JRK SEED AND TURF SUPPLY SET
TO HOST
NETWORK PICNIC ON TUESDAY, MAY 15
Join MPSTMA members from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. at JRK Seed and Turf
Supply.
Kevin Manley will host a tour of the facility and talk about their
capabilities.
Lunch will be provided.
.
20 Exhibitors, 165 Attendees
Gather at
Spring Workshop at Northwestern College
Click here to take Spring Workshop Survey
The MPSTMA put together a well-rounded program for this year's Spring
Workshop: A celebrity keynote speaker in Jerry Kill, the well-known Minnesota Twins Head
Groundskeeper Larry DiVito, and a Turf 101 talk by John Hopko. This all
added up to make this a popular event with record attendance and vendor
numbers for this event..
University
of Minnesota Head Football Coach Jerry Kill keynoted the March 7 MPSTMA
Spring Workshop at the newly-remodeled Northwestern College in Roseville.
165 people took advantage of this opportunity to catch up with friends, see vendors,
learn something new and heard an inspiring talk by Coach Jerry Kill.
This year’s Workshop had two tracts. A Management tract and a Laborer tract.
John Hopko, Professionial Turf and Renovation, will give a talk entitled
“Turf 101: Turf Maintenance Practices” which focuses on basic fundamentals.
Patrick McGuiness, Zlimen & McGuiness Law Firm, spoke about the do's and
don'ts hiring in his "How-to-Guide for Hiring" talk.
Gopher
Finds the Hole!
.
Mike McDonald, CSFM Scores an Ace
At STMA's National
Golf Tournament
MPSTMA member Mike McDonald, CSFM, TCF Bank Stadium, University of
Minnesota, scored an ace on the 9th hole at STMA's National Golf Tournament
on the Eisenhower Course at Industry Hills Golf Club in Pacific Palms,
Calif. on 1-11-12. The hole measured 137 yards.
Playing partner Greg Brodd, Turfco Manufacturing, said "Mike was using Herb
Combs' 8-iron because he kept his own clubs back in Minnesota." Combs is a turf manager at Penn State
University who formerly worked with McDonald at the University of
Minnesota. Brodd, Combs and McDonald play in this tournament together annually.
The shot was called by Mike on the tee before he hit. McDonald said "when
we got to the tee I told the guys it looks like you have to aim at the
"closet to the pin marker" (which was about 15' to the left) then it looks
like the ball should roll to the right. Herb hit first and doesn't get on. Then I hit and it was tracking right at the marker, landed and started
rolling, I lost track of it. Jeff Bridges (the 4th in our group) said "it's still
rolling, still rolling, still rolling -- I lost it" then Herb, yelling to the
Gods, said "it went in, it went in!" the group behind us heard all the noise
and went up to the green to verify and it did. Then a member of that group comes up to
the tee, with a bottle of Jack in his hand, and says you better take a big
swig after that shot. Of course, I was still stunned that it went in. We get up
to the green to fix the ball mark, it didn't even land on the green."
"All I can say is unbelievable accuracy. It truly was a well-struck
shot and yes, Mike did buy beers!" added Greg.
"Unbelievable, who would've thunk it?" said McDonald.
MPSTMA SURVEY >
Click here to take survey
Lowell Luebeck, Jon Almquist Elected
to MPSTMA Board of Directors at Jan. 5 Annual Meeting
On January 5, 70 members attended the 2nd Annual
MPSTMA Board of Directors meeting at the Minneapolis Convention Center
during the MNLA / MTGF Northern Green Expo. Lowell Luebeck, City of
Plymouth, was re-elected as General Member Representative. Jon Almquist, MTI
Distributing Inc., was elected as Commercial Member representative. Both are
2-year terms.
Luebeck ran against Andy Johnson, TCF Bank Stadium, and Nick Germann,
Northwestern College.
For 33 years, Lowell has been involved with the former MPSA and
MSTMA associations and most recently served as 2011 Co-Treasurer for the
new MPSTMA. Luebeck manages
the daily operation of all aspects of park maintenance and management
along with preparing and managing the budget, equipment and supply
purchasing and capitol projects for the City of Plymouth.
Harlan Gallop, Sports Technologies, Inc. was up
against Almquist. Almquist is an active member of MPSTMA and volunteered his
time and MTI Distributing Inc. equipment last fall at the MPSTMA Community
Service Project.
Nice, 45-degree weather in Minneapolis accounted for a well-attended show.
Vendors generally seemed happy with the flow of traffic through the trade
show floor.
The speakers also were greeted to capacity crowds.
Brooklyn Park's Noble Sport Park Wins
2011
MPSTMA / TURFCO Field of the Year Award
Greg Hoag, Park Maintenance
Superintendent for the City of Brooklyn Park, along
with six staff members accepted the 2011 MPSTMA /TURCO Field of the
Year award
at the 2nd MPSTMA Annual Meeting on January 5 in Minneapolis.
Pictured above is
Noble Sport
Park - the winning field for 2011.
Gregg Brodd, representing Turfco Manufacturing, presented the award.
