For me, I was the leader for the Superintendent track. Knowing TEU is not about all turf talk, this year's theme focused mainly on personal and professional improvement. I really could not have been luckier with how each speaker's theme rolled into the next. We were so fortunate that some all- stars took the time to come in!
Our day started with Darin Bevard, Regional Director of the Mid-Atlantic for the USGA Green section. The morning had a strong turf talk flavor, but really it was more about what support is available to make your job easier. Darin was followed by Chase Rogan, Mid-Atlantic Field Staff for the GCSAA, to talk about what resources they have available to their members. Bill Brown of Turf Republic was to follow. To me, Bill is a great speaker, because he is truly passionate about technology and how it can be used to maintain turf. The great question is how many of those in attendance will have an drone and a GoPro camera in their arsenal this upcoming year. In the always tough spot (right before lunch) was Doctor Mike Fidanza. Doctor Mike is one of the true good guys in the Turf business! If you are having a bad day, hopefully you run into Doctor Mike, because his positive personality is contagious.
After an incredible lunch, we got a reality check from Todd Miller, founder of Golf Safety.
I was blown away about what might happen if OSHA makes a stop by your shop! His voice of experience, as a former Superintendent, and an expert in safety regulations, makes him an invaluable resource. If you have an old shop and are looking to build your case for an upgrade or just want to make sure that you are providing a safe work environment, I would urge you to check out Golf Safety! Todd was followed by John Tyrrell & Pat McStravick of the law firm of Hollestein/Keating/Cattell/Johnson/Goldstein. John and Pat represent professional sports teams and sports and recreation business owners. They had an in depth research presentation about what your club is responsible for in the case of an accident, as well as how you need to keep records and be vigilant about your safety precautions. Our last speaker of the day was Steve Keating, of the Toro Company. Steve is the Manager of Selling Skills for Toro. His topic was 360 Degree Leadership. Steve has a Word Press site called, Leadership Today, and is one of the best speakers on the topic. If you ever have an opportunity to see him speak, I would urge you to do it!
As day two kicked off, Sabrina Bladon of AdFarm, was gracious enough to make the trip down from Canada and continue the focus on leadership and branding. She hit some great points and afterwards a few of the attendees said her talk made them really think about their approach.
The final class of TEU was Steve Keating talking about how to sell your needs to your club. Steve's focus was on how to be professional and get you point across as well or better than other departments in your club that are competing for the same capital dollars. One of my customers said to me that he could have listened to Steve for two days!
I cannot say thank you enough to all the presenters for their time and effort to make our event a success!
Doctor Mike addresses the Superintendent Track
Opening Session of TEU
Sabrina Bladon addressing the Superintendent Track
WJC
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