PGMS salutes top golf course grounds
The Professional Grounds Management Society recognized Bell Gardens Golf Course in the City of Bell Gardens, Calif. with an Honor Award in the Golf Course category of the Society's 2007 Green Star Awards competition.
This site was honored during the Society’s 2007 School of Grounds Management (Oct. 24-27) held in conjunction with the GIE+EXPO in Louisville, Ky.
The Green Star Awards program brings national recognition to grounds maintained with a high degree of excellence, complimenting other national landscape award programs that recognize outstanding landscape design and construction. This year's program acknowledged the nation's top manicured grounds in settings ranging from parks to apartment complexes to urban universities. Overall, PGMS presented 19 Grand Awards, its highest honor, as well as 20 Honor Awards in 14 categories of competition.
“This is a great honor to receive,” said Director of Recreation and Community Services Pamela Yugar. “It not only recognizes the efforts put in by my staff, but also the City of Bell Garden’s commitment towards enriching its citizens’ lives through green spaces.”
Past Green Star recipients in the Golf Course category include Stone Mountain Golf Club in Stone Mountain, Ga. and Shadow Glen the Golf Course in Olathe, Kan.
New Jersey grounds director earns grounds management’s highest honor; PGMS also honors Chicago mayor
The PGMS recognized George Van Haasteren, CGM with grounds management's highest honor, the E. Earl Wilson Award. This award is a tribute to E. Earl Wilson, a past president of PGMS and one of the most influential individuals responsible in the creation of the GIE. Considered the Society's highest honor, it is presented as deemed appropriate for outstanding and sustained service and dedication to PGMS and the Green Industry as a whole. Van Haasteren is only the second individual to be so recognized.
Van Haasteren, director of grounds at Dwight Englewood School in Englewood, N.J., has also served as PGMS president (2001) and has sat on the Society's Board of Directors for nearly a decade. He has served a critical role in nurturing the development of the Society's Certified Grounds Manager (CGM) program, has been deeply involved in the continuous growth of the Green Industry Expo (GIE) and the recently coaligned GIE+EXPO, and has also been instrumental in several other PGMS programs.
A handful of other awards were also presented at PGMS' 2007 School of Grounds Management & GIE+EXPO.
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley received the 2007 PGMS Gold Medal in recognition of his role in the dramatic greening of Chicago. This award is given each year to an individual or entity to recognize them for outstanding and long-term achievements and/or contributions to the Green Industry.
During his tenure, Daly has led this amazing transformation by spearheading the revitalization and increase of green spaces and touting initiatives to make the "Windy City" more environmentally friendly. For example Chicago leads the nation in the number of green roofs, fueling a trend that is catching on nationwide. The city's care for it's landscapes and recreational areas has also netted it the prestigious PGMS Green Star Award in recent years.
Walt Bonvell of Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio and the Joseph E. Shaner Co. of Baltimore, Md. were honored as the recipients of the PGMS President's Awards in recognition of their outstanding service and contributions to the Society.
Bonvell, a member of the society's board of directors, was lauded for his efforts in breathing new life into the Greater Cincinnati Branch of PGMS as well as overseeing several dynamic education and outreach programs throughout the Society's North Central Region. In announcing the award, PGMS President Mike Mongon, CGM said, "Walt has served PGMS with enthusiasm and his work ethic has been inspiration to everyone on the board."
The Joseph E. Shaner Co., an association management company based in Baltimore, was lauded for its management of PGMS and the society's recent growth. The company has managed PGMS serving as its full-time staff and headquarters since 2000. Mongon said that the company lent invaluable counsel and support during his presidency over the past year.
Greg Nichols elected PGMS president
Greg Nichols, assistant director of facilities for grounds at Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, Pa. was elected and installed as the new president of the PGMS during the society's annual business meeting Oct. 27 in conjunction with the 2007 School of Grounds Management and GIE+EXPO in Louisville, Ky.
The 86th grounds management professional to hold the office, Nichols succeeds Mike Mongon, CGM, golf course superintendent at Fairview Country Club Greensboro in Greenwich, Conn. as the chief elected officer of the 96-year-old green industry organization.
In addition to Nichols, PGMS members elected Gene Pouly, CGM of E.F. Pouly Company in Orrville, Ohio as their president-elect. Monica Higgins, CGM of Bay Colony Golf Club in Naples, Fla. was elected vice president and Joe Jackson, CGM of Duke University in N.C. was elected as treasurer.
Complimenting the officers of the Society, PGMS is led by a team of volunteers who serve on its board of directors. Elected to the board this year as South East Regional director was Anthony Williams, CGM of Evergreen Conference Resort in Stone Mountain, Ga.
Continuing to serve on the PGMS Board are: Director-at-large Jock Robertson of E.G. Reinsch, Inc. in Arlington, Va.; Director-at-large Kenneth A. Stanton, CGM of Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich.; Director-at-large Kevin Harvey, CGM of St. Augustine - St. John's County Airport Authority in St. Augustine, Fla..; North East Regional Director Mike Loftus, CGM of the University of Delaware in Newark, Del. North Central Regional Director Walter Bonvell of Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio; South Central Regional Director John Burns of the University of Texas in Austin, Texas; North West Regional Director John Van Etten, CGM, of Hoffman Landscape & Design in Scotia, N.Y.; and South West Regional Director Donald Bottger, CGM of Viejas Casino in Alpine, Calif.
Thomas C. Shaner, a Certified Association Executive continues to serve the Board as PGMS Executive Director.