The 32nd Annual Professional Grounds Management Awards

By Jodie Carter, regional editor

Every year the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) honors America's best-maintained landscapes with their Green Star awards. Grand and Honor awards are offered in 13 categories that showcase the highest quality maintenance of private, public, industrial and commercial sites. To enter your project, the landscape you maintain must be at least two years old and have been continuously maintained under your primary supervision for at least two years.

The goals of the Green Star Professional Grounds Management awards program are: To bring national recognition to grounds manicured with a high degree of excellence; to recognize individuals who demonstrate high quality maintenance of their landscape; and to challenge maintenance professionals responsible to achieve a higher level of excellence. Enter any size landscape, whether large golf course or small commercial site. Landscapes will be judged by quality, challenge and quality of maintenance.

August 6 is the entry deadline?EUR??,,????'??+now is the time to start preparing your entry materials. It?EUR??,,????'???s not necessary to be a member of PGMS to enter. Entering a project involves mailing your entry fee with slides and print photos of the project, grounds crew and supervisor, along with detailed photo captions and a brief description of the site to the Professional Grounds Management Awards, c/o Professional Grounds Management Society, 720 Light Street, Baltimore MD, 21230. For detailed entry instructions, log on to www.pgms.org/greenstarawards.htm.

The awards will be presented during the 2004 PGMS annual conference held in conjunction with Green Industry Expo, on November 3-6 in Charlotte, NC.

PGMS?EUR??,,????'???s 2003 Winners Include:

Small Site

Honor Award - Mennonite Mutual Insurance Company

Shopping Area

Grand Award - Longaberger Homestead??????oe

Industrial or Office Park

Grand Award - Abbott Park

Hospital or Institution

Honor Award - University of Virginia Health System

Park, Recreation Area or Athletic Field

Honor Award - Illinois State University Redbird Baseball Field
Honor Award - Lubbers Stadium at Grand Valley State University

School or University Grounds

Grand Award - University of Arkansas - Fort Smith
Honor Award - Multnomah Bible College & Biblical Seminary
Honor Award - University of Pittsburgh
Honor Award - Texas Tech University
Honor Award - University of Texas at Austin
Honor Award - Western Michigan University
Honor Award - Western Oregon University

Hotel, Motel or Resort

Honor Award - Renaissance Pine Isle Resort

Condominium, Apartment Complex, or Planned Community

Grand Award - Dorchester Towers Roof Garden
Grand Award - Post Ridge Apartment Homes