Filipa Mateus de Almeida

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Filipa Mateus De Almeida always has loved the outdoors, exploring her world through nature walks, bicycling and surfing. Her love of outdoors has led to extensive agronomic training and, coupled with her multi-language skills and world-wide travel, she brings significant talents to the Fry/ Straka team.

University and Beyond

Filipa decided early on that her ideal career would entail working with nature: nurturing plant growth and improving the environment. Deciding to study agronomy at the university level, she attended Escola Superior Agrária de Castelo Branco (ESACB), located on a large farm where students gain practical experience in addition to academic knowledge. Following her university studies Filipa went to work for the A. Pereira Jordão Company, which specialized in turfgrass and fertilizers, with a focus on seeds and fertilizers for sports such as golf, soccer, rugby and polo. Embracing the opportunity, Filipa began her professional career dealing in landscape and environmental matters such as erosion control, balanced meadows and pastures, and environmental issues surrounding the construction of golf courses. She also began specializing in fertilizer-maintenance programs for golf courses and soccer fields, as well as in seed selection for differing situations, such as shade, traffic and varying temperatures.

“In 2001 I started my professional life and I fell in love with it!” Filipa says.

Professional Growth

Upon finishing her studies, Filipa became a member of the Society of Technical Engineers. She also signed on as a member of the Portuguese Greenkeepers Association, ultimately rising for a time to the position of Executive Secretary. Today she serves as Secretary of the General Assembly of the Portuguese Landscape Association. After eight years with the A. Pereira Jordão Company, she became an independent consultant with Camposol, the first company in the world with GlobalGap (Good Agriculture Practice) certification for turfgrass and sod production. She served as a consultant at Vitória Setúbal Futebol Clube stadium and academy and Sporting Futebol Clube stadium and academy, two first-division soccer teams in Portugal. In this role Filipa lent her agronomic expertise to turf production on 14 soccer fields and at other venues. At the same time she worked with the Dry-Ject company in Portugal, Spain, England, Scotland and Ireland for several years. In 2008, she started the website project “Global Turf Network” with Professor Karl Dannenberg of The Ohio State University of which she continues to author articles.

Extending her Achievements

In 2009 Filipa began her work with Dana Fry and Jason Straka and currently serves as Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design’s agronomist and representative for Latin America, Portugal and Spain. Additionally, she has been responsible for the grow-in at such venues as Cúria Golf Course, Bom Sucesso Golf Course and Monte Belo Golf Course (2nd phase). She has presented university seminars in Portugal, Spain, Austria and Brasil, as well as for private companies, city halls, greenkeepers associations, botanical gardens, landscape shows and others. Filipa also has written for publications in architecture newspapers and magazines including Golfdom Europe, Golf Magazine and Agro manual. In 2010 Filipa produced a DVD, “Relvados Ornamentais,” in conjunction with the botanical garden Jardim Botânico da Ajuda.

Filipa is realizing her dream, using her skills successfully in the great outdoors.