The nearly 100-year-old venue for this year's Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association annual meeting might have been reminiscent of the past, but TurfNet's body of work at the event is symbolic of a new wave of teamwork needed to keep pace with the way people consume information
Five people from TurfNet won seven first-place awards and seven second-place honors at the association's communications awards contest held May 4 during the group's annual meeting at the Cincinnati Netherland Hilton, an 87-year-old structure on the National Register of Historic Places.
TurfNet's John Reitman and Jon Kiger each won two first-pace and three second-place awards, and Kevin Ross, Randy Wilson and Hector Velasquez all received a first-place award
Kiger and Reitman shared first place in the new media division for podcasts on "The Hemphills, four generations of greenkeeping" and "Dick Bator: Mentor to many", respectively. Additionally, Kiger, who also was named Toca's Volunteer of the Year during the annual meeting, was honored for best use of social media with "Masters cup cutting video".
Reitman's second winning entry was the "Superintendent's Best Friend dog calendar" (best special project).
Wilson's irreverent take on the industry was recognized when he won for best use of opinion in a video titled "How to fix a starter"; Ross and his On Course series were singled out for best CD/audio visual presentation for his work at the "2017 Solheim Cup".
Finally, Velasquez, who produces a series of informative videos aimed at golf course equipment managers, earned the winning nod for best instructional video with "Don't blow your fuse". He also won runner-up honors in the category with a primer on "Plastic painting."
Other merit (second place) entries included: "Retirement only a word for OSU's Bug Doc" (writing for web site - Reitman); "For New York family, son's legacy lives on through foundation's work" (writing for web site - Reitman); "Industry report says baby boomers are propping up the game" (best series - Reitman; "Volunteering at the Irish Open" (best blog - Kiger); "Education trip to Ireland, Scotland and BIGGA BTME Conference" (best event - Kiger); "Superintendent of the Year presentation" (best CD/AV presentation - Kiger).
The Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association is a 200-plus member association comprising editorial, advertising and marketing professionals working in the green industry.