2020 Future 10: Justin Wittkofsky
Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce and South Brunswick Magazine recognize Brunswick County’s young professionals and future leaders.
JUSTIN WITTKOFSKY
PARK SUPERVISOR, BRUNSWICK COUNTY PARKS & RECREATION | AGE: 23
Throughout his childhood and adolescence, Justin Wittkofsky thought he would end up playing college baseball, and who knows, maybe make a career of it. But when he was 17 and in high school, he had shoulder surgery — and his pitching arm never returned to its former ability.
“I was kind of lost,” he says. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.” He enrolled in Brunswick Community College (BCC) and took general education classes, then got a part-time job with Brunswick County Parks & Recreation. That inspired him to change his educational focus. He earned two associate degrees in turfgrass management and horticulture management through BCC, and it led to a career as the park supervisor.
Naturally drawn to the outdoors, Wittkofsky grew up around his grandfather’s farm. When he was young, he rode on his grandfather’s lap as he drove the agricultural and construction equipment. Wittkofsky was driving the equipment by himself by the time he was 12.
Wittkofsky manages Town Creek District Park in Brunswick County. He and his crew handle everything from routine mowing on the common areas and sports turfs to fertilizing, aerating, cutting, edging and irrigating. At the end of the day, his goal is to make sure that the parks provide a safe, comfortable and enjoyable experience for anyone who visits.
Park management is a team effort, and one of the aspects that Wittkofsky likes best about his job is the people he works with. “I have a great relationship with everybody I work with,” he says. “We’re a tight
knit group.”
Wittkofsky is a perpetual student of his field. Even when he’s not working, “I’m studying trending topics in the turf world,” he says. For his recognition as a Future 10 leader, Wittkofsky says, “It’s an honor I wasn’t expecting. I hadn’t realized I had been nominated.” Though it is not the baseball career he envisioned, Wittkosfky loves what he does. “Being able to be out there every day, all day, that’s what I enjoy,” he says. “It gives me that feeling that I’m still on the mound. It’s cool to be on the other side of it, taking care of the fields and still watching the action.”
In his spare time, this self-described gear head “enjoys taking a wrench and fixing something. It’s my place of peace.”
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