Tag Archive for: Announced

Innovation Award Finalists Announced

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Innovation Award Finalists Announced: The three finalists have been announced for the Innovation Award at SALTEX 2018, with Reesink Turfcare, Sherriff Amenity and McConnel competing to get their hands on the prize.

After making its successful debut at last year’s show, the SALTEX 2018 Innovation Award attracted even more entries from various exhibitors across the globe and included a wide variety of high-quality products, services and equipment.

Innovation Award Finalists Announced

Judged by an independent panel of industry experts it was decided that the Toro Outcross 9060 from Reesink Turfcare, PrecisionPro from Sherriff Amenity and a product that cannot yet be named from McConnel were the stand out entries.

The final three companies will now take to the stage on the first day of SALTEX in the all new Innovation Hub (stand K021) from 11.30am to 12.35pm. A representative from each will take place to offer a great insight into their respective innovations and answer questions from Innovation Hub host Kevin Lynch – a former referee and current football speaker.

The winner’s ceremony will then commence in the Innovation Hub at 2:30pm where the overall winner will be announced.

Innovation Hub visitors can also expect interviews with industry experts and those at the forefront of new groundscare innovations and listen to research and trial work findings. Furthermore, a number of key speakers will take to the stage to discuss and explore current groundscare trends.

Kevin Lynch and IOG CEO Geoff Webb will kick-start proceedings at 11:00am on the first day of SALTEX by commenting on what most would agree has been a golden period in innovation in sports turf over the last 10-15 years.

A panel debate featuring Horticulture Week’s Sally Drury, IOG regional pitch advisor Rob Donnelly and IOG learning programme architect Chris Gray will take place shortly after. The panel will be providing an update on new technology in groundscare and will have their say on what key developments they feel have had a significant impact on the industry.

It is no surprise that digital media is being utilised by many within the industry and this topic will be explored in the next session.

The loss of important active ingredients is becoming more frequent than ever and a number of products are being taken off the market, especially in regards to pest management – so an expert panel will be exploring alternative solutions.

This will be followed by sessions on what’s new in grass cultivars, cordless machinery and robotics.

Reinforced pitches for cricket and tennis will be the final topic of the day with turf consultant Alex Vickers, ECB pitch advisor Chris Wood and Neil Stubley from the AELTC – who will discuss their views.

The Innovation Hub will conclude with the SALTEX 2018 Innovation Award winner’s ceremony.

The programme of events will be replicated on day two of SALTEX.

SALTEX 2018 is free to attend. To register your attendance and beat the queues visit www.iogsaltex.com

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Reesink Award Winners Announced

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Reesink Award Winners Announced: Reesink Turfcare is delighted to announce the winners of its Aftermarket Dealer Awards. The awards recognise Outstanding Performances in the three areas of Service, Parts and Skills, as well as recognising an overall Dealer of the Year for ‘Excellence in Customer Support’.

In keeping with its Service Level Agreement (SLA), which benchmarks great customer service, Reesink awards those dealers achieving the best scores, rated on quarterly Key Performance Indicators (KPI), within each of the three sections, while the Dealer of the Year Award combines the KPI scores from all three.

Reesink Award Winners Announced

The winners are: Outstanding Performance in Service goes to Redtech in Coventry, while Lloyd Ltd in Carlisle excelled in Skills, and Revill Mowers in Gloucestershire in Parts. The coveted Dealer of the Year award has two joint winners: Cheshire Turf Machinery in Stockport and Revill Mowers in Gloucestershire.

The runners-up are: Russells Groundcare in Yorkshire for both Parts and Service, and Oliver Landpower in Kings Langley for Skills.

Ever since Reesink adopted the principles of a customer service level agreement to set a baseline standard for after-sales customer support in 2015, its strategy has been to ensure that it delivers strong customer service with all its business partners, says David Jackman, Reesink’s aftermarket manager: “We’re looking to continually improve on our customer experience after a sale completes, and our Service Level Agreement outlines the core customer service standards, goals and considerations adopted by all our Authorised Service and Dealer Locations, which helps to earn the loyalty of our customers.

“Part of this extensive remit are the awards, which give us a standard set of common goals, targets and values that can be shared and promoted to the end user, benefitting customer retention and business growth across our dealer network. As we expected it would be, this has been met with great enthusiasm by our dedicated dealers and has done a fantastic job of driving the aftermarket business forward.

Reesink Award Winners Announced

“We’re delighted to be able to recognise the winners and runners-up of these awards, which not only provide a snapshot of each dealers’ performance with us but also our support for them. Overall, the major benefit of this process is the benefit it brings to the end customer, which is what we’re all in it for.”

 And it’s certainly an approach that has worked with Reesink having been recognised by The Toro Company for its outstanding performance in Parts, Service and Technical Training in the past.

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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EFL Award Winners Announced

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EFL Award Winners Announced: The EFL has confirmed the winners of the Grounds Team of the Season award for 2017/18 in each of the three divisions.

The awards recognise the importance of the quality of pitches for professional football and acknowledge the clubs and their ground staff who consistently produce the best playing surfaces in the EFL.

In the Sky Bet Championship, Middlesbrough win the award for producing a perfect pitch at the Riverside this season. Fulham and Nottingham Forest are both highly commended.

In Sky Bet League One, Rotherham United’s ground staff take top honours for the excellent surface at the New York Stadium. Blackburn Rovers and Milton Keynes Dons are highly commended.

The award for Grounds Team of the Season in Sky Bet League Two this year goes to Wycombe Wanderers, while the ground staff of Chesterfield and Swindon Town are highly commended.

Championship
Winner – Middlesbrough
Highly Commended – Fulham
Highly Commended – Nottingham Forest

League One
Winner – Rotherham United
Highly Commended – Blackburn Rovers
Highly Commended – Milton Keynes Dons

League Two
Winner – Wycombe Wanderers
Highly Commended – Chesterfield
Highly Commended – Swindon Town

The EFL’s Grounds Team of the Season Awards are determined initially using marks from referees and away managers for each Sky Bet EFL game and are then followed by detailed pitch inspections and a review of management operations.

These visits were carried out by Dr Stephen Baker, Head of Sports Surface Technology at the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI).

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Sprayer Operator Award Announced

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Sprayer Operator Award Announced: The Amenity Forum Sprayer Operator of the Year 2018 Awards (AFSOY) are once again open for entries. Now into year four, the awards were established by the Amenity Forum and aim to recognise the high levels of professionalism and standards in the sector. There are different categories for entries and the overall winner will have a choice of three fantastic prizes, including a trip to a world-leading US turf or amenity show, or £2000 worth of products. Sponsored by ICL and Syngenta, and supported by BASIS, the Awards were established to further promote high standards of operation standards by sharing and disseminating the best practice employed by these individuals.

A record number of entries were received for the 2017 Awards with the overall winner announced as Nathan Hume, Contracts Manager and Ecologist for national grounds maintenance experts, SH Goss Ltd. Nathan received his award at BTME in January 2018, following the announcement of the three principal category winners at the Amenity Forum Annual Conference in October 2017. Nathan chose a trip to the USA as his prize and will fly to Louisville, Kentucky in October, to visit the Green Industry & Equipment Expo. He said:

Sprayer Operator Award Announced

“Just taking part in the awards was a great experience. As with all operations, it’s important to review and appraise what we do and how we can continually improve. The recognition of the awards is good for our company and for our customers to appreciate the effort that goes in to achieving a great result. As well as the awesome chance to visit the US.”

Talking about the Awards, Amenity Forum’s independent Chairman, Professor John Moverley said: “Past winners have demonstrated the high level of competence and attention to detail among sprayer operators. They have showed the skills necessary to get the best possible results from every application, and how to achieve it safely with due care for the environment.”

ICL Landscape and Industrial Manager, Mark Pyrah said: “We know that there are many great operators doing a fantastic job every day,” he added. “The awards is a way to recognise their skills and to shine a spotlight on their role. Sharing their best practice means that everyone can gain.”

Syngenta business manager, Daniel Lightfoot MG, pointed out that sprayer operators’ skills are key to achieving the most effective results. He said: “It’s not awarded for having the newest machine or the latest gadgets – it’s about understanding what needs to be done, and how best to achieve it safely and efficiently. We have had some great entrants in previous years, who have continued to get better from the experiences they have gained. There is huge potential reward from getting involved and entering the awards.”

Organisations and companies are encouraged to nominate candidates in addition to self-nomination. The process is not difficult.

Entries and nominations are invited from sprayer operators in three categories:

  • Sports turf – Using a knapsack/boom sprayer
  • Landscape and Industrial – Using a vehicle sprayer
  • Landscape and Industrial – Using a knapsack sprayer

Each category winner will receive a trophy and the overall winner across the three categories will win the prestigious accolade of National Amenity Forum Sprayer Operator of the Year along with the choice of three prizes:

  • Flights, accommodation and entry to GCSAA 2019 San Diego, California
  • Flights, accommodation and entry to GIE Expo 2019 Louisville, Kentucky
  • ICL/Syngenta products to the value of £2,000

To enter or nominate, download the application form or enter online via the Amenity Forum website www.amenityforum.co.uk

Entries and nominations need to be made by 30 June 2018. After submitting an application form, successful entrants will be invited to answer a short questionnaire. Selected category finalists are judged on best practice and innovative ideas to improve and enhance spraying operations. Category finalist are invited to the Amenity Forum Conference in October, with the overall winner announced at the BIGGA BTME event next January.

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GEA Winners Announced

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GEA Winners Announced: The winners of the 2018 Golf Environment Awards (GEA) have been announced at The Crown, Harrogate, in a ceremony hosted by STRI Group and the R&A.

 Environmental Golf Course of the Year 2018 – Carnoustie Golf Links

GEA Winners Announced

Conservation Greenkeeper of the Year 2018 – Stephen Thompson (John O’Gaunt Golf Club)

Outstanding Environmental Project of the Year 2018 – Abergele Golf Club

Operation Pollinator 2018 – Kingsdown Golf Club

STRI ecology consultant, Sophie Vukelic, said: “A huge congratulations to the winners and finalists of this year’s awards, you each showcase what sustainable management is within golf. The golf environment is a better place with you all working to protect it”

The annual Golf Environment Awards provide the platform from which the golf industry can demonstrate environmental excellence in all its forms. Established in 1995, the awards have gone from strength to strength and in 2018, attendees to the awards almost tripled in numbers.

Carnoustie Golf Links were awarded Environmental Golf Course of the Year for their incredible work within the local community and their continued environmentally conscious practices in all areas of golf course management. Each decision at the golf facility considers the impact on the environment and each member of staff is trained to work in such a way.

Conservation Greenkeeper of the Year was received by Stephen Thompson of John O’Gaunt Golf Club for his passionate dedication to nature conservation within golf. Stephen has extensive biodiversity records for both courses at his club, enabling him to tailor the management of the mosaic of habitats accordingly.

Abergele Golf Club won Outstanding Environmental Project of the Year for their Tir Gwylllt (Wild Land) area. Darren, his team of greenkeeping staff and several members have created a wildlife haven from materials ready to hand or donated. The project is a remarkable example of people pulling together to create something spectacular.

Operation Pollinator was awarded to Kingsdown Golf Club where Tom Freeman had introduced extensive native wildflower areas with the help of local primary school children. Not only did this Operation Pollinator project provide for nectar and pollen loving insects, it also provided a great golf education to the younger generation.

STRI is indebted to lead partner, The R&A, and the sponsors – Ransomes Jacobson, Aquatrols, Syngenta, Tillers Turf and Wiedenmann and would like to thank them for their continued support. The R&A’s involvement in the GEA Awards does not elicit its endorsement for the sponsor’s products or services.

Fancy having a go yourself? The entries for the 2019 Golf Environment Awards are now open and we encourage all golf clubs, big or small, to enter and show off their hard work. Enter today at www.golfenvironmentawards.com

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