From the President’s Pen

ATA Has Great Value

Hello, my name is Ben Williams and I have the pleasure and privilege to serve as the Alabama Turfgrass Association President for the upcoming 2023 year. I have been in the turfgrass industry since 1997, and I am currently a Grounds and Maintenance Coordinator for the Community Services Flight at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. I am an alumnus of Auburn University’s Agronomy and Soils program. I have been on the ATA board going on five years and in my new role as president, look forward to working more closely with our board members and educational advisors, as well as other educators, members, and sponsors for our industry.

Maintaining an ATA membership has great value to you and your company. There are many ATA events that serve as educational tools and others that allow you to connect with your fellow turfgrass industry leaders. For instance, there are educational opportunities at the ATA Road Shows starting in January 2023, as they travel across the state. Guest speakers share educational topics, industry vendors share their products, and it is an opportunity to obtain pesticide points for your pesticide applicator license.

The ATA is also heavily involved with the annual Deep South Turf Expo in Biloxi, Mississippi, where attendees have the same opportunities as experienced at the Road Shows, but on a much larger scale. It’s also a lot of fun! Thanks to all those who attended the 2022 DSTE and made this another successful Expo.

The ATA’s Poa Annua Golf Tournament raises funds that are donated to the Alabama Turfgrass Research Foundation for Auburn University turfgrass research. Last year’s golf tournament was at Inverness Country Club where guest speaker, James Spann, was very informative, and the course was in great shape. This year's event returns to Inverness CC on April 17, 2023. Save the date and be on the lookout for registration information to come.

On alternating years, ATA hosts a Lawn and Landscape Workshop and a Sports Turf Field Day. This year, we’ll be hosting the Lawn and Landscape Workshop at the Gardendale Civic Center. Watch for the date and details as they become available. If you are interested in hosting these events or any event in the future, please give me or any board member a call.

I would like to give a huge shout out to last year’s ATA president Ben Anderson, who was a great president and steered our organization through another successful year. We thank him for his service and continued support. He has been a great friend, colleague, and mentor. He will continue to serve on the ATA board as the Past President this coming year. Thank you, Ben!

Our organization owes a huge amount of gratitude to Melanie Bonds, Tricia Clem, and Kayla Cook, the Prologue Staff who manage this association. Thank you for your continued service to our organization. Kayla has stepped into ATA's Executive Director position. Melanie has stepped away from active meeting and event planning and management of the association. She will continue to help write and edit our magazine, Alabama Turf Times, along with Editor, James Horton. If you get the opportunity to see Melanie, give her a big bear hug and thank her for her many years of service as she enters the retirement phase of her career. And, if you haven’t met Kayla, introduce yourself and welcome her to the ATA.

For many years, it has been great to see Tricia every time I forgot to register and just showed up at an event. She always took care of me. I don’t recommend not registering in advance, but if you forget, Tricia is the person so see. Thank you, Tricia, for your continued support.

As I’m writing this, my first President’s Pen for our Turf Times magazine, I begin to understand how much work goes into this publication. The ATA has been very fortunate to have James Horton, who volunteers his time to our organization to deliver a great publication every quarter.

Last, but not least, is the well-deserved recognition that our sponsors and industry partners deserve. Whether past, present, or future, we value so much the support that our sponsors continue to give our organization. We plan to carry on that solid relationship with them to provide as many resources as feasible to our members. It is our hope that this bond would benefit both sponsors and members alike.

So now that 2023 is almost here, I am excited to look forward and share how this year with the Alabama Turfgrass Association unfolds. I wish everyone successful seasons, and God willing, a great year, as we share our passion of the outdoors, favorable weather, and that lush green grass!

Ben Williams

2023 ATA President