2001

Attendees gather by the entrance during the Smilsky Sod Farms Tour during the 2001 TPI Summer Convention in Toronto, Canada.

Te 2001 TPI Midwinter Conference was held February 5-9 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico. Key presentations focused on marketing opportunities and techniques and the environmental benefits of turfgrass. Dr. Jay Lehr, the Agribusiness Group, conducted a pre-conference seminar on “Turfgrass Sod Production and the Environment.” Dr. Wendell G. Matthews was named an Honorary Member. Te Tursday evening banquet was held at the Midnight Rodeo, where country and western singer Ricky Van Shelton performed. A pre-conference tour of Santa Fe and post-conference tour of Albuquerque were optional offerings.

TPI's ITPF introduced the 64-page book Water Right - Conserving Our Water - Preserving Our Environment, an educational tool for green industry professionals to use in presenting the realities of our planet's available water supply to water-policy decision makers, businesses, educators and consumers.

TPI’s 2001 Summer Convention and Field Day was held at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, Canada, July 18-21. Field Day Host was the Greenhorizons Group Hamilton Farm in Mount Hope, Ontario, Canada. A pre-convention tour visited the Greenhorizon Group’s Cambridge, Ontario, farm and the Guelph Research Institute in Guelph, Ontario. Te Friday Farm/Ag tour visited Zander Sod Farm, Kettleby, Ontario; M. Smilsky Farm, Cookstown, Ontario; and the Kesmac, Inc. facility in Keswick, Ontario. Members of the Nursery Sod Growers of Ontario served as tour guides. Tom Keeven, Emerald View Turf Farm, Columbia, IL, was elected TPI 2001-2002 President.

At this convention, TPI's Board initiated the process of streamlining the committee structure, while developing more efficient means for member input and communications. Tree subsequent strategic planning sessions were held with members, board and staff to determine the best ways to accomplish this objective. To increase accessibility, TPI staff members posted their email addresses.

TPI Turf News November/December 2016

2002

Te Sheraton World Resort in Orlando, Florida, within the Disney “Magic Kingdom,” was the site of TPI’s 2002 Midwinter Conference held from January 28 to February 2. A pre-conference seminar led by Dr. Tom Morgan dealt with ways of communicating to and through media sources. Educational sessions covered topics from growing and marketing proprietary turfgrasses to finding and keeping a qualified labor force. TPI's Board had approved a full restructuring of TPI's committee system that resulted in Open Forum Roundtables, Task Forces, Working Groups and Advisory Groups. A First-Time Attendees “Meet and Greet” session was introduced. Dr. Glenn Burton, Earl Nystrom and Woodrow Wilson were named Honorary Members. Te post-conference tour visited the Kennedy Space Center.

Te TPI 2002 Summer Convention and Field Day took place from July 16-19 at the Fort Collins Marriott in Fort Collins, Colorado. Field Day Host was TurfMaster Sod Farms. Te Roundtable Forum was again implemented, giving participants the opportunity to “discuss issues of mutual concern and interest.” Stan Gardner, Gardner Turfgrass, Inc., Westminster, CO, was elected TPI 2002- 2003 President. Tours included stops at Colorado State University’s gardens and arboretum and their National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation, as well as other farm and Ag sites.

Te Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) honored TPI Executive Director Doug Fender as Environmental Communicator of the Year for his role in developing ITPF’s 64-page book Water Right - Conserving Our Water - Preserving Our Environment. To maximize TPI’s public relations efforts and improve efficiency, all PR efforts were brought in-house and the staff increased to six employees.

A hole-in-one would score one of these prizes during the ITPF Memorial Golf Tournament of TPI’s 2002 Summer Convention and Field Day in Fort Collins, Colorado.

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