|
| ||
TOCA members take notice. In 2009 TOCA celebrates its 20th anniversary. And to celebrate our anniversary, we'd love to entice all our TOCA designers to get creative and develop for us a 20th anniversary logo. We're certainly not abandoning our historic logo, created in 1990 when we were incorporated as a non-profit organization. But we will use the 20th anniversary logo on our printed materials during 2009 at our annual meeting, in our other printed materials, our newsletter Toca Talk, our web site and elsewhere. And the winner of the new logo design will win a $100 from TOCA to take all your friends out to dinner. Well, maybe one friend. Please call us for more details. We'd like the logo sent to us electronically. The deadline for receiving your entry is Sept. 1. Call our office and ask for Barb for more information - 952/758-6340. Or email us at tocaassociation@aol.com. We look forward to receiving your submission. Minneapolis: Happy Together By Den Gardner, Executive Director As the crowd danced to Little Chicago's version of the Turtles' 1968 blockbuster hit "Happy Together" one couldn't help but see the metaphor to that song and the feeling of TOCA members as the conclusion of the 2008 annual meeting in Minneapolis. A record crowd of 81 members and invited guests danced the evening away on the closing night -- "Hooked on a Feeling" that there was little better than the camaraderie and fellowship shown by TOCA attendees throughout the meeting. TOCA's theme for this year -- Exploring Perspectives -- aptly described the mood of the meeting. From the River Runs Through It Tour on Wednesday, golf at Hazeltine National Golf Club, generational perspectives on many levels, delineating differences between editors and public relations practitioners, blogging/podcasting and reaching audiences using those mediums, the Walker Sculpture Garden Tour and more, Minneapolis was the place to be. All in all, attendees found the 19th annual meeting one to remember. You could almost feel "The Power of Love," (right David Cassidy?) Golf, Tour Wednesday Morning Golfers braved the wind, temps in the low 50s and the daunting length of Hazeltine National Golf Club in suburban Chaska, home of several major PGA men's and women's events the past several years and site of the upcoming 2009 PGA Men's Championship next summer. The course brought players to their knees as no team finished at par or below. The foursome of Jonathon Kiger, John Reitman, Don Staruk and Alane Saphner finished first at plus one. Eric Schroder, Bob Rumpza, Scott Kinkead and Kevin Stoltman finished at plus four. The rest: No comments please. A special thanks to Owen Towne of Phoenix Environmental Care for helping us get on this U.S. Open/PGA Championship course. Meanwhile, back in Minneapolis Wednesday began with blue skies and a crisp breeze, perfect conditions for the "Minneapolis: A River Runs Through It" tour. TOCA members saw the city's oldest neighborhood, Saint Anthony, and walked across the historic Stone Arch Bridge, the only stone bridge constructed over the Mississippi River. From the bridge, members got an eagle's perspective of the lock and dam that has tamed the former 40-foot natural waterfall. This hydraulic muscle powered the early flour mills, which were the foundation of city commerce and the reason why Minneapolis is where it is. Members then entered the Guthrie Theater and were greeted by a lively guide and actor, who led us on a behind the scenes tour of each of the building's three theaters. Along the way, TOCA snuck a peak at the set design workshop, the costume design studio and the prop room. A highlight of the tour was a short stop in the protruding yellow glass viewing room, where some members gasped at the rush of standing on a glass floor nearly a hundred feet above ground. A quick walk through Gold Medal Park stirred TOCA's appetite for a buffet lunch at Nye's Polonaise Room, which was voted the Best Bar in America by Esquire Magazine in 2006. The kitschy, 1950s-era interior was definitely a flash back to the restaurants' blue collar origins-just the way Minneapolis regulars like it! Before departing, several TOCA members perused the polka memorabilia and vinyl-clad bar stations. Professional Development Highlights Highlights of the professional development workshops on Wednesday and Thursday, included: - Chuck Zimmerman, owner of ZimmComm, spoke to members about blogs, podcasts and ideas on how to make revenue from these new types of media. Despite some technical glitches from the Internet (ain't technology great?), he painted a picture of marketers today being able to understand new media and using it to reach their customers. - Brought back by popular demand was the Editor/PR panel of TOCA members. This panel was once a yearly must at annual meetings. Having not done it for many years, a refresher of the needs and wants of editors and PR practitioners was welcomed enthusiastically. Thanks to Bob West for moderating the group, along with panelists John Walsh, McGavock Edwards, Eric Schroder, Tom Mentzer, Ron Hall, and Claire Sychowski. - Generational Issues by Steve Drake of Drake & Company aided pre-boomers, boomers, Gen X, and Gen Y TOCA members better understand why sometimes we "just can't get along." The survey taken by attendees prior to the meeting and Drake's presentation are on the TOCA web site www.toca.org. Please be sure to see these documents. Enlightening hardly describes what those in attendance learned in the three-hour seminar. Thanks to Carrie Parkhill, Andie Belfry, David Cassidy, Ken Moum, Heather Mueller and Marisa Palmieri for ably representing their generations on the panel discussion following Drake's remarks. - The afternoon program on Thursday began with a stirring speech from current president Ed Hiscock. Ed noted the many strides being taken by TOCA, including a look at ethics guidelines or standards which will be reviewed in the next year. He also continued his push to increase membership by mining current organizations that are TOCA members. Ed will be contacting many of you who signed up to help with our membership drive in the coming year. Business Meeting Highlights The business meeting followed, where the election of officers was the first piece of business. The group elected to lead TOCA for 2008-2009 included: board president Ed Hiscock; Margaret McLean, vice president; Debbie Clayton, secretary/treasurer; and the following directors: Felicia Gillham, Jason Schmaderer, Bob West, Jared Bodnar, Troy Blewett, Ron Hall, Cindy Code, David Cassidy, Eric Schroder, John Reitman and Helen Stone. Newly elected to the board were McGavock Edwards and Lacy Ravencraft. Bill Klutho continues in his position of past president for one final year. Other actions announced at the business meeting and passed earlier in the week by the TOCA Board of Directors included: - TOCA finished the year in the black for the 19th straight year. Our revenue will be approximately $113,000 for 2008 and expenses will be about $103,000. We have about $81,000 in a rainy day fund made up of mutual funds and certificates of deposit. - The 20th anniversary meeting in Puerto Rico will have some special activities. There also will be a slight increase in the registration fee for Puerto Rico. The meeting registration fee will be $300. - TOCA had its largest number of corporate sponsors in its history during 2007-2008. TOCA thanks all our corporate supporters. The board also agreed to enlist the support of our corporate sponsors in a special way for 2009 in Puerto Rico. Corporate Partners will be asked to provide a one-time increase of $1,500 from their current giving level to allow for a more memorable meeting celebrating 20 years of the organization. Letters will go out to corporate sponsors later this summer. - The TOCA writing, photography and design contests had 431 entries this year, the third most entries in its history. The board will continue to review the contest each year to provide the best opportunities for its members to be rewarded for their writing, photographic and design skills. - The Green Industry and Equipment Expo breakfast reception is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 24, 7:30 a.m. in Louisville. Bayer is the sponsor of this breakfast. - The GCSAA Breakfast reception at the Golf Industry Show (GIS) will be Friday, Feb. 6, 2009, in New Orleans. - As noted earlier, the 20th annual TOCA meeting will be held May 12-14 at the Wyndham Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. The board meeting will be Tuesday, May 12. The general meeting will be May 13-14, with the banquet ending the meeting on Thursday night. Members wishing to invite spouses and other family members for the weekend will be able to get preferred rates at the hotel. This special anniversary meeting will celebrate two decades of service to editors and marketing communications experts in the Green Industry. - The board agreed to continue its contribution to Project EverGreen, the national alliance of end-user associations, companies and Green Industry suppliers formed to educate and inform consumers about the benefits of well-maintained green spaces. TOCA publications and agencies donated $250,000 of space and pro bono services to Project EverGreen in 2007-08. - For the fourth time, TOCA will have a printed directory, courtesy of New Holland. The directory should be ready sometime in the fall for its members. It will be sent to all members. Members will be asked to remove the contents from the 2008 directory and replace it in their three-ring binder with the new contents. It contains the association's membership, Bylaws and constitution and other important information about the association. - A special committee will be formed to determine the need for set of TOCA ethics standards or guidelines. McGavock Edwards will lead the committee that will formulate a plan and present next steps to the board in November in Louisville. Environmental Communicator of the Year The 2008 TOCA Environmental Communicator of the Year award, sponsored by Project EverGreen, goes to a group that was among the first to communicate the positive attributes of golf from an environmental, economic and lifestyle standpoint. It was a consortium of the allied golf associations of Colorado, which based its campaign on the self-funded study: Golf in Colorado An Independent Study of the Economic Impact and Environmental Aspects of Golf in Colorado. The TOCA Environmental Communicator of the Year award is given annually to an active green industry member for outstanding efforts in communicating the benefits of environmental stewardship to a particular audience within the turf and ornamental industry. The Colorado study was one of the first of its kind in the United States to gather information linking water use to the economy of the state and compare natural resource usage to other industries within the state. The efforts have strengthened the voice of golf in Colorado, defined economic impact numbers that were previously unavailable, defined the environmental inputs required to operated a golf course in Colorado and quantified the amount of water consumed by Colorado golf courses annually. Conducted in 2002, the study is still used today to communicate with legislators/regulators, media, the environmental community, golfers and general public. The study was executed by Colorado State University and THK Consulting at the direction of the Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents Association, Colorado Golf Association, Colorado Women's Golf Association, Colorado Section of the PGA, Colorado Chapter of the Club Managers Association of America and the Colorado Chapter of the National Golf Course Owners Association. Joe McCleary, GCSAA certified golf course superintendent at Saddle Rock Golf Course in Aurora, Colo., was the project leader. To view the survey click here. "This is an excellent example of an industry coming together to develop a plan to communicate its value," McCleary said. "The foundation of the communication plan was to conduct the study and collect the data. Once we had the information, we were able to sit at the table with key constituent groups and provide an accurate snapshot. It was vital in our successfully communicating the positive impact of the golf industry." The study has also been recognized by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America with its Presidents Award for Environmental Stewardship in 2006. "The TOCA selection committee was intrigued by the collaborative nature of the effort and the connection of the environment, economics and recreation," TOCA Executive Director Den Gardner said. "It provides a template for other industries to use as they position themselves in dispelling inaccuracies and myths. TOCA applauds the allied golf associations of Colorado for their leadership." Previous winners of the award include Mark Welterlen, Grounds Maintenance magazine; Bill Love, W.R. Love Golf Architecture; Tim Doppel, Atwood Lawncare, Inc.; Doug Fender, Turf Producers International; Allen James, RISE; Ron Dodson, Audubon International; Jeff Gullickson, Spokane Country Club, Spokane, Wash.; Kevin Trotta, Grounds Manager & Turfgrass IPM Specialist, North Rockland Central School District, Cornwall, N.., and Helen Stone, publisher of Southwest Trees & Turf and President of Stone Peak Services. Thursday's Walker Sculpture Garden Tour Following adjournment of the business meeting, TOCA members met with Tracy, an enthusiastic, fact-filled tour guide, to embark on an afternoon walking tour of Loring Park and the Walker Sculpture Garden. The drive to the park took members through one of the oldest brown-stone neighborhoods in Minneapolis. The bus even passed the former national headquarters of famed TV evangelist Billy Graham, who was once the largest sender of U.S. Mail in the state of Minnesota. At the park members were greeted by two representatives from the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board. TOCA took a guided stroll through the park's gardens and pathways as the park superintendent explained his turf and ornamentals dilemmas-a passerby even interjected to tell the superintendent that he enjoyed the park and to keep up the good work. To reach the Walker Garden, TOCA members crossed six lanes of heavy mid-day traffic by way of the Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge, a pedestrian bridge designed to resemble a hand shake by Siah Armajani. As TOCA crossed the wood plank bridge, they enjoyed a poem etched into the steel beams and the view of the Minneapolis skyline. Sculpture garden tour guides walked several small TOCA groups around the garden, stopping to briefly explain the symbolism and significance of each piece. The centerpiece of the garden is the Spoonbridge and Cherry water fountain (which was not flowing yet) by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. Another memorable sculpture was the Frank Gehry Standing Glass Fish fountain located in the Cowles Conservatory greenhouse. The bus took a slight detour to the Kenwood neighborhood where Tracy informed members of the history behind some of the city's more valued mansions. Members learned during the 'River Runs Through It' tour that Minneapolis means "City of Water" and TOCA saw some of that water driving past Lake of the Isles before briefly viewing the Uptown neighborhood. Syngenta Awards Banquet The Syngenta Awards Banquet was another raucous affair, with excellent food (walleye of course) and drink. Thanks to the leadership of Chris Higgins, plus colleagues Andie Belfry, Heather Mueller and Claire Sychowski, Padilla Speer Beardsley (PSB) did a masterful job on the awards program with their technical and creative expertise. Thanks to Chris for his excellent job as emcee. Thanks to PSB for also publishing the annual meeting program. The 2008 annual meeting in Minneapolis ended with a dance/concert by Little Chicago. If you closed your eyes, you almost envisioned the "real" group Chicago. NOT! Drummer Den Gardner and his even twin Dan (on keyboards) and their band mates were joined by TOCA members Kelley O'Brien (sax) and David Cassidy (vocals and harmonica) to "entertain" TOCA members. A special guest appearance by Larry (Bob Dylan) Aylward was a highlight of the evening. "Like a Rolling Stone" will forever be etched into attendees' mind as Larry brought the house down with his unique version of the song made famous by Minnesota's own Dylan (from Fergus Falls, Minn.) So, the 2008 TOCA annual meeting is history. Den Gardner wants to especially thank Barb Ulschmid for her tireless preparation work prior and during the meeting. TOCA thanks all of its sponsors for making the meeting possible. And remember, TOCA meetings always look to the future. As the band played "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is," TOCA members could only know that there would be "More Today Than Yesterday" and tomorrow is for the "Daydream Believer" (right Dave?) See you next year in Puerto Rico!
Download GenY PowerPoint here (9.3 Meg file) Download Minneapolis Survey PowerPoint here (4.6 Meg file) See a slide show of photos from the 2008 Minneapolis meeting
The Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) is active on many fronts:
Membership is in excess of 200, and TOCA continues to
grow in prestige throughout the Green Industry. Check out the new TOCA promotional video
here! Download the TOCA Membership Flyer Here! TOCA's
involvement at PLANET's Day of Remembrance Want More Info on TOCA Internet Site? Information on our site and how to advertise with a banner or full-page ad is simple. Just see our Sponsor Page for information. Or call Den Gardner, executive director, at: 952/758-6340 or email Den at Toca association@aol.com. He'll be glad to get you more information. Want to Join TOCA? TOCA is growing every day, with approximately 215 members. If you want to join us, see the Contact Us Page for membership information. TOCA is currently renewing members and looking for new members for 2007-08.
Please go to the Contact Us section of our website for an application blank.
You can send a check or use your credit card. TOCA now accepts American
Express as well as VISA and MASTERCARD.
WHAT WE DO
| ABOUT US |
CALENDAR | CONTESTS
For problems with this web site contact our webmaster |
Gold Sponsor
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
Green Sponsors
Publisher Sponors
|
TOCA
