OLCA Annual Meeting at OTF Conference & Show

The Ohio Lawn Care Association (OLCA) Annual Meeting & Luncheon will be held Tuesday, December 9, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Members and guests will have the opportunity to enjoy a complimentary lunch, network with lawn care peers, and hear President Dave Hofacre’s year-end-review of OLCA’s many activities and accomplishments in 2008.

 

In other business at the annual meeting, the Nominating Committee will present its slate of candidates for the 2009 Board of Directors and scholarships for students interested in pursuing careers in lawn care/turf management will be awarded. Plus, OLCA lobbyist Belinda Jones, Capitol Consulting Group, will review election results and how they will affect the lawn care industry in Ohio. Plan now to attend the OLCA Annual Meeting on December 9.

Education for Lawn & Landscape Professionals in Abundance at this Year’s Ohio Turfgrass Conference & Show

This year’s Ohio Turfgrass Conference & Show (OTF), December 8-11, Columbus, offers a complete agenda of educational opportunities for lawn, grounds and landscape professionals. The OTF planning committee, with input from the Ohio Lawn Care Association, has added even more seminars geared specifically to the lawn care industry.

Sales, Marketing and Customer Service are the focus of the Tuesday Lawn Care Business Management Track.

• The Value of Direct Mail: A Component of Business Marketing (Don Nichols, Yes Marketing, Inc.)

• Sales & Marketing – Panel (Mark Grunkemeyer, Buckeye Ecocare, Matt Ellis, GrassMaster, Inc., Matt Jesson, Green Lawn Fertilizing, Inc. and Rob Palmer, Weed Pro Ltd.)

• How to Build an Excellence-in-Service Company – A Key to Success in These Modern Economic Times (Bill Hoopes, Grass Roots Training)

A Landscape Irrigation series of seminars has also been added to the program featuring:

 

• Landscape Lighting – Products & Installation Procedures (Steve Young, Century Irrigation)

• Water Conservation Products & Designing These Systems (Rob Kurtz, C.I.D. Irrigation Consultants)

• Innovative Water Conservation Products: What’s New for 2009 (Steve Young, Century Irrigation)

On Tuesday there are also seminar tracks on Organic Landscaping, Turf & Ornamental Pest Management, Sports Turf Management, and Miscellaneous license credits for Categories 6a and Category 3.

The Wednesday Program highlights include:

 

• Sustaining a Workforce in the Midst of Immigration Reform (Tom Delaney, PLANET)

• Agronomic Programming & Cost Saving Issues, Pesticide Reduction Strategies & Alternative Fertilization Programs into Today’s “Go Green” Industry (1 hr. Category 8) (Jerry Sullivan, Scotts Lawn Service)

• Profitable Lawn Mowing (Todd Pugh, Todd’s Enviroscape)

• Latest Technology for Lawn & Landscape Professionals (Joe Kucik, Real Green Systems)

• Designing Cost Effective & Environmentally Compatible Lawn Fertilization Programs for these Economic Times (Dr. Frank Rossi, Cornell University, Dept. of Horticulture)

• Add on Services – Panel (Kim Kellogg, Grasshopper Property Maint., Mark Grunkemeyer, Buckeye Ecocare, Todd Pugh, Todd’s Enviroscape and Joe Duncan, EverGreen Lawn Care)

The Wednesday program includes a Hispanic Turfgrass Management Workshop, presented in Spanish by Pedro Perdomo, Cleary Chemical Co:

• Basic Turfgrass Maintenance & Pest Managament

• Key Tree & Shrub Pests & Their Management

• Safety & Proper Handling of Pesticides

There is also an evening workshop entitled “Turf & Landscape sustainability with the Bug Doc – Are You Ready for Change” (1 hr. Category 6A and 1 hr. Category 8) (Dr. Dave Shetlar, OSU)!

Featured on the Thursday program for lawn and landscape professionals:

Lawn & Grounds (Turf)

• Industrial Vegetation Control (1 hr. Category 5) (Scott Lucas, Ohio Dept. of Transportation)

• Factors Affecting the Performance of Preemergence & Postemergence Herbicides (1 hr. Category 8) (Dr. John Street, OSU, Dept. of Hort. & Crop Science)

• Calibrating Mechanized Equipment (1 hr. CORE) (Greg Pavlovcic and Ron Rados, Weed Pro, Ltd.)

• Establishment Renovation of Lawns Using New Turfgrass Technology & Herbicides – A System That Works (1 hr. Category 8) (Mark Grunkemeyer, Buckeye EcoCare)

• How to Bid Lawn & Grounds Work? – Panel (Joe Duncan, EverGreen Lawn Care, Mark Grunkemeyer, Buckeye EcoCare, Kim Kellogg, Grasshopper Property Maint. and Todd Pugh, Todd’s Enviroscape)

Lawn & Grounds (Going Green)

• Lawn & Landscape Management – Concepts, Programs & Issues in the “Go Green” National Environment (AM 1.5 hrs. Category 8 & 1.5 hrs. CORE) (PM 1 hr. Category 6A & 1 hr. Category 8) (Jim Chatfield, OSU Extension, Northeast District, Joe Boggs, OSU Extension, Hamilton Co. and Erik Draper, OSU Extension, Geauga County)

An Assistants/Technicians Workshop on Thursday offers the following:

• New Developments in Herbicide Technology for Golf & Grounds (1 hr. Category 8) (Dr. Dave Gardner, OSU, Dept. of Hort. & Crop Science)

• Amazing Truths About Leadership (Bill Hoopes, Grass Roots Training)

• Conducting an Accident Investigation (Matt Phillips, RiskControl360◦)

• Efficient & Safe Spray Application Technology of Pesticides for Turfgrass Areas (2 hrs. CORE) (Erdal Ozkan, OSU, Food, Agriculture & Biological Engineering)

A FREE Mechanics Workshop, presented by The Toro Company will take place on the trade show floor Thursday morning.

Several hours of Pesticide Re-Certification will be available the entire conference. Members of OLCA receive the same discounted registration fees as OTF members. The trade show, the largest of its kind in the country, will feature more than 200 exhibiting companies. There is no charge to attend the trade show if you register before November 26. The cost at the door is $20.