Synthetic Turf Council Holds Annual Membership Meeting in San Antonio, Texas

Atlanta, GA – During the Synthetic Turf Council’s (STC) Annual Membership Meeting in San Antonio, Texas on September 29 to October 1, the association presented its new Board of Directors, which was elected by the members. Robert Thomas, President, ProGrass, LLC, is Chairman of the Board of the 220 member company organization.

Board Officers include 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. 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, Chief Operating Officer, AstroTurf/SYNLawn; John Tidwell, President, Turfstore, Inc., complete the newly elected board.

"Our board plays an extremely active role in shaping the strategic direction of the Council,” said Rick Doyle, President of the Synthetic Turf Council. "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. 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 approximately 226 attendees, the membership meeting included a strong educational component. Brian Beaulieu, economist and CEO with 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 that 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, California and the fall meeting on October 5-7 in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information on both meetings, visit www.syntheticturfcouncil.org

About the Synthetic Turf Council

Based in Atlanta, the Synthetic Turf Council was founded in 2003 to promote the industry and to assist buyers and end users with the selection, use and maintenance of synthetic turf systems in sports field, golf, municipal parks, airports, landscape and residential applications. The organization is also a resource for current, credible, and independent research on the safety and environmental impact of synthetic turf. Membership includes builders, landscape architects, testing labs, maintenance providers, manufacturers, suppliers, installation contractors, infill material suppliers and other specialty service companies. For more information, visit www.syntheticturfcouncil.org.