Today we’d like to introduce you to Merissa Alcalay. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Synthetic Turf is personal to Merissa Alcalay, a New Jersey native who resides in Delray Beach with her husband, three children, and two dogs. After installing a pool, her family wanted a low-maintenance, pet-friendly, aesthetically pleasing alternative to the standard grass lawn.
Alcalay did her research and stumbled upon turf. Immediately, she was blown away by how transformational her backyard looked. Not only is it functional and beautiful, her children could now run and play without worry of chemicals and pesticides.
This was when she fell in love with the whole outdoor concept. After a friend posted a photo on social media, everyone started raving about Alcalay’s turf. They wanted it too. That’s around the time Alcalay realized there was a gap in the market. She made it her mission to spread the synthetic turf seed and ended up capitalizing on what is fast becoming the most sought-after category in landscape today. Due to its soft texture, it doesn’t need to be fertilized or need the sun, eliminates mud tracking, drains better than natural sod, and limits noise pollution from mowers.
Her supportive husband jokingly started referring to her as “The Turf Girl” —and thus, Turf Girl was born. It began as a one-woman show. Alcalay was, quite literally, running all over South Florida until it became a small empire. Lather, rinse, repeat. It took off exceptionally. And so, more Turf Girls were hired.
Today, Turf Girl is proud to be a premier full-service synthetic turf design and installation company. Alcalay has worked hard to cultivate strong relationships with contractors in the same high-end space and considers the brand an outdoor concierge.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Given that landscaping is a male-dominated industry, Turf Girl’s emphasis is on ‘female empowerment.’ There are very few women-owned, women-operated businesses like this one.
“We have a different approach to marketing, branding, and selling. Quality craftsmanship is equally as important as customer service,” Alcalay points out. “We arrive at the client’s residence and/or business wearing tennis skirts, pink Turf Girl shirts, and large-brimmed hats —it’s all about presentation.” The pink Turf Girl trucks you may see driving around South Florida add a touch of femininity.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
“If you would have told me five years ago this is where I’d be today, I’m not sure I’d believe you,” Alcalay explains. “I was a stay-at-home mom and now a successful business owner. It’s never too late.”
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Turf Girl services everything from your standard turf lawn, pool decks, putting greens, driveways, custom ivy walls, and rooftops. They’ve transformed properties such as The Boca Raton (formerly the Boca Resort), Kips Bay Designer Show Case of Palm Beach, and a menagerie of shopping centers, schools, and dog parks (among others). Having completed over 800 projects since its inception, the company’s service area spans north of Jupiter, to Miami, with a traveling crew that will go anywhere in the country.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.turfgirl.net/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/turfgirlusa/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/turfgirlbymerissa/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/merissa-alcalay-626ba91b8/
