PRESIDENT’S TURF Turfgrass Sod Family and Friends,

2016-2017 TPI Board of Trustees

Linda Pittillo Bradley

An abundance of knowledge and education combined with a wealth of wisdom sums up our 50 & Fabulous Celebration! We are so blessed with our heritage and to be Celebrating Our Past and it will be especially meaningful when all of those associated with TPI come together and play a part in Inspiring Our Future when we gather in Tampa. It’s an event we hope you won’t miss!

As we’ve prepared for this celebration, I’ve found many things that have peaked my interest:

• Field Days: In every photo we’ve seen at field days there is an extremely common theme—men touching and studying equipment! Te early photos have men in white shirts and ties and ladies in skirts.

• Education: People are engaged and eager to attend, the chairs are full. Successful business people do not skip education sessions. We desire to grow as individuals and as business leaders.

• Test Plots: We enjoy seeing plots on a farm that make it feel just like home. Te results that we see before us are valuable, simple and true comparison.

• Fun: Tere are smiles and fabulous stories and not all of them are fifty years old; some happened last year but they are treasured and priceless. If you haven’t heard a fun story at a TPI event, don’t miss the President’s Reception and the Banquet!

I also hope you’ve enjoyed seeing the history of TPI in Turf News and the TPI E-Newsletter as much as I have! While I’ve enjoyed reading about our past, here are just a few things I’m extremely excited about that will impact our future and you’ll learn more about during our 50th Celebration:

• Our Millennial speaker says that we better be ready in the year 2017 because the Millennials will spend more money than the Baby Boomers for the first time in history. Is your farm ready to sell to them? Tey aren’t tech savvy— they are tech dependent and we need to know the difference!

• Come Alive Outside is a huge asset to our industry! You’ll hear how to be involved in your area as they explain how everybody wins when somebody goes outside!

• Te Harvester Preventative Maintenance breakout sessions are all about saving time, money and maximizing the performance of your harvester. Bring the people who most need to know about the importance of maintenance to these special sessions on Tursday and share Wednesday’s Field Day with them, too.

We’ve tried to listen to everyone’s requests and this year’s conference really has something for everyone—timely information, new product offerings, plenty of nostalgia and great companionship. Sign up online today at www.TurfGrassSod.org if you haven’t already.

“Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.” Proverbs 4:13 I’m looking forward to seeing you in Tampa!

Blessings, 2

Officers President Linda Pittillo Bradley Turf Mountain Sod, Inc. – U.S.A. +1-828-685-3642 turfmountain@bellsouth.net

Vice President Jimmy Fox Evergreen Turf, Inc. – U.S.A. +1-480-456-1199 jimmy@evergreenturf.com

Secretary-Treasurer Eric Heuver Eagle Lake Professional Landscape Supply – CANADA +1-403-235-8873 eric@eaglelakelandscape.com

Past President Will Nugent Bethel Farms – U.S.A. +1-863-494-3057 willnugent@bethelfarms.com

Interim Executive Director Sandy Reynolds Turfgrass Producers International – U.S.A. +1-847-649-5555 sreynolds@TurfGrassSod.org

Trustees John Coombs, Sr. Coombs Sod Farms, LLC – U.S.A. +1-856-358-4763 jhc@coombsfarms.com

Hugh Dampney ECO Turf – ENGLAND +44 1202 572 166 hugh.dampney@parleycourt.co.uk

Steve Griffen Saratoga Sod Farm, Inc. – U.S.A. +1-518-664-5038 steve@saratogasod.com

Randy Jasperson Jasperson Sod Farm – U.S.A. +1-262-835-2826 rj@jaspersonsod.com

Hank Kerfoot Modern Turf – U.S.A. +1-803-713-8873 hank@modernturf.com

Mark Tribbett JB Instant Lawn, Inc. - U.S.A. +1-503-581-7823 mark@jbinstantlawn.net

Tim Wollesen Sales Midwest, Inc. – U.S.A. +1-913-254-9560 tim@salesmidwest.com

Legal Counsel Monte B. Lake CJ Lake 525 Ninth Street, NW- Suite 800 Washington, DC – U.S.A. +1-202-789-8644

Science Advisor Dr. James B Beard International Sports Turf Institute College Station, Texas – U.S.A. +1-979-693-4066 isti@neo.tamu.edu

TPI Turf News January/February 2017