Planning for the Worst — Communicating in a Crisis

by Debbie Clayton At the 2017 TOCA Annual Meeting, Lisa Lochridge shared tips and information about preparing for a media crisis.  A former reporter and editor for the Orlando Sentinel, and a former PR professional in Maitland, Florida, Lochridge is now Director of Public Affairs for the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association. She advises planning […]

A Visit to the Social Media Country Club

By Sara Bojar Most of us are active on social media in some form, whether it be professionally or personally. And just like technology, things are constantly evolving. To help us stay ahead of the curve, Scott Covelli and Andy Parmann with EPIC Creative took TOCA to the Social Media Country Club during this year’s […]

End-Users In Green Industry See Social Media as Powerful Communications Tool

by Jill Odom The 2017 TOCA Annual Meeting held a panel discussion on how professionals in the green industry use social media and the verdict is clear: Innovative social media end-users find use of this communications tool a benefit for their business. Brandon Richey, golf course superintendent for Lake Nona, Timothee Sallin, president of Cherrylake […]

Mitigating Stress to Pollinators

by Jennifer Klemmetson Dr. Frank Wong, the Bayer CropScience senior regulatory affairs consultant and the 2017 TOCA Environmental Communicator of the Year, shared his insights on Pollinators, Pesticides and Public Perceptions with TOCA members during the 2017 annual meeting. In recent years there has been a lot of discussion about the decline of the bee […]

Words on Writing from Peter Clark

by Dawn Rigby and Jennifer Klemmetson One of the highlights from the 2017 TOCA Annual Meeting was the writing workshop hosted by Dr. Roy Peter Clark, senior scholar emeritus, musician, author, editor, and Poynter Institute writing instructor since 1979. The presentation began with a musical performance and a comparison between great writing and music. “All […]

TOCA Running Club Unites! Plus, more running tips

By Dan Gardner, TOCA Special Running Correspondent We set a record for participants in the TOCA Annual Meeting Walk/Run in Tampa in May.  We appreciate the great turnout and look forward to even bigger numbers next year in Cincinnati.  We’ve grown the number of participants each year.  It was also great to see so many […]

TOCA Resorts to Revving it Up at Tampa Resort

By Den Gardner Executive Director With 70+ members in attendance, the 28th annual meeting of the Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) is history. This will go down as the organization’s second largest meeting over the years. With informative presentations, the awarding of our top communications awards and remarkable weather (save for one brief shower […]

The New Administration Moves In

By Lacy Ravencraft TOCA Board Chair First off, I’d like to thank our membership for approving the most recent slate of TOCA Board candidates and officers at our recent conference in Florida. I am honored to serve as your new TOCA board president. (Scott, don’t move too far from the action, as I am sure […]

Let’s be Safe Out There

By Dan Gardner, TOCA Special Running Correspondent Cold weather running is certainly a challenge for those of us who live in states north of the Mendoza Line (please Google if you are perplexed by this geographical line).  If you choose to run outdoors in the winter, there are numerous running publications that can help you […]

Former TOCA Member Hal Dickey from PBI-Gordon Dies

Long-time TOCA member, formerly from PBI-Gordon, Hal Dickey recently died at the age of 88. Hal was one of the original members of TOCA back in the early 1990s. He was, as PBI-Gordon’s Doug Obermann says: “He was a wonderful story teller of life events and one great dancer in his time.” Hal was an […]

TOCA and Ewing Host Successful Fireside Chat at the Irrigation Show

TOCA hosted the first Fireside Chat, sponsored by Ewing Irrigation & Landscape Supply, at the Irrigation Show on December 7, 2016 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.  More than 25 TOCA members and green industry communicators gathered to hear Cliff Woodbury ask “Is Anyone Listening?” Woodbury is the senior vice president of culture and engagement […]

Membership Drive and Young Professional Offer

The 2017 Membership Drive is Underway! By Kyle Wieskus Membership Director All members should have received their 2017 membership renewal email. If you have any questions, need any changes made to invoices – please don’t hesitate to send an email to me at kylewieskus@gandgcomm.com or call 952-758-6340.  Click here to renew online . Along with your […]

TOCA, Jacobsen, Syngenta and GCSAA/Golf Course Management Magazine Offer New Member Breakfast Reception at Golf Industry Show (GIS)

You are invited to the breakfast reception at the Golf Industry Show (GIS) in Orlando, Fla. Get together with your domestic and international TOCA friends, invite new folks to join us and enjoy the breakfast, sponsored by Jacobsen and Syngenta, along with GCSAA. Breakfast Details: For Whom:  TOCA Members and Invited Guests When: Wednesday, February 8, […]

Getting out of your comfort zone

By Scott Hollister TOCA Board Chair In December, I had the opportunity to attend a unique educational event for golf course superintendents presented by one of TOCA’s loyal sponsors, Syngenta. The three-day event was unique because it didn’t cover the territory you might expect it would cover. There was no agronomy, no talk of turf […]

A Fond Farewell

By Barb Ulschmid To my TOCA family, After a wonderful 9+ years with Gardner & Gardner Communications I’ve made the tough decision to pursue a new chapter in life and accepted a FT project assistant/event planning position elsewhere.   I would like to sincerely thank each of you for the honor of being a part […]