and abroad. He is an Authorized 30 Hour OSHA Instructor, and a member of the Texas Turfgrass Association.

Originally from Possum Trot Kentucky, Paul has been a resident of Texas for the past 35 years. Although he works all over the world on golf courses with QGS, Texas is where he still hangs his hat. Paul has been married for 23 years and has three children and eight grandchildren. Paul enjoys country music and taking his wife out dancing. In his spare time he also enjoys traveling with his wife and grandchildren.

Joe Rodi - Marketing Manager/Safety Director

Born in Staten Island, NY, Joe moved to Florida in 1984. In 1988 he started working for the Pasco County Government in the Utilities Department. Within a few years he moved through the ranks to become one of the County's Utilities Inspectors. Joe spent 16 years there before moving on to a Civil Engineering firm where he was a CEI Manager and then a Land Development firm where he was a Project Manager.

Joe received an Associate's Degree in Computer Programming from Tampa Technical Institute in 2002 and his Bachelor's Degree in Operations Management from Remington College in 2004. Joe is also an FDEP Qualified Stormwater Management Inspector, an OSHA Authorized Construction Outreach Trainer, and holds a Certified Underground Utility Excavation License, a Fire Protection System Contractor V License, and a Certified Plumbing Contractor License.

In August of 2007 Joe came to QGS as our marketing manager and within a year added the title of safety director. A jack of all trades, Joe brought with him a huge amount of experience as well as a positive attitude, honesty, and integrity.

Ted Rush - Estimating Manager

Ted was born and raised in Central Florida. He graduated with an Engineering Degree from the University of Central Florida. He started working in construction in college in the cooperative education program with the Florida Department of Transportation in Winter Park & Cocoa. He has been in construction since 1970, holding various positions including survey, inspection, project manager, pit and product manager for asphalt & soil cement from the company's own shell pit, construction manager over field crews, estimator and estimating manager.

Ted started with QGS in August of 1993 as our only estimator and has worked his way up to his current position as the estimating manager. Ted brought with him to QGS his varied background in the construction industry from working on the owner's side, the independent inspection side and the contractor's side.

Ted has been married for 37 years and has two sons - one is an architect and the other is a computer programmer. He worked with the Boy Scouts for 10 years and with local recreational soccer for 7 years. Ted is currently an avid member of the NRA and his hobbies include hunting, photography, and gardening.

Dixie Lamoureux - Estimating Administrator

Dixie was born and raised in Florida. Originally focused on a career in sales and marketing, she didn't start in construction until 2006. At that time, she began working in estimating for a general contractor that specialized in big box retail stores and shopping centers.

In May of 2009 Dixie came to QGS as the Estimating Administrator. Dixie brought with her a strong knowledge of what it takes to coordinate the bid process and help keep estimating running smoothly. She has a positive attitude, strives for perfection, and is always willing to do what it takes to get the job done.

In her spare time, Dixie enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter. One of her favorite activities is family outings on their boat.

Glenda Booker - Office Manager

Glenda has been with QGS since 1998. She has held positions as an Administrative Assistant and Field Support Coordinator, and is now the Office Manager. She is very detail oriented, organized, honest, and dedicated.

Glenda has lived in Florida her entire life and loves it here. In her spare time she loves to spend time with her family, watch movies, and listen to music. She also enjoys photography, cooking, and researching her family genealogy. She is an independent, strong, determined, and caring person who likes to have fun and enjoy life.

Jacqui Gardner - Contract Administrator

Over the past 29 years, Jacqui has gained extensive experience and knowledge in multiple facets of construction and contract management through her positions with homebuilders, general contractors, and developers. In 2007, Jacqui joined QGS as the Contract Administrator. She is honest, efficient, and tenacious. She prides herself on being well rounded in the construction industry, very flexible, and a leader in getting the job done to the satisfaction of the customer. Jacqui was previously voted as employee of the year by her peers for her expertise and quality assistance.

Originally from the Brandon area of Florida, Jacqui is an active member of Providence Baptist Church and has one child.

Kellie Barnes - Human Resources Administrator

Kellie joined QGS in 2002 and is the company's Human Resource Administrator. She is responsible for the employee benefits as well as the day to day HR and payroll functions.

Kellie is a native Floridian and enjoys the Florida beaches. In her spare time she assists her husband of 16 years in coaching their daughter in little league softball. Kellie and her family are members of Cork United Methodist Church in Plant City.