President’s Message

A New Year. A New NESTMA!

I feel like the entire turf industry is eager to get back to Providence and the New England Turfgrass Conference. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing many of you again and to hear how the past year has treated you.

One of the things on my radar is learning how others are finding good employees these days. It’s a tough market with many factors impacting the labor shortage. A record low unemployment rate, long-term effects of the pandemic, Baby Boomers retiring at an accelerated pace, to name just a few. All of which is a challenge for our departments and facilities as we work to engage and retain qualified staff.

NESTMA’s leadership is working with local vocational schools, community colleges, and universities to find out how we can best give back and support turfgrass students (our future employees). Scholarships, grants, training programs, mentorship – we’re looking at it all. Let’s find the ways our more experienced professionals can pull the next generation under their wing and help them succeed.

I hope you’ll join us on March 6 for our annual Awards Meeting and Lunch. This is NESTMA’s chance to recognize excellence in sports field management (see page 8 for details); award scholarships that help turfgrass students reach their full potential; and share what you and your peers have accomplished over the past 12 months.

We’ll also preview new things to look forward to in the coming year. Be on the lookout for exciting changes that will propel our association well into the future!

I ask you to welcome it all! Tell your friends and colleagues about where NESTMA is going and encourage them to get involved.

Let’s make the most of 2024!

Chris McGinty

NESTMA President