By DENNE GOLDSTEIN

When Dan Benner started his company, Hydro Environmental, Inc., in January 1993, he was already a seasoned veteran at a very young age. Ever since he was fifteen years old, it seems that he was being prepped for his job as a leading irrigation designer and consultant.

In the mid-1940s in Cincinnati, Ohio, Benner’s father, Charles, and a couple of friends, John Oldfield and Bob Nelson, pooled their resources and started a company called Oldfield Equipment, selling and installing irrigation equipment in the agricultural market. Eventually, Oldfield Equipment added golf course construction to its mix, though by then Charles was not involved in the day to day business; he taught music. I guess you could say that this was Benner’s introduction to irrigation.

His first part-time work at the age of 15 was at a golf driving range, par 3 course and miniature golf facility. His job was to pick up the golf balls from the driving range and wash them. Later, he began working on the par 3 course, and one of his responsibilities was to repair the irrigation when it broke.

Benner relocated the family to Columbus, Ohio in 1958; he attended Marietta College in Ohio and continued to work. After two years of college, he took a year off before transferring to Ohio State University. During the summer he worked doing golf course construction. He wanted to major in the turf sciences, but because of his busy work schedule he could not accomplish it, so he settled in and graduated with a degree in agriculture economics.

Because Benner needed to work while going to school, it took a while for him to get through Ohio State, taking courses at night and late afternoons. During this time he was working for Century Toro, the Toro distributor in Columbus, selling irrigation equipment. He then took a job at Muirfield, the Jack Nicklaus course in Dublin, Ohio, taking care of the irrigation. Soon after, he was hired away by Buckeye Landscape, to start an irrigation installation division, all the while attending Ohio State.

Following his graduation, Benner was offered a job with the Toro distributor in Atlanta, Georgia. He relocated to Atlanta, and was again selling irrigation components, calling on contractors and architects in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.

Wanting to try his skills as an irrigation designer, Benner found a landscape architectural firm that was looking for an in-house irrigation designer. One year after he joined the firm, he was named associate. There were eleven landscape architects working in the firm when he joined, four years later there were more than thirty landscape architects in the firm.

Benner knows irrigation from all aspects, what should be installed. Without realizing it, he prepared himself well for his life’s vocation. He’s touched all the bases when it comes to irrigation. He sold irrigation equipment and components, he installed them, he repaired them and along the way, he learned how to design them.

In January, 1993, he opened the doors to Hydro Environmental, Inc., in Marietta, Georgia, and hasn’t looked back since. Benner built up a loyal clientele and travels extensively in his business. He has been doing a fair amount of work in the Florida area and recently opened an office in Panama City Beach, Florida.

While working as an irrigation designer with the landscape architectural firm, Benner joined the American Society of Irrigation Consultants (ASIC). He became an active member and has sat on the board for the past thirteen years. He is currently serving a term as president. “ASIC is an organization of peers. It offers a tremendous learning experience,” said Benner. “Because we are an intimate group of professionals, there is an open exchange of ideas. More importantly, I am impressed with the ethics of the people involved.”

Water management is the buzz phrase today, and Benner feels that his livelihood depends on good irrigation design, and that designing for the most efficient use of plant material can save enormous amounts of water. “There is so much wasted water,” remarked Benner. “We have to look at irrigation as another utility, especially when master planning for large projects. It should be a must to master plan irrigation right from the initial onset.

“I also feel that we need to teach the maintenance companies how to manage this water. Landscape people need to be trained and managed, so less water is wasted,” Benner urges. “We are being targeted by the water purveyors and cities and municipalities. We have to show that we are intent in helping curtail the unnecessary use of water.”

So what does a busy guy do for recreation? “I play a lot of tennis,” said Benner. “I try to play three to four times a week.” He also likes fly fishing in the mountains in Georgia. “I used to ski, but no more.”

Some years ago, Benner went to Aspen to ski. There he met Denise; she was and still is a flight attendant for Delta Airlines. They married and have a daughter, Jennings, 19, who is a sophomore at LSU. “With all the traveling I do for business and the travel Denise does for her work, we enjoy staying home weekends and relaxing.

“These are exciting times; they offer a challenge to our industry. As potable water becomes more scarce and costly, we will have to find ways to use gray water and effluent water more effectively. I believe we’re up to the task.”

OCTOBER 2004