Director’s Corner

Passing the Torch

Sometimes, you just know when it is time to pass the torch. After 23 years as Executive Director, it is time to turn the reins over to someone who can take the organization to new heights of service. I have seen many changes; have experienced successes and failures; have worked to establish the Environmental Institute; and have established the foundation for growth. Now is the time for someone else to build on that foundation. I will be leaving the VTC on December 31, 2025.

My time with VTC started with a phone call asking me to join the VTC. At that time, the organization had one focus, Virginia’s golf industry. Not a bad focus. That industry is huge and contributes greatly to our state’s economy. Over the years golf superintendents decided they needed an association dedicated to their needs. No one could argue with their logic. The Virginia Golf Course Superintendents Association was born and soared to great heights. I have many friends who are current and former superintendents who saw the value of working with their organization instead of the VTC.

About the same time that the golf superintendents formed the VGCSA, Virginia’s sports turfgrass managers saw a similar need to form an association devoted to their unique challenges. And no wonder. Virginia’s sports field industry was expanding rapidly – that growth continues to this very day. They formed what is now called the Virginia Sports Field Managers Association (VSFMA). Just like their fellow professionals in the golf industry, the sports field managers had an organization dedicated to meet their needs.

We looked around and saw a gaping hole – a segment of Virginia’s green industry that was grossly underserved: lawn and landscape professionals. According to Virginia’s Secretary of Agriculture, the lawn and landscape industry is the largest part of the green industry, contributing vast sums to the economy and employing scores of people in every city and county. The needs of this underserved industry are huge. Regulations against pesticides, fertilizers, and equipment targeted them. Members of the General Assembly, regulatory agencies, municipalities, and powerful environmental groups had negative perceptions of people caring for lawns and landscapes.

In 2020, we formed the Environmental Institute, aggressively pursued a public relations campaign, and conducted service projects across the state. The Result? For the first time ever, former naysayers are now singing our praises. They view us as partners and experts.

The future is very bright. Many opportunities are appearing for the VGSAA, the VSFMA, the VTC, and the VTC Environmental Institute to collaborate, such as a great one at Richmond’s Bellmeade Park.

I am not sure what I will do after December 31, but one thing I do know: I don’t plan on retiring from serving this great industry. I am thankful for the people I have been privileged to work with over the past decades.

Tom Tracy, Ph.D.

VTC Executive Director