Chris Goeben started working on the grounds crew in high school at Crystal Springs Golf Course in Seymour, WI. After Attending Fox Valley Technical College for a year for web design he realized that he would rather spend his time on the golf course instead of in front of a computer. He then went to the Rutgers Two Year Turfgrass Program. While at Rutgers he did his internship at Whistling Straits. Working one year on the Irish Course and the following year working on the Straits Course for the 2010 PGA Championship. Chris then went on to be the Assistant Superintendent at Ridgeway Country Club in Neenah, Wi. This led him to his most recent position as Superintendent at Glacier Wood Golf Club in Iola, WI. Chris is very excited to continue in the industry helping superintendents with irrigation solutions.

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Email    cgoeben@clesens.com

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Cell   (262) 202-3000

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Twitter     @chgoeben

Zac brings over 20 years of expertise in the green industry to Clesens. Zac earned his associates degree in Ornamental horticulture and Sports Turf from Kishwaukee College in Dekalb, Illinois.  He started his career interning at Westmoor Country Club, and landed his first job at Milwaukee Country Club as 2nd Assistant Superintendent. He then joined the team at Wisconsin Club where he worked for four years as the Assistant Superintendent. After 10 years in the golf industry Zac transitioned to sales providing turf and ornamental supplies to Milwaukee area Landscape Contractors and golf courses.

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Email    zhoufek@clesens.com

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Cell    (262) 352-4186

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Twitter    @zhoufek

​Matt graduated with a bachelors degree in horticulture from UW-River Falls.  After graduation, Matt took the position of superintendant at Rock River Hills Golf Club in Horicon, WI. In the winter of 2008, Matt joined DHD and became a trusted advisor to his clients.  In 2014, Matt started PROturf Solutions, a turf distribution company.  A year later PROturf Solutions and Arthur Clesen Inc merged to become Clesens. 

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Email    mkinnard@clesens.com​

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Cell    (262) 720-0251

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Twitter    @clesen_mk

Kurtis began his journey in golf at the age of 15, quickly developing a deep passion for the game. During summers, he spent nearly every waking hour on the course, playing golf whenever he wasn’t working with the grounds crew. He went on to attend Bemidji State University, earning a degree in Biology, and then furthered his expertise at Rutgers Professional Golf Turf Management School, where he received a certificate in Turfgrass Management.

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In 2021, Kurtis completed a summer internship at Olympic Hills Golf Club in Eden Prairie, MN, and was promptly promoted to Lead Assistant Superintendent. Over the next four golf seasons, he managed day-to-day operations, honing both his technical skills and leadership abilities.

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As someone who loves helping others succeed, Kurtis is now excited to bring his experience and passion to his role as a Territory Manager, providing innovative solutions and support to leaders across the green industry.

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Email    kkunkel@clesens.com

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Cell   (763) 688-4165

Adam was born and raised in West Central Minnesota, where he was dropped off at the golf course in the morning, and picked up late in the afternoon. Naturally, he worked on the grounds crew, as well as behind the counter through high school. From there, he attended North Dakota State University receiving a degree in Sports and Urban Turfgrass Management.  In addition, Adam also received an associates degree in Business, Sales and Marketing.  After college he landed an internship in East Texas at Hollytree Country Club, and was offered the Assistant Superintendent position in 2010. In 2013, Adam and his wife moved back home to Minnesota. He joined Prestwick GC in Woodbury, MN where he spent 6 years as the 1st Assistant Superintendent. Adam is excited to continue to serve the industry that he loves as a trusted sales representative at Clesens. 

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Email    alesmeister@clesens.com

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Cell    (320) 287-1720

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Twitter    @AdamLesmeister

Mike has worked in the golf industry for over 25 years and got his start in the golf course management business at Skokie Country Club while attending Michigan State University. After college Mike worked at both private and public courses in the Chicagoland area, including Ravisloe CC, Park Ridge CC and Arrowhead GC. Mike made the transition to Manufactures Representative in 2016 and covered the Midwest for both SePRO and Sipcam Agro. Mike is responsible for helping bring solutions to Turf Professionals in the Chicago south suburbs, NW Indiana, and SW Michigan.

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Email    mmumper@clesens.com

Cell    (708) 259-4354

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Twitter    @mmumps55

Alex has been in the golf turf industry since the age of 16, starting on the maintenance crew at my hometown country club in Waupaca, WI. From there, he spent a summer on the build crew for Mammoth Dunes, the second course at Sand Valley. After that interned at Erin Hills during the 2017 U.S. Open and at Edgewood Resort in South Lake Tahoe. During this time, he completed the 2-Year Golf Turf Management program at Penn State.

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After graduating, Alex worked as an Assistant Superintendent at University Ridge in Madison, WI, and The Wisconsin Country Club in Milwaukee. For the past three years, I’ve been the Golf Sales Representative for SiteOne, covering all lines of business—soft goods, robotics, accessories, irrigation, and more—throughout Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  

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Alex is excited to provide innovative solutions in soft goods and robotics for superintendents in Chicago.

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Email    apanzenhagen@clesens.com

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Cell   (847) 561-3139

Email    msimon@clesens.com

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Cell   (815) 997-6665

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Twitter      @Simonsez0420

Email    ssteele@clesens.com

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Phone   (847) 537-2177

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Eric has had the good fortune of compiling over 20 years in the turf industry. After graduating from University of Illinois with a degree in Ornamental Horticulture he took an assistant position at Medinah CC, where he helped play host to the 2006 PGA Championship. In 2008 he moved to San Francisco and took an assistant position on the famed Lake Course at The Olympic Club. While there he played in integral role in a renovation before hosting the US Open in 2012 and assuming the Superintendent role in 2013. After returning to the Midwest Eric served as the Branch Manager of Clesens Germantown facility for 5 years before accepting a Superintendent role at his most recent position at The Practice Station in New Berlin, WI. Eric believes in building strong relationship based connections and looks forward to serving Southeastern Wisconsin in support of all their irrigation, robotics and turf & ornamental products.

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Email    estyck@clesens.com

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Cell  (414) 719-6753

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Twitter      @ericstyck

Lisa Tomsheck is the President of Clesens, a third-generation family business.  Clesens is certified by the City of Chicago & State of Illinois as a WBE - woman business enterprise since 2008.  She joined Clesens in 1985.  Lisa is an active Board member of the Entrepreneur and Family Business Council since 2011 and has served as Forum Chair of Chairs, Forum Moderator and as a member of the Marketing and Membership Advisory Panel.  She has a passion for continuing to evolve EFBC’s protocols to ensure members get the most value out of the Forum experience.

Lisa graduated from Northern Michigan University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing.  While attending NMU she was inducted into NMU Hall of Fame in 2019, finished second in the nation as a junior for 1 meter springboard diving and was crowned National Champion as a senior.  Lisa is an avid runner and snowboarder.

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Email    ltomsheck@clesens.com

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Twitter    @Ltomsheck

JT has been in professional sales since graduating from Purdue University in 1980.  He grew up on a golf course in Indiana with early aspirations to look at sales for supporting the golf course industry.  JT comes with 44 years of experience as a manufacturer representative calling on turf managers from golf to lawn care service providers. Throughout his career, he has served on various industry boards within Illinois and Indiana as well as received multiple honors for his commitment and dedication within the green industry. Many of the chemistries that are still used today are products he helped launch and supported under early research and development including University Extensions.

JT believes his honesty, work ethics, and personal relationships have provided him with the tools for understanding customer needs while enjoying the challenges that come with the territory. Both he and his wife reside in the west suburbs of Chicago and when there is time, he enjoys flying many of this RC model planes at a nearby model airport in St. Charles.

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Email   jturner@clesens.com

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Twitter   @jtturf1

Ryder grew up in Kokomo, IN where he started working at a golf course as a Cart Attendant then made the switch to maintenance and never looked back.  He graduated from Michigan State University in 2003.  Upon graduation Ryder worked at 3 different courses in Michigan until moving to Illinois in 2010.  He was the Assistant Superintendent at Whisper Creek GC in Huntley, IL and in 2015 accepted the Assistant Superintendent position at Forest Hills CC in Rockford, IL.  In 2021 he was promoted to Superintendent of Forest Hills CC.  Ryder is very excited to continue to serve the industry that he has been a part of since he was a kid as a trusted sales representative at Clesens.

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Email    runderwood@clesens.com

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Cell    (309) 314-1937

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Twitter    @ryderunderwood8

Rob is a graduate of Northwestern College and has over 30 years of experience in the golf industry.  He began his career at Abbey Springs while attending college, and then took his first Assistant Superintendents job at Big Foot Country Club after he graduated.  For the last 21 years he has worked in various roles for LESCO and John Deere Landscapes selling agronomic products in southern Wisconsin.

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Email    rwasser@clesens.com

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Cell    (262) 221-5524

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Twitter    @robertrwasser

Steve has 30 years in the golf business and is a graduate of Northwestern College. He began his golf career at Abbey Springs where he worked for seven year, then 3 years at Prairie du Chien CC as the Superintendent.  For the last 21 years Steve has been selling agronomic products to golf courses and lawn care companies throughout northern WI and the U.P. of Michiagn as a sales agronomist for Lesco and John Deere Landscapes. 

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Email    swasser@clesens.com

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Cell    (920) 225-9658

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Twitter    @clesen_sw

Aron began his career in the turf industry immediately after high school as an applicator/operator for Ultra Green Lawncare. Subsequently, he held a 20-year position at Hartman Landscape, where he started as a laborer and eventually became the head of the turf and tree division department. To expand his knowledge in the landscape industry, Aron transitioned to account management and sales for a major landscape maintenance company. He has now returned to the fertilizer industry permanently, working with the trained and knowledgeable team members at Clesens.

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Email    awickart@clesens.com

Cell   (708) 444-2177

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Alec was born and raised in the Chicagoland area, where he grew up on the grounds of Cantigny Golf. He spent his early years learning the industry from the ground up under the guidance of his father, long-time Superintendent and Director of Grounds, Scott Witte.

From there, Alec decided to hone his professional skills at Western Michigan University’s Haworth College of Business, where he earned degrees in Marketing and Leadership Business Strategy.  After graduation, he spent several years building high-level experience in sales and business development, managing major accounts and driving revenue in the corporate sector.

However, Alec’s passion for the turf world eventually brought him back to the course, most recently serving as the Assistant Superintendent at Park Ridge Country Club. After focusing his time on managing advanced irrigation systems and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the grounds, Alec recognized that joining the team at Clesens was the ideal next step. This role allows him to perfectly merge his professional sales background with his lifelong turf expertise to provide exceptional service to his customers.

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Email    awitte@clesens.com

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Cell   (630) 815-6161

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