PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE
W
Judd Duininck
GCBAA PRESIDENT
BOARD MEMBERS Chris Caccavale Caterpillar Inc. (Secretary) Kevin Grieder Sunbelt Rentals, Inc. Chris Hill Course Crafters LLC Greg Hufner Total Turf Services Pat Karnick Wadsworth Golf Construction Company (Past President) Matt Lohmann Wadsworth Golf Construction Company John McDonald II McDonald & Sons, Inc. (President Elect) Jon O’Donnell Heritage Links Manny Pina Ewing Irrigation Rick Shriver HARCO Fittings
e are continually reminded of the adversity the world still faces from all aspects; COVID-19, protests, riots, and of course the changes we are seeing in our industry. Amongst all these happenings and while travel may still be restricted, we continue to see progress on job sites, golf courses as busy as they have been in years, along with a rise in the number of new golfers being reported that are playing the game. We remain hopeful for the future of our membership in these interesting times in our country. While times have changed, we as an association are assisting with our membership on how to keep employees safe and healthy with best management practices. As you have come up with new and inventive practices to keeping your employees safe, please share those with the GCBAA office so we can all collaborate and keep the future of golf moving forward. In April, the Executive Board held our spring meeting over the course of a couple days and in a virtual format; something I think we can all agree has become a new normal for meetings. We looked at the year ahead and adjustments that will need made to the strategic plan that was set forth at our last Board Meeting in Orlando in January. Member Benefits continue to be a topic of discussion at our meetings, and we were pleased to recently announce the offering of the member Health Insurance in partnership with Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and the American Society of Golf Course Architects. The Executive Board worked diligently discussing how best the organization can help its members through these challenging times. We are encouraging the office to work with our partners that offer member benefits and discount programs and communicate those options to all members. Whether shipping logistics, housing, equipment rental or purchase, there are a number of resources available to GCBAA members to help run your company more efficiently
while supporting our “Buy from Within” Program. The staff has been reaching out to all Builder members to obtain potential projects for the TriAssociation Seminar in Las Vegas. This education seminar is a collaboration between members of the GCSAA, GCBAA, and ASGCA. Staff appreciates the responses they have received, which helps bring the GCBAA brand to the forefront, continue our vision of collaboration amongst the industry and better support our members. GCBAA Staff, along with the Meetings and Education Committees, have worked behind the scenes for several months monitoring the COVID-19 updates and attempted to adjust the agenda accordingly to allow for social distancing, with the top priority being your safety and health. That being said, your wellbeing is the utmost priority of the association and based upon the recent information from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and the desire to continue with the Safer at Home Phase 2 protocols until July 17, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the 2020 Summer Meeting until August 2-5, 2021. The event will be held at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. The Biltmore has been a wonderful partner through the pandemic, and we are excited to host the event next August and will continue to be optimistic that the world will be in a better place with COVID-19 and we can celebrate the association’s 50th Anniversary! Stay tuned for further details. Please continue to stay safe and healthy! Sincerely,
Judd Duininck
Jason Sloan Frontier Golf Bob Sylvester The Toro Company Jon Truttmann Hunter Industries (Vice President) Rick Williamson LASCO Fittings, Inc. Tom Works Landscapes Unlimited, LLC (Treasurer)
EARTH SHAPING NEWS
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JUSTIN APEL
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
justin_apel@gcbaa.org
MYCHELLE THOMPSON
PROGRAM & PLANNING MANAGER
mychelle_thompson@gcbaa.org
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