TPI INTRODUCES NEW LOGO By Jim Novak

When the American Sod Producers Association was founded in 1967 there were a good number of important matters that needed to be addressed, the least of which was coming up with a logo for the new association. Te primary focus of the Charter Members and the newly elected board was implementing association guidelines; drafting a Constitution and Bylaws; addressing the future of the turfgrass sod industry; understanding marketing problems; developing practical applications of cultivated sod; and gathering and distributing research prepared by universities, state experiment stations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and of course, growing the membership.

For most of the association’s first decade its identity was merely the letters A-S-P-A or the name American Sod Producers Association. Te acronym and even the name appeared in numerous sizes, assorted formats and inconsistent type styles.

In 1976, Charles Lain of Pine Island Turf Nursery in Pine Island, New York, (who would later serve as ASPA’s president in 1978-1979) suggested the association develop a logo that would be used to not only promote the association but provide some continuity. And so, it came to pass that ASPA’s first logo, originated by Charles Lain, united ASPA with the easily-recognizable roll of sod. He encouraged members to incorporate the new graphic into their advertising and use it on their letterheads and other promotional materials.

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TPI Turf News March/April 2017