Fall President’s Letter

                I hope that everyone has had a good fall thus far, and with the nice weather, golf has remained steady at courses that haven’t shut down for the winter already. The fall meeting at Illahe Hills on November 6th was well attended, and the topics discussed by Dr. Micah Woods and Steve Gould from Bayer were informative to say the least.  It was also nice to have Larry Gilhuly on hand to receive the Malpass Distinguished Service Award.  Thank you to Steven Beyer, the staff at Illahe, our sponsors, and those who attended for making this meeting a success.  The Pest Management Seminar is right around the corner on December 4th and 5th, and the committee has done a great job lining up this year’s event with a range of speakers and topics.  We’re excited to try out a new location at the Crowne Plaza, and I would encourage you to attend even if you don’t need the credits this year.  Tom Calabrese from EnviroLogic Resources has been slotted to give an overview of the work being done on the new BMP guides.  The new online template arrangement of the guidelines should make it easier for courses to adopt these practices and make them site-specific.  The Board is excited to see this project completed and has been discussing possible workshops as an aid in implementing the BMP tool, once the guidelines are finished.

                The Board has also been working diligently on the schedule for 2020, and the year begins with two great educational events geared toward equipment managers and crew members.  RMT will host this years EM Seminar in Troutdale on January 14th, and the Crew Seminar is back at Tualatin CC on January 22nd.  It’s a great opportunity for the mechanics to get out of the shop and the crew out of the weather for a day of education and networking.  If you’re headed to Orlando for GIS and want to do some networking of your own, the Northwest Hospitality Room will be at Tin Roof restaurant on the 29th.   February brings us to Corvallis, and our friends at OSU always have some interesting research to share with us at the winter field day    

                Looking back on the last year, it has been enlightening to witness the dedication and professionalism of our membership and sponsors from my position as President.  I’m reminded of this frequently while working alongside Alexis and the Board of Directors to make this organization a valuable resource for the entire membership. We will continue to work towards this goal in the coming year, and we look forward to the challenge.  As we finish the year, I’d like to once again give a big thank you to our sponsors and to the members of the OGCSA for their continued support. You are the reason giving back in the form of board service is an honor.

Happy Holidays

Shane Hadwick , OGCSA President