Bill Kennedy named new CGCSA president

This week, Bill Kennedy, CGCS, superintendent at Chechessee Creek Club, was named the new president of the Carolinas GCSA. We caught up with him to ask a few quick questions about the show and his plans for the upcoming year.


What has made this trade show so important?

Well, I believe that has to do with the fact that we have such a great network of peers. When I go to the show, that’s what I look for, is the networking opportunities it gives us there with both states combined. Obviously, Myrtle Beach is an affordable option for us, which allows me also to bring my guys so they can grow like I have in the business. We’ll be bringing three guys this year, and we’ll also be trying to recruit students while we’re here.

What are the highlights of your history with the Carolinas?

I’ve been living in the Carolinas for 19 years now, and I’ve always participated with the show. I got involved with the Carolinas on a committee initially and that led to my board service. Some of my highlights would include leading up to the job I currently have – I made those connections here. I’ve made lifelong friends at the show. That’s always a highlight for me. I’ve had an opportunity to meet people I would otherwise never have met. Between both states, we have an area that’s incredibly diverse, geographically speaking, so I’ve had opportunities to go play places I think I otherwise wouldn’t have done.

One of my goals as president in the upcoming year is to visit all 13 locals in the year. My travels will already carry me to eight of them, and I’m going to try to reach the other five. I’m excited about that, just the opportunity to talk and meet with guys that think like I do. One of the things I find out about superintendents is that we all have a different set of problems, and we all have the same problems, too. There’s a lot of similarities no matter where you go.

What are your other major goals for the upcoming year?

We’ve grown so much as an association. We’re actually experiencing an uptick in membership right now. That’s defying the trend of the rest of the country. I want to take a look at our growth from the last five years and make sure we’re doing the things that make us a superintendent’s association, fine-tune what we’re already doing and maybe slough off a little of the fluff of the last few years. There’s a few things we’ve tried to embark on that I don’t see as productive, necessarily. I just want to take a look at what we do well and simplify things.

I want the local organizations and associations to understand how important they are to the Carolinas. We’re only as good as the sum of our parts. I want to make sure everybody realizes their value to us as a state association, and I want to nurture those relationships.

What advice do you have for students trying to get into the business?

Get involved in every opportunity you have. There’s a lot of education, and a lot of free educational opportunities out there right now to participate in and use as networking tools. I would also advise them to travel around and talk to people, and not lock themselves in geographically to any one spot. There’s some amazing stuff out there. Just keep an open mind, especially with the way things are right now. The other thing is to be patient. That’s one of the things I really have to work with my guys on. It’s not like it was when I first came into the business.

I’d also tell them to work on their communication skills. To me, I’m not going to get wrapped up in all the technical stuff, because that’s evolving constantly. Where we’re headed with chemicals and fertilizers down the road are not what I think are important things to memorize. You can come off a better person by learning to communicate and represent yourself well. I encourage my guys to do as much public speaking as possible. It takes them out of their comfort zone, but it really does over time get easier. And those are things I have my guys work on.

I would take advantage of the networking, I would take advantage of the classes. I would participate in the Turf Bowl. I would do everything I could to take advantage of all the resources we have with the staff. Those are things that are easy to do that just so many people don’t. Then, slough off the apathy. Be passionate about it, because it is competitive and if you approach it from that angle I don’t think there’s any way to see long term success. You’ve got to be excited about your job and going to it every day.

What’s a story you can tell us about Tim Kreger?

He’s a Clemson grad, and I’m a Georgia grad, and we’ve had a wager going. Last year, he accused me of not paying him – he texted me “Where’s my money?” and I knew I had paid him! What it boiled down to is that I had paid him, but he had used that to buy a round for the bar, and then forgot I paid him.

And his mind just works differently – I applaud it, especially with how he comes up with revenue streams. He told us at last year’s meeting, “Everything in the convention center is sold, except for the trash cans.” And do you know? We sold the trash cans this year.