The University of Florida football team’s performance on the field has been subpar this year, but the field itself is earning championship accolades thanks to Sanford’s oldest company.
The Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – a.k.a. the Swamp – was honored this week by the Sports Turf Managers Association as the Field of the Year for colleges and universities.
Jason Smith is the university’s turf coordinator, and he uses fertilizers produced by Sanford-based Sunniland Corp. The 130-year-old company was founded in 1884 as Chase and Co. and provided fertilizers, growing supplies and crop insurance to citrus growers in and around Sanford.
Today the company continues to produce fertilizer for large institutional customers, and has a line of consumer fertilizers sold at retail outlets like Ace Hardware and Home Depot. The company also manufactures roofing materials for the residential construction industry.
Congratulations UF, Jason and Sunniland!
Sanford, Fla. 