Don?EUR??,,????'???t Miss the 2004 School of Professional Grounds Management

The Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) has announced its faculty and curriculum for the 2004 School of Professional Grounds Management, scheduled for November 3-6 at the Charlotte Marriott City Center and the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, N.C. The School is held in conjunction with the Green Industry Expo. Education sessions include topics like ?EUR??,,????'??Aesthetics of Turfgrass Management,?EUR??,,????'?? ?EUR??,,????'??Training and Pruning Young Trees,?EUR??,,????'?? ?EUR??,,????'??Irrigating with Reclaimed & Gray Water?EUR??,,????'?? and ?EUR??,,????'??Top 10 Image Enhancements.?EUR??,,????'?? This year?EUR??,,????'???s faculty is an impressive one, featuring renowned green industry experts such as Dr. Michael Dirr, George Toma, and Dave Mellor. Toma is the world's foremost expert on groundskeeping for athletic fields. With six decades of experience, he's worked on every one of the Super Bowl fields. In 2001, the NFL Hall of Fame presented Toma with the Daniel F. Reeves Pioneer Award, an acknowledgment of his decades of contribution to professional football. Toma was only the sixth person to receive this award. Recognized as the authority on American trees and shrubs, Dirr has published over 300 scientific and popular publications and has authored or coauthored seven books. His Manual of Woody Landscape Plants; Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses, is the most widely adopted green industry teaching and reference text in the country and has sold over 300,000 copies. As the director of grounds at Boston?EUR??,,????'???s famed Fenway Park, Mellor was one of the first groundskeepers to carve elaborate patterns into the stadium grass while working for the Milwaukee Brewers. He authored the book, ?EUR??,,????'??PICTURE PERFECT?EUR??,,????'???Mowing Techniques for Lawns, Landscapes, and Sports,?EUR??,,????'?? and has been featured in several articles pertaining to turf and lawn patterns appearing in Men's Health, Smithsonian and House & Garden magazines. He has also been featured on CBS News Saturday Morning. ?EUR??,,????'??With a faculty of first class educators and a wide offering of courses ranging from irrigation to management to horticulture, the School offers grounds and landscaping professionals a great opportunity to further their professional development,?EUR??,,????'?? said Education Chair, Ellen Newell, CGM. Considered the premiere educational event for grounds management professionals, this year?EUR??,,????'???s School of Professional Grounds Management features over a dozen courses, a separate irrigation track, Pre-Conference Field Trip, Business Over Breakfast programs, and other social and educational opportunities. Participants will also receive a certificate of completion. In addition to this dynamic curriculum, tuition for the PGMS School of Professional Grounds Management also includes free admission to the 15th Annual Green Industry Expo (GIE). GIE features more than 360 indoor exhibits, a product field day with over 110 hands-on demonstrations, and networking with over 5,500 industry professionals. GIE is sponsored by the PGMS, the Associated Landscape Contractors of America and the Professional Lawn Care Association of America. Additional information, such as a full schedule of events, list of faculty, and hotel registration materials are available online at www.PGMS.org or contact the PGMS by fax 410-752-8295 to request a copy of the brochure. Online registration and informational brochures will be available beginning in June.