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120 W. Main St., PO Box 156
The Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) is active on many fronts:
Membership in TOCA is about 150 and TOCA continues to grow in prestige throughout the Green Industry. Tucson: Desert Discoveries Says it All Monica Surfaro Spigelman, one of the panelists on Social Media who appeared at the annual TOCA meeting in Tucson on May 5, summed up best what many felt during her appearance, as well as during the entire meeting. "You have an engaged and friendly membership," she said. "Thanks for letting me be part of your panel today!" TOCA's theme for this year -- Desert Discoveries -- aptly described the mood of the meeting. And what exactly did we discover? - That social media has come a long way baby and whether you're a baby boomer, Generation X or Generation Y, the train has left the station and marketing will never be the same again. - That you better be ready for a real revolution in the delivery of information in the next 10 years. And yes, it will still involve printed magazines. - That the water crisis needs a higher priority outside the southwest and western parts of the U.S. And yes, there is a war on the old-fashioned toilet bowl and unless we figure out how to reduce water consumption in that area, we will someday have a water shortage. (And we're not kidding)! - Golf courses in Tucson are meant to be played in the green grass and NOT the desert. - The Sonora Desert Museum Tour, as one attendee aptly pointed out, was "a wonderful experience for everybody. The fascination with the various types of cactus was a wonder to behold." Ed Hiscock, editorial director of Golf Course Management, had this to say about the meeting: "Thanks for what was probably the best TOCA meeting yet. We were right on with changing the agenda. " All in all, attendees found the 21st annual meeting at the El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort one to remember. Golf, Tour Wednesday Morning Golfers braved the 90-degree dry heat (it took five paragraphs to mention "dry heat") at the golf club, not to mention rabbits, rattlesnakes, coyotes and other critters large and small. Through it all, the team of Bryan Gooch, Pat Jones, Kyle Rubeling and Jared Bodnar came in at -4 to win the tournament. In second place, at -3, came the threesome of Chuck Bowen, plus the Gardner twins. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the Sonora Desert Museum Tour had 25 attendees. The museum featured a world-renowned zoo, natural history museum and botanical garden. A special guided tour was offered for TOCA members. Members were then treated to lunch at La Fuente Restaurant. Professional Development Highlights Highlights of the professional development workshops on Wednesday and Thursday, included: -The social media panel of Monica Surfaro Spigelman, social media consultant and IABC member; Jimmy Fox, co-owner, Evergreen Turf; Allie Bell, managing editor, Arizona BIG Media; Tom Mentzer, owner, Mentzer PR Group; and Sam Brace, Caliber Group, Tucson, and director of "Social Media Boot Camp." The group was ably moderated by Larry Aylward of Golfdom magazine. -The panel dazzled attendees with opinions on where social media is going from a marketing standpoint, using all the tools necessary, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and other social media outlets. -Following the panel, the attendees were split into Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y to discuss challenges and opportunities within their own generations. Social Media Panelists moderated each group. Each then reported back their findings to the group. -The opening night outdoor reception, under a starry night, was at the Last Territory. Attendees were treated to refreshments and a wide array of southwestern food. -Media Futurist Bo Sacks led Thursday's workshop on the future of print and online media. To summarize, Sacks said print media wasn't going away, although he predicted revenue from digital media would outpace print media by 2010. Today digital magazines garner about 10 percent of the total magazine revenue. "The relationship, when all is said and done, is between the publisher and the reader," he said. "In the end that's the only thing that matters - whether it's print or digital media. Sacks dazzled the group with a look at e-reader devices like flexible e-paper and showed the group many of the benefits of the iPad. He noted that these are the communications tools of the future, and print magazines will be different to survive. "There's no more room for mediocrity in print magazines anymore," he said. "For print to survive, it has to be better and will be more expensive in the future." -Two speakers informed members about the major water issues facing the Southwest each day. Dr. David Kopec, University of Arizona, spoke of the use of public water today and the importance of finding consultants who understand the efficient use of water and know how to tell the public about it. Effluent use of water is a must for the area. He also spoke of adapting varieties of grasses to the southwest and managing turf in desert conditions. (I'm sure David would appreciate knowing what you got for Christmas last year - inside joke there.) -Robert Glennon, author of "Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What To Do About It," spoke of efforts in several southwestern cities now to pay homeowners to take out turf. "The secret to the water crisis is the population movement," he said. "There are seven million more people in California than in 1992. People are moving to areas (like Arizona and Nevada) where there's no more adequate supplies of water." Glennon, who's appeared on The Comedy Show with John Daily, said there are options to improve the water situation. They include the desalinization of water, reusable water and conservation (including adoption of water-free toilets, one of the biggest water wasters in the country). "We've got to take dead-aim at toilets," he said (and he really wasn't kidding). - The afternoon program on Thursday concluded with the business meeting and award presentations. Business meeting highlights included: 1. Election of the board. Re-elected board members are Jared Bodnar, president; Ed Hiscock, past president; Margaret Bell, vice president; Bob West, secretary-treasurer; and directors Debbie Clayton, Jason Schmaderer, Cindy Code, Felicia Gillham, Ron Hall, Troy Blewett, Eric Schroder, John Reitman, Helen Stone, Lacy Ravencraft, and McGavock Edwards. New board members are Christina Schave, Tom Mentzer, Mark Founds and Marisa Palmieri. 2. TOCA's annual revenue for 2010 will be approximately $96,000, with expenses estimated at about $97,300. TOCA maintains a healthy investment portfolio of approximately $80,400, up considerably from $73,200 a year ago. 3. The 2011 meeting will be determined by sometime in June. Nashville, Ashville, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee are being explored. 4. The TOCA writing, photography and design contests had 310 entries this year, a decrease from last year of about 25 percent. TOCA board commented that this was as a result of the ongoing recession, with fewer members entering the contest. 5. The GCSAA Breakfast reception at the Golf Industry Show (GIS) was held in February this year on a Wednesday, a change because of the new format for the show, which includes a two-day trade show instead of three. The same format will take place in 2011 in Florida. 6. The Green Industry and Equipment Expo breakfast reception is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 29, 7:30 a.m. in Louisville. Bayer is the sponsor of this breakfast. 7. The board agreed to continue its contribution to Project EverGreen, at the $2,500 level. This national alliance of end-user associations, companies and Green Industry suppliers educates and inform consumers about the benefits of well-maintained green spaces. TOCA publications and agencies donated $250,000 of space and pro bono services to Project EverGreen in 2009-2010. 8. For the sixth time, TOCA has a printed directory, courtesy of New Holland. The directory comes out in December of each year. It contains the association's membership, Bylaws and constitution and other important information about the association. 9. The 2010 Publishers' Scholarship winner is Mikael Pehkonen of the University of Guelph. He's studying turfgrass management and will graduate in April 2011. He is the first TOCA scholarship winner from outside the U.S. Syngenta Awards Banquet To close out the 2010 meeting, the Syngenta Awards Banquet was another raucous affair, with excellent food and drink, surrounded by a slide show commemorating this year's award winners. Thanks to the leadership of Chris Higgins of Padilla Spear Beardsley (PSB), a masterful job was accomplished on the awards program. Thanks to PSB for also publishing the annual meeting program. So, the 2010 TOCA annual meeting is history. Den Gardner wants to especially thank Barb Ulschmid for her tireless preparation work prior to and during the meeting. Den also wants to thank his evil twin Dan for assisting with logistics. Dan missed the 2009 meeting, having been part of the 10 previous meetings. It was great to see him back in 2010. TOCA thanks all of its sponsors for making the meeting possible. And remember, TOCA meetings always look to the future. While we enjoy the camaraderie, appreciate the personal networking time you can't get done at other trade shows, and enhance your professional skills through our workshops and be recognized for your communications skills through our contests, TOCA will always be about our family of editorial and marketing professionals. A little dysfunctional, but isn't every family? OTHER ORGANIZATIONAL NEWS FROM TUCSON Environmental Communicator of the Year This year's Environmental Communicator of the Year is Chris Gray of Marvel Golf Club in Kentucky. Gray is also a columnist for Golfdom magazine. Gray is the fourth TOCA member to win this award in the dozen years the program has been in place. Gray, in attendance to receive his award, was provided a $500 stipend. Previous winners of the award include Mark Welterlen, Grounds Maintenance magazine; Bill Love, W.R. Love Golf Architecture; Tim Doppel, Atwood Lawncare, Inc.; Doug Fender, Turf Producers International; Allen James, RISE; Ron Dodson, Audubon International; Jeff Gullickson, Spokane Country Club, Spokane, Wash.; Kevin Trotta, Grounds Manager & Turfgrass IPM Specialist, North Rockland Central School District, Cornwall, N.., Helen Stone, publisher of Southwest Trees & Turf and President of Stone Peak Services, a consortium of the allied golf associations of Colorado, which created a study on the economic and environmental impact of golf in Colorado, and Drs. Larry Stowell and Wendy Gelernter of PACE Turf. TOCA Strategic Plan In the midst of our 21st year, TOCA is creating a new strategic plan to carry the organization into the start of its third decade in the green industry. The strategic plan is divided into four sections. Special thanks to the following section chairs for their input thus far in this effort: Membership - Ed Hiscock Corporate Sponsorships - Tom Mentzer Professional Development - Mark Founds Communication and Branding - Roger Stanley This group is overseen by the Strategic Planning Committee, led by board members Jason Schmaderer, Ed Hiscock, Jared Bodnar, Debbie Clayton and Cindy Code. The strategic plan is the next step in our professional development. The first draft of the plan and a summary document is circulating amongst the board at this time. If you are interested in serving on one of the committees as the plan is executed in the years ahead, please contact the TOCA office. We encourage you to provide your input to TOCA staff to be part of this new effort. 2010 TOCA Scholarship Winner is Mikael Pehkonen of the University of Guelph. Additional information is available on the Award page. 2010 TOCA Environmental is Chris Gray of Marvel Golf Club in Kentucky. Additional information is available on the Award page Note: TOCA's new email address is: toca@gardnerandgardnercommunications.com The 2010 TOCA contest winners are posted within the Contest section. Check out the new TOCA promotional video
here!
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