2015-2016 President, effective July 1, 2015. Te Field Day Host was the Addink family and the team at A-G Sod Farms, Nuevo, CA.

TPI’s inaugural Live Show & Tell was held July 9-11, headquartered at the Portland Marriott City Center, Portland, Oregon. Attendees traveled to the sites by bus, visiting: Pure Seed; JB Instant Lawn & Nursery; Mountain View Seeds; Agri Seed Testing, Inc.; Willamette Valley Vineyards; GK Machine, Inc.; Te Donald Hazelnut Festival; Oregon Turf & Tree Farms; and the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum.

TPI became a founding member of the Landscape Stewardship Initiative, which was developed to increase public awareness about the benefits that turfgrasses provide to homeowners and communities, and to raise awareness about the value of managed landscapes. Starting with the November/December issue, Turf News also became available in the digital format, accessible to members from any computer or mobile device.

TPI Past Presidents pose for this photo during the 2016 Conference in Houston.

Turfgrass producers and suppliers connected in the Exhibit Hall. Despite the rains, Field Day Hosts, the Gavranovic family and their staff, had All Seasons Turf Grass, Brookshire, Texas, ready to welcome the crowd. Te sod harvested during Field Day was donated to Houston Habitat for Humanity.

2016

From left to right, Field Day Hosts, John, Betty and Joel Addink display a sample of their sod.

Houston, Texas, was the site of the TPI 2016 International Education Conference & Field Day held February 22-25, headquartered at the Hyatt Regency Houston. Heavy rains kept participants of the Houston City Sights Tour on the bus except for a short mid-morning break and lunch at the famous Cadillac Bar. Rootin’ Tootin’ Clay Shootin,’ a gun raffle and a cowboy hat contest raised funds for TLI. Bogey Nights at Topgolf® was a fun optional event. Individual and panel presentations covered agronomic, operational and marketing topics. Show & Tells provided insight on the businesses featured. Linda Pittillo Bradley, Turf Mountain Sod, Inc., Hendersonville, NC, was elected TPI’s 2016-2017 President, effective July 1, 2016. She’s the first woman to hold that office. Dr. John R. Hall III, professor emeritus, Virginia Tech, was named an Honorary TPI Member. Dr. Mike Kenna, director of U.S. Golf Association (USGA) Green Section Research, was presented TPI’s Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Grady Miller, North Carolina State University, was presented the Turfgrass Educator Award of Excellence.

TPI Turf News January/February 2017

No TPI Summer Convention and Field Day or Show & Tell was held in 2016. TPI launched the Turfgrass Educational Center, its new online education platform, with video recordings of presentations from the TPI 2016 International Education Conference & Field Day. Melanie Stanton stepped down as Executive Director of TPI in April. Te Board of Trustees began the search to find a new executive director and appointed Sandy Reynolds, TPI’s long-time meetings coordinator, to serve as interim executive director during the search and transition period. Preparations were underway for TPI’s “50 & Fabulous” Anniversary Celebration to be held during TPI’s 2017 International Education Conference & Field Day. Te Board began development of a strategic plan for taking TPI into the next era, building on the firm foundation the organization established over the past 50 years.

Houston’s Rootin’ Tootin’ Clay Shootin’ was a great fundraiser for TLI. 27