TOCA Talk is proudly sponsored by EnP and Advanced Turf Solutions.
Advanced Turf Solutions (ATS) is a green industry distributor that provides fertilizer, pesticides, grass seed, ice melt, and more to professionals in the golf, lawn care, and sports turf markets.
EnP has been Engineering Optimal Plant Health™ for nearly 30 years, manufacturing specialty fertilizers under two brands: Foliar-Pak, and Age Old Nutrients.
Because EnP and ATS professionals believe that collaboration and the exchange of ideas are essential for innovation, they are proud to support the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA).
Thank you, members of the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association, for supporting this industry through your information, education, and outreach.
The TOCA Annual Meeting is approaching quickly on April 29 – May 1, at the Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort in Lake Las Vegas, Nev. The planning committee put together a fantastic agenda for this year’s meeting. A few updates are still being made to the final schedule so be sure to check out the latest topics and activities. TOCA has secured a specialty room rate at the Westin for $149/night (plus resort fees) that runs through April 8, so be sure to get your room booked ASAP.
This year’s committee has put a new spin on the schedule and activities. Here are a few notable changes to highlight.
- Monday, Monday – Instead of our normal mid-week format, we’ll be kicking things off Monday evening with an informal reception at the resort. Tuesday and Wednesday will feature our educational sessions, tour and Awards Ceremony.
- Get down to business – We’ll be knocking out the Business Meeting and Foundation Meeting right away on Tuesday morning, leaving the rest of the time for networking and education. These are always quite brief and it’s great to hear how our association is doing.
- Roll up your sleeves – Completely NEW for this year is the addition of a miniature Project EverGreen renovation effort where we will be working at the butterfly garden within the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve. This will be a quick two-hour project where we will assist with some cleanup of the area, clear some invasives around the pond and add some plantings in the butterfly garden and tortoise habitat. Be sure to bring some tennis shoes and work clothes. Gloves, tools and water will be provided.
- Fancy like – The Awards Ceremony is returning to an evening event, complete with business formal attire. This will be on Wednesday evening so be sure to pack some dress clothes for a fun event to close out the meeting.
- Going once… going twice – The TOCA Foundation Auction will be held during the cocktail hour of the Awards Ceremony. The Foundation supports our TOCA Intern and TOCA Scholarship, so please be generous. If you are interested in donating an item for the auction, please fill out this form or contact Kyle Wieskus at kyle@cornerwindowcommunications.com or call 952-758-6340.
- When in Las Vegas – Several TOCA members have expressed interest in going to The Sphere Experience on The Strip the evening of Tuesday, April 30 (most likely the 9:30 show). Please reach out to me at kristinew@anthologic.com if you are interested. Note: This would not be a TOCA-sponsored event so you will be responsible for both your ticket fee and transportation to and from The Sphere.
Be sure to share with us what you are most excited about this year’s TOCA Annual Meeting on the TOCA Members Only Facebook page.
We’re looking forward to a great meeting next month and we hope to see you there!
Kristine White
TOCA President
TOCA seeks ‘Germinate’ webinar series recommendations
The Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) wants YOU to help cultivate its “Germinate” webinar series. You can do so by suggesting webinar topics and/or presenters. Even better, you may volunteer to present a TOCA webinar.
Send your topic and presenter ideas to Sandra O’Rourke (sandra@cornerwindowcommunications.com or 952-758-5811). If you want to host a webinar, let Sandra know. We appreciate your suggestions and potential willingness to provide a webinar for TOCA’s Germinate webinar series.
Toro Grounds for Success: Denver’s City Park Course
Gardner Award Best Writing for Electronic Newsletter
Provided by Kristine White, Shelly Pearson and Kelsey Batschelet, Performance Marketing
Please describe your project.
This story actually originated during the TOCA Denver trip! While touring the Denver City Park course, we were drawn in by the story of how the city,
course and neighborhood worked together to revitalize the course while maintaining its history. We were especially intrigued by how they intentionally redesigned the course to mitigate flood risks in the surrounding neighborhood and the small role Toro’s Lynx Central Control System played in that redesign. After our tour with TOCA, we stayed in touch with the course superintendent and ultimately worked with them to develop this story.
What were your main objectives in developing this project?
We wanted to tell a story of how a public course could preserve its history while improving its facilities to meet sustainable and modern visions. We really wanted to share the intentional way the Denver City Park team revitalized this course and the way Toro equipment helped make it all come to life.
What influenced your approach?
Just like the intentional, patient way Denver City Park was redesigned to meet the needs of everyone – the public, the neighbors and course players – we took the same approach in developing this story. We had several interviews with key players involved in the redesign and spoke with everyone from the director of agronomy to the director of marketing – and the course superintendent.
What do you think stood out in your winning entry?
Frankly, it’s just a good story. Speaking with folks who were involved with the redesign at different stages and with different objectives allowed us to include multiple perspectives in the story, which really illustrated how complex a project of this nature can be.