New board of directors presented at STC Annual Meeting

During the Synthetic Turf Council’s (STC) Annual Membership Meeting in San Antonio Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, the association presented its new board of directors elected by the members. Robert Thomas, president of ProGrass LLC, is chairman of the 220-member organization’s board.

“The STC relies on its board and many committee volunteers to create and help implement action initiatives for each of the many applications for which synthetic turf is a solution – landscape, playgrounds, golf, sports fields, airports, dog parks and others,” says Rick Doyle, president of the STC. “Chairman Robert Thomas’ contributions and commitment to the STC are well-known, and I’m confident the STC will continue to grow and serve the industry under his leadership.”

With about 226 attendees, the membership meeting included a strong educational component. Brian Beaulieu, economist and CEO of the Institute for Trend Research (ITR Economics), presented his economic outlook for the synthetic turf industry and the global economy. Beaulieu recommended the business strategies that should be undertaken now to maximize the profit potential in the years to come.

Concurrent panels focused on both sports fields and landscape and recreation. The panels addressed topics such as third party warranties, recent testing of synthetic turf surfaces and crumb rubber, reclamation options, impact testing for synthetic turf sports fields and playgrounds, potential use of synthetic grass in Florida landscape, and benefits of synthetic grass as an accessible playground surface. An expanded exhibitor showcase that included buyers and end users from the San Antonio area completed the successful educational and networking experience.

In 2015, the STC will host its spring meeting March 23-25 in La Jolla, Calif., and the fall meeting Oct. 5-7 in Atlanta.

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The STC’s new board of directors includes:

• Vice Chairman Amy Brackin, account manager, Liberty Tire Recycling;
• Secretary Zach Burns, president, The Motz Group;
• Treasurer Craig Honkomp, senior engineer, Sportsworks Field Design;
• Director-at-Large Alastair Cox, deputy CEO, Labosport International; and
• Immediate Past Chairman John Baize, managing director, Act Global

Board officers include:

• Rusty Abell, principal, Sports Labs USA;
• Jake Alexander, director of sales, Genan Inc.;
• Webb Cook, director of sales, Sprinturf;
• Stefan Diderich, consultant, Bonar Yarns;
• Catherine Eiswerth, division manager, Binnie & Associates;
• Heard Smith, CEO, AstroTurf/SYNLawn; and
• John Tidwell, president, Turfstore.com, Inc.