Thursday, December 27, 2012

Bring in the Shredder

       Do you have an end of year process? I have traditionally gone through my notes for the year to make sure all the loose ends are tied up and then the fun part.....cleaning out my office! Not the Ford F-150 I spend most of my time in but I have a small office I built in our basement. Really two walls were thrown up in the corner of the room and I put in a carpet. Which lasted all of about 6 months after two basement water events!
       Now to be completely honest there is a small chance the producers of the show "Hoarders" might stop by but I think I am not there yet. I have heard over and over about we are heading toward and paperless society, well I am not even close... I think one of my biggest struggles is a few times in my life I have needed to find some document and been lucky enough to still have it. My favorite was my last year of college at registration where I was told I had all my PE credits and did not need to take anything else to graduate on time. Well with 2 months to go to graduation, about 50 of us were called into a room to be told we could not graduate and would need to take a PE course this summer. WHAT? As luck would have it, I had saved a note from the Registrars Office questioning why had signed up for a PE class at the start of my senior year and that I did not need it. Whew!
OK, maybe the old Golf Course Industry Magazines and all the other stuff that needs to make it to the recycling station this weekend will not save my bacon but with a few bags of trash and a little organization, I will be good to go for 2013!

Hope you and your family have a great Holiday Season!



WJC

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Set Yourself Apart

       On Thursday, our company hosted The Future Superintendents Academy at The Ace Club. I would have to say with the feedback we received after the event from some of the attendees, it sounds like it was a success. To quote one Superintendent " I talked with my Assistants and they agreed that it was probably one of the best seminars that they have attended in terms of forwarding their careers." That is pretty cool! The program ran close to schedule with some presenters having to sprint through some things that deserve more time but that is normal.
       Some of the highlights were Darin Bevard of the USGA giving some advice on communication with your members. This was followed by an all-star panel discussion. On the panel was Dr. Mike Fidanza of PSU, Jimmy Jones of Distinct Golf/Fairview GC,Jared Viarengo from Applebrook GC, Jim Roney of Saucon Valley CC and our host John Canavan of The Ace Club. Each had great insight for our attendees. I still have to smirk because of Jimmy & John's long tenure at each of their clubs, I had to make a comment about their start in the business vs the birth dates of the attendees. At the end of the panel discussion Bill Hughes, who is one of the owners, presented Dr. Mike Fidanza with a check for $25,000 for a scholarship fund for PSU Berks Turf Grass. It was a nice surprise for one of the really good guys in the industry!
       We then had a brief basics of financing from Paul Danielson, who is the Marketing Manager for Financing for Toro. We then had the straight talk express with Tim Moraghan, Principle of Aspire Golf Consulting. Tim tells it like it is. His advice on what you need to do to advance your career was invaluable. After lunch was Kevin Doyle, Northeast Region Rep for the GCSAA. Kevin gave a quick update of what the GCSAA has available to help. Next up was  Dann Harris. Dann is a consultant who does an eye opening program on being the interviewer & interviewee. I can guarantee no one got sleepy after lunch....High energy!I owe Matt Rogers from Aronimink GC for being our interviewee. It was a tough spot. To finish up the program Chris Harriman, Superintendent at Cattail Creek CC gave his real life experience in finding his job. Chris worked with our company back in 2010 to create the first FSA. Chris hit it out of the park. I know there are a few attendees building their personal website and working on their portfolio this weekend!
       Themes that kept coming up over and over Passion/Communication/Differentiate yourself. I cannot thank our presenters enough. All were open and more than honest about what they experienced and what it takes to be successful. And thank you to all the Future Superintendents who felt we provided enough of a valuable program to take a day away from work to attend. A special thanks goes out to Nick Lubold, who is the Assistant at Overbook GC. Nick was a key contributor to putting together the program!

What a great day!

WJC

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Make Your Future Danny

       This week we will be hosting the Future Superintendent Academy at The Ace Club. We has put together an All-Star cast of speakers and will have about 50 local Assistant Superintendents. One of the things that I think is the strength of our company is the belief in continually hosting events to help our customers be successful. Our ownership is always looking for the next thing we can do.
       One of the biggest mistakes I think we all make is using the excuse "I'm too busy". I know I do it. I have tried more and more to attend educational events to learn more about how to be better at my job. All those winter projects will be there tomorrow. Even if you have to take a vacation day to improve, it is worth it. You can never go wrong when you make an investment in yourself and your future!

Excellent advice from Ty Webb....
Danny, see your future, be your future. May, make, make it, make it. Make your future Danny. I'm, I'm a veg', Danny.

WJC

Saturday, December 1, 2012

'Tis The Season

       As we start the month of December it is time to get the calendar out and look at some upcoming trade shows. Next week is the Atlantic City Show. Which has had a strong rebound in the past few years. Then after the holidays we have the Eastern PA Turf Grass show in Valley Forge. This show will have a new look this year. With a big opening speaker, Philadelphia Flyers Legend Bernie Parent! There was a big effort by the board to try and get the attendance back up. They asked for input from long time vendors to see what they could improve and made some big changes.
       Then the trip out west to the GIS in Sand Diego follows in February. Will be interesting to see the attendance by the East Coast contingent. Last time in Las Vegas, I was really amazed by the international flavor of the show.  And a trip to warm weather and San Diego is always a good thing!
       Then the New England Show to follow. Sounds like there will be good group of train riders from the Philly area on the way up to Providence in 2013....
       With lots of positive news of rounds up in the Mid Atlantic USA and the golf backslide looking like it has stopped, it will be interesting to see the overall vibe of the industry.


WJC