Upcoming Event
JANUARY 21 – 23, 2020 Fredericksburg Expo Center Fredericksburg, Virginia
Presenting Sponsors
PROGRAM Tuesday, January 21 The day’s theme: Personal and Professional Development in the Green Industry
All persons in same room except for Mechanic’s Seminar and Certified Turfgrass Professional training that will be held in separate rooms concurrent with the MATE educational program
8:00 a.m. Certified Turfgrass Professional Training (Day 1 of 3) 8:00 a.m. Mechanic’s Seminar (Day 1 of 3) Speaker: Cort Rash of Revels Turf & Tractor • Reel set up and optimization to enhance quality of cut, paralleling reel to roller on bench plate • Basic electrical and hydraulic troubleshooting 8:00 a.m. Homogeneous Turf Management: A Call to Unify our Profession Logan Freeman, Superintendent at Mountain Branch Golf Club, Joppa, MD Logan made some positive waves across the green industry in 2019 with an article featured in Golf Course Management about his experience as a golf superintendent attending a sports turf manager’s meeting. Logan details the benefits of industry collaboration and offers steps to promote a unified industry front.
9:00 a.m. Positive Coaching and Self Care for Green Industry Professionals Josh McPherson, CSFM, Sports Field Supervisor, University of Missouri Josh is a past president of VSTMA and has remained a leader in the sports turf industry over his career. Josh has shared this message with the national STMA audience multiple times and it’s a story and roadmap of importance to all turfgrass managers trying to find the right balance between work and home.
Lunch Sponsors
10:00 a.m. Break and Visit Vendors 11:00 a.m. Minority Recruiting in the Green Industry Dr. Tiffany Drape, Virginia Tech The turfgrass industry remains pretty much a white-male dominated industry, so while that is a challenge that remains to be addressed, it is also an opportunity for growth for all parties. 12:00 p.m. Lunch (provided on site) and Visit Vendors 1:30 p.m. Building and Inspiring a 21st Century Workforce Tyler Bloom, Supt., Sparrows Point Golf Club & Dean Graves, CGCS, retired, Chevy Chase CC There are plenty of jobs in the green industry and not nearly enough potential employees to fill the positions. What can be done to recruit and retain quality employees? Tyler and Dean have successfully implemented novel strategies in staffing that benefit their clubs but also promote advancement of their employees.
16 | VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL January/February 2020 www.vaturf.org
Fellowship Breakfast Sponsors
