Highlights of the professional development workshops on Wednesday and Thursday included:

• Ted Gup, professor of journalism at Case Western Reserve University and former investigative reporter with Bob Woodward at the Washington Post. Although he spoke on interviewing techniques, his insight on the human persona carried much deeper and his comments on the CIA and inner workings of the federal government kept TOCA members clamoring for more.
• Don Ranly, professor at the University of Missouri, spoke about ethics and the importance of separating advertising from editorial and assisting readers in understanding the messages sent by editors to them in a manner beyond reproach. Ranly also provoked the discussion of the ethics of journalists today in trade magazine journalism regarding free trips, gifts and other issues used by the industry to entice editors to report on a company’s products or services.
• Wednesday night featured a step back in history as members were feasted at Old Fort Jackson on the Savannah River. Entertainment included music by “union and confederate” soldiers, the firing of an eight-ton cannon (it actually shook the ground members stood on) and a tour of a museum about the fort within its walls.  The event was a great chance for the more than 20 members attending their first meeting to get to know the veteran TOCA members and learn more about each other.
• The afternoon program on Thursday began with remarks from outgoing Board President Bill Klutho. Klutho’s tenure as TOCA president has been one marked by continued growth in the organization. He thanked all those responsible for his good fortune in running the organization and thanked TOCA staff for its efforts in keeping the organization running smoothly.

Klutho was given the traditional gavel plaque to honor his tenure as TOCA president. The business meeting followed, where the election of officers was the first piece of business. The group elected to lead TOCA for 2007-2008 included: new board president Ed Hiscock; Margaret McLean, vice president; Debbie Clayton, secretary/treasurer; and the following directors: Felicia Gillham, Jason Schmaderer, Bob West, Jerry Roche, Jared Bodnar, Troy Blewett, Ron Hall, Cindy Code and David Cassidy. New board members elected include Eric Schroder, John Reitman and Helen Stone. Bill Klutho moves to the position of past president. Hiscock takes the reins of TOCA’s board. He thanked Bill Klutho for his excellent leadership and spoke of his plans in the next two years to grow TOCA’s membership to an all-time high and look for new ways for TOCA to get its members engaged more fully in the organization. He encouraged members to contact him with ideas that continue to be relevant for its members.

Other actions announced at the business meeting included:

• TOCA is in the beginning stages of a membership drive to increase membership an average of 40 members per year for the next five years. Among the companies helping TOCA achieve this goal is EPIC Creative, which has printed a promotional piece and is calling nearly 300 prospects about joining the association. It has also developed a brief video spot for the web site on joining TOCA.
• TOCA finished with a strong balance sheet for the 18th straight year. The organization continues to be fiscally strong, with a healthy reserve for emergency purposes, representing 80 percent of the association’s operating expenses for “rainy day” purposes.
• The TOCA writing, photography and design contests had 440 entries this year, the second largest number of 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. 26, 7:30 a.m. in Louisville. TOCA is currently looking for a sponsor for this event ($3,000). Please let us know if you’re interested.
• The GCSAA Breakfast reception at the Golf Industry Show (GIS) will be Friday, Feb. 1 in Orlando.
• The 19th annual TOCA meeting will be held May 6-8 at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. The board meeting will be Tuesday, May 6. The general meeting will be May 7-8, 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.
• The board is investigating its 20th annual meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Details are still being finalized. This special anniversary meeting will celebrate two decades of service to editors and marketing communications experts in the Green Industry. NEWS FLASH: Puerto Rico has been chosen as the site of our 20th annual meeting. More detailsto follow in months ahead.
• 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 $400,000 of space and pro bono services to Project EverGreen in 2006.
• For the third time, TOCA will have a printed directory, courtesy of New Holland. The directory should be ready sometime in July for its members. It will be sent to all members. Members will be asked to remove the contents from the 2006-2007 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.

Helen Stone, publisher of Southwest Trees & Turf and president of Stone Peak Services, was named the 2007 TOCA Environmental Communicator of the Year, the association’s ninth recipient. The award, given annually, recognizes outstanding efforts in communicating the benefits of environmental stewardship to a particular audience within the turf and ornamental industry. Stone has been in the Green Industry for more than 20 years as a publisher and, through an annual conference in Nevada, Desert Green,  is dedicated to increasing education and professionalism in the industry. She is also executive director of the Nevada Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects and stresses environmentalism in the newsletter she publishes for the group.

The award is sponsored by Project EverGreen and was presented by Bill Klutho, member of the Project EverGreen executive committee.

“Ms. Stone’s publication is an innovative tool used by arborists, landscapers and golf course superintendents as well as the general public. As an advocate of life long learning, she creates an outstanding balance of nurture vs. nature in her monthly periodical,” said Rose Epperson, executive director of the Western Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture.

Stone received a $500 stipend. 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 Gullikson of Spokane Country Club; and Kevin Trotta, North Rockland Central School District, Garnerville, NY.

Scholarship winners stopped for a photo at the annual meeting. From left, committee members Cindy Code, David Cassidy, scholarship winners Kelly Norris and Pat Jackson, plus another committee member Steve Trusty.