President's Message

Thank You !

For two years you have given me the privilege and responsibility to assist you and your business to be the best it can possibly be. With this responsibility as your President of the Virginia Turfgrass Council (VTC) and the Virginia Turfgrass Council Environmental Institute (VTC-EI) we have accomplished many goals to strengthen your ability to do business.

On many occasions your belief in the VTC-EI has allowed us to represent your interest at Virginia Department of Agriculture meetings. We represented you and your concerns to the Honorable Matt Lohr, Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, regarding certified pesticide applicator concerns. We had the ability to meet with Commissioner Joseph Guthrie to advocate your concerns regarding difficulty associated with online pesticide applications and testing. With these efforts and the continued collaboration with VDACS many of these issues have been solved.

It was one of our main goals to develop a free online membership service for you and your team to have access to recertification in both fertilizer and pesticides. What a great benefit of membership for you or your business to update your teams’ credentials on your schedule at any time you feel the need to do so.

The VTC-EI has branched out to represent you in the community. By developing community service projects with leaders in your community we have cemented our industry’s commitment to sound, science-based practices. These practices and services you provide protect the environment but deliver spectacular green spaces.

With these accomplishments, it’s time for me to pass along the torch to the next VTC / VTC-EI President. The passing of the torch allows fresh views and direction to better our membership and industry. It is with great pleasure that I pass the torch to Wes Bray, owner of Lawns and Gardens Plus. Wes is a Distinguished Professional of the Year recipient from the Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association, a Presidential Award recipient from the Virginia Turfgrass Council and key component of the “Come to the Bay” program and community service project. I wish continued success to our membership, confidence in Wes Bray’s guidance and the continued dedication of the entire VTC / VTC-EI Board of Directors.

Respectfully submitted,

Phil Bailey

Past President of the VTC/VTC-EI