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JERRY ROCHE SAYS THANKS
Dear TOCA friends and acquaintances:
I’d like to thank the entire TOCA membership for the Distinguished Service Award presented to me at the annual meeting in Napa, California. I am humbled.
TOCA will always hold a very special place in my heart. As a reluctant first president and a long-time member of the Board of Directors, I’ve been amazed, time and time again, at the enthusiasm and dedication of everyone involved with TOCA. Over the past 17 years, TOCA provided me with more benefits than any organization I’ve ever belonged to. In fact, it returned to me 10 times what I gave, in terms of both inspiration and new friends.
If, in the not-too-distant future, I’m blessed to again get involved in the green industry, you can bet that I’ll immediately reinstate my membership. In the meantime, I’ll miss the camaraderie and the opportunities that TOCA presents to share our journalistic trials and tribulations.
My best wishes to Executive Director Den Gardner, the TOCA Staff, President Bill Klutho, the Board of Directors—and to each and every member. See you on the turf plots some fine summer day, friends.
Sincerely,
Jerry Roche
MEMBER NEWS
TOCA greets the following new members: Sally Behringer, Nicholson Kovak, Inc.; Warren Clark, CCI Marketing; Sarah Ellis, Ewing Irrigation; Sean Gallagher, Lawn Doctor, Inc.; Michele Imel, FMC Corporation; Marisa Palmieri, GIE Media; Timothy Stoehr, NuFarm Americas, Inc.; Denise Stoppleworth, The Promersberger Company; Jay Weisberger, The Catevo Group; and Heather Wood, GIE Media. Welcome, all!
ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNICATOR OF THE YEAR
As always at this time of year, TOCA begins its search for the next Environmental Communicator of the Year. Nominations for the 2007 winner are now being accepted. The award, sponsored by Advan, LLC, may be given to anyone in the Green Industry. It is presented each year at TOCA’s annual meeting and will be awarded in May 2007 for the ninth time in Savannah, GA.
Last year’s winner was Turfgrass IPM Specialist Kevin J. Trotta of the North Rockland Central School District in Garnerville, NY. Nominees for the ’07 award must be current TOCA members or be nominated by a current member. The winner receives a $500 cash stipend. All applications must be postmarked by March 1, 2007.
If you’re interested in obtaining an application or receiving further information on the award, contact Den Gardner or LaVonne Moore at TOCA. You can call the office at 952-758-6340 or e-mail TOCA at tocaassociation@aol.com. You can also find application forms on the TOCA Webs site: www.toca.org/environcomm.html.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
2006:
November 3
Green Industry Expo (GIE)
TOCA Breakfast Reception
7 – 8:30 a.m.
Hyatt Regency Columbus Convention Center – the Fayette Room
Columbus, OH
2007
February 23
Golf Industry Show (GIS)
GCSAA Breakfast Reception
Anaheim, CA
March 1
Environmental Communicator of the Year application deadline
March 1
TOCA Scholarship application deadline
March 1
TOCA Communications Contest entries due
May 1 - 3
TOCA 18th Annual Meeting
Hyatt Regency Savannah
Savannah, GA
October 25 - 27
Green Industry & Equipment EXPO (GIE+EXPO)
Kentucky Exposition Center
Louisville, KY
TOCA Members will survey sultry Savannah at the '07 Annual Meeting
The 18th TOCA Annual Meeting will be held May 1-3 at the Hyatt Regency Savannah in Savannah, GA, “the sultry and mysterious ‘Belle’ of the Georgia coast.” The Board of Directors meeting will convene Tuesday, May 1, with the general conference held Wednesday and Thursday, May 2 and 3. Mark you calendar now and prepare to be captivated by the eccentric charm and traditional Southern Hospitality of Savannah.
TOCA and Dow AgroSciences Offer New Member Breakfast Reception at GIE Meeting
TOCA’s New Member Breakfast reception will be held Friday, Nov. 3, at the Green Industry Expo (GIE). Please feel free to bring a prospective member/guest to the breakfast scheduled 7 – 8:30 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Columbus Convention Center, Fayette Room. Dow AgroSciences sponsors the reception, with the room provided courtesy of PLANET.
If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Den Gardner or LaVonne Moore at 952-758-6340 or e-mail your RSVP to tocaassociation@aol.org. Thanks for your cooperation and see you in Columbus!
TOCA Scholarship Program
Perhaps you know of some deserving student currently pursuing a career in green industry communications. A niece or nephew? The kid down the block who used to mow your lawn but now studies marketing and landscape architecture at Texas Tech? Maybe it’s your intern, the one answering your phone as you read this very sentence. How about nominating him or her for a TOCA scholarship?
Once again TOCA will award two $1,000 fall semester scholarships (2007-2008 academic year) to undergraduate college students pursuing a career in green industry communications. To qualify, students must major or minor in technical communications or a green industry related field such as horticulture, plant sciences, botany, agronomy, plant pathology, etc. The applicant also must demonstrate an interest in using this course of study in the field of communications.
Detailed information and applications are available at www.toca.org/awards.html. Deadline is March 1, 2007, but it’s never too soon to identify, encourage and reward deserving students outstanding in the field. Or on the lawn.
Grounds Maintenance News
The cover story title of September’s Grounds Maintenance Magazine says it all: “Time’s Up.” Unfortunately, such is the case for Grounds Maintenance after its final issue this October. Several TOCA members have been an integral part of the publication, and we wish the Grounds Maintenance staff all the best as they make their transitions into the future. Two include Cindy Ratcliff, a board member of TOCA; and Mark Welterlen, former Environmental Communicator of the Year selectee.
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