Dayton, Ohio (November 28, 2011) – The Ohio Turfgrass Foundation received more than 40 nominations for the Professional of the Year and 25 scholarship applications! Following an extensive review of the nominees and applicants, the OTF Awards and Scholarship Committees are proud to announce your winners of the 2011 Professional of the Year and Professional Excellence Awards and recipients of OTF Scholarships.
PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR:
Mark Jordan, CGCS
Natural Resource Leader
Westfield Group Country Club
Mark is a Past President of the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation and continues to play an active role in the Foundation in addition to his continued service to the Northern Ohio GCSA and national GCSAA. He is currently a candidate for a role on the Board of Directors with the GCSAA.
Mark played an instrumental role in passing Senate Bill 51, declaring the last week of May, “Ohio Turfgrass Week” and has been heavily involved with the “We Are Golf” campaign, where he joined other professionals on Capitol Hill to discuss legislative matters impacting our industry.
PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE:
Jim Hesselbrock, CGCS
Superintendent
Miami Valley Golf Club
Jim was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio and then attended The Ohio State University where he was a two time recipient of an OTF Scholarship. He has worked at Maketewah and Royal Oak prior to arriving at Miami Valley Golf Club, where he was an assistant for his first few seasons prior to being named Golf Course Superintendent.
While at Miami Valley, Jim has hosted several state amateur championships and a National Club Professional Championship and has always gone out of his way to assist younger turfgrass professionals.
Jim is also a past recipient of the Miami Valley GCSA, Man of the Year Award (2005).
SCHOLARSHIPS:
R.D. Baker Memorial Scholarship:
Nicholas Fisher, The Ohio State University
Jake Halak, The Ohio State University, ATI
Travis Hohlbein, The Ohio State University
Mark Nicholson, The Ohio State University
Ronald Townsend, The Ohio State University
Zach Weber, The Ohio State University
Don Sweda Memorial Scholarship:
Luke Morgan, The Ohio State University, ATI
George Steppenbacker Memorial Scholarship:
Suzanne Nunamaker, Cuyahoga Community College
Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Scholarship:
Eric Ferguson, The Ohio State University, ATI
Brady Forshey, The Ohio State University
Alex Martin, Clark State Community College
Casey Phelps, Clark State Community College
Isaac Santel, The Ohio State University
Gregory Tenkman, Rutgers University
Tyler Turner, The Ohio State University
Congratulations to our award winners and scholarship recipients!
Please join us in congratulating these recipients on Tuesday, December 6th at the Awards and Scholarships Ceremony on the Tradeshow Floor Main Stage during the OTF Conference and Show.
In addition to these annual awards, some new awards will be given to individuals who have made a difference in our industry over the past 12 months. You won’t want to miss these special presentations.
About the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation
The purpose of the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation (OTF) is to promote the turfgrass industry in Ohio, to encourage the further study, research and education of turfgrass science and to speak on matters of policy affecting the turfgrass industry – all of which provide better turf for everyone.
The Ohio Turfgrass Foundation is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary. Since its inception in 1961, OTF has raised over $4.5 Million for turfgrass scholarships and research. The OTF Conference and Show is the largest regional turfgrass show in the United States, attracting more than 3,000 turfgrass professionals on an annual basis.
For additional information on the OTF Conference and Show, visit www.otfshow.org.
For more information about the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation, visit www.ohioturfgrass.org.
Contact:
Brian Laurent, Associate Director
614.989.2445
brian@otgt.org
