Tischer attended Bellbrook High School with his sister, Peggy Tischer Browning, who is now married and living in Akron, where she works as a teacher.
While in high school, Randy Tischer played on the football team and met his future wife, Beth Arling. After graduating in 1977, Tischer studied business at Wright State University.
“I’ve moved 500 feet in 56 years,” said Tischer, who has always lived in Sugarcreek Twp. with his family, including Beth and daughters, Emily Tischer Cline, a married teacher, who currently lives in Miamisburg; Leslie, who lives in Chicago; and Melissa, a student at Miami University.
Tischer’s family had owned the GW Tischer Hardware Store in Dayton since 1853. In 1952, Ray Tischer bought the family farm in Bellbrook and decided to grow sod. Mary Tischer came up with the still popular name, Green Velvet Sod Farms.
“Sod was really becoming popular in the 1950s,” said Tischer, who is past president of the Ohio Turf Grass Foundation and the Ohio Sod Producers Association. “My father went to Purdue University and attended classes to learn about the sod business. Owning a hardware store, he already had seeds and equipment.”
Originally, most sod, which also is called turf, was Kentucky bluegrass. Over the years, research has produced more popular tall fescue turf that is resistant to some pests, easier to take care of and more drought resistant.
“We now have two sod farms, plus three other farms in Bellbrook we use to grow corn and soy beans,” said Tischer, who has the original sod farm at 2615 Steward Road in Bellbrook and 700 acres of sod growing at his 3025 Snider Road farm that can be seen from Interstate 70 near Enon.
Tischer operates a retail business, but sells primarily to turf suppliers like garden centers, lawn care companies and golf course maintenance professionals. In addition to his wife Beth, he has 20 employees working for him year round. Along with sod, Tischer also sells grass seed, fertilizer and weed killers that he said are no longer the toxic chemicals used years ago.
“Landscaping isn’t complete without the green stuff and, with newer products available it’s a lot easier to have a great lawn,” said Tischer, who is a park director for the Sugarcreek Bellbrook Park District.
Contact this columnist at (937) 432-9054 or jjbaer@aol.com.
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