PGMS lining up School of Grounds Management for GIE+EXPO

BALTIMORE – Grounds professionals interested in taking the first steps to earn a certificate in the School of Grounds Management (SGM) have the opportunity at the Professional Grounds Management Society’s (PGMS) 2012 School of Grounds Management & GIE+EXPO in Louisville from Oct. 24-27.
Integrated into the schedule of events offered at the GIE+EXPO, the PGMS School focuses on four core competencies of grounds management.

Those who complete the entire program (usually taking two years) are awarded an SGM certificate by PGMS. In addition to the SGM certificate, PGMS offers both Certified Grounds Manager (CGM) and Certified Grounds Technician (CGT) designations. Attendance at the School of Grounds Management qualifies as Continuing Education Units for both the CGM and CGT programs.

PGMS will kick off the 2012 School with a behind-the-scenes tour on Wednesday, Oct. 24 at the University of Louisville. The tour will be followed by a welcoming reception. Classroom education programs will be offered during the GIE+EXPO Thursday and Friday at the Kentucky Exposition Center. PGMS courses will continue to emphasize sustainable management practices with topics such as “Managing Water Conservation,” “Benefits of Gardening with Native Species, Concerns and Myths,” “Maintaining Curb Appeal with Native Plants,” “Dealing with the Aftermath of Natural Disasters: Floods in North Dakota,” and
“Turf in a Sustainable Environment,” among others.

New this year, PGMS will host a Speaker Breakfast on Saturday, Oct. 27. From 7:30 – 9:45 a.m. Steve Foltz of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens will present "Plantplaces.com - A New Tool for Plant Selection and Mapping" and from 8:30 - 9:45 a.m. Mike Sherwood of Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories will present "What’s New in Arboriculture Inventory Management and the Use of Minimally Evasive Decay Analysis Technology on Large Specimen Trees."

More information on the SGM program can be found at www.pgms.org/SGMProgram.htm. Details and
registration information for the PGMS School of Grounds Management is available online at
www.pgms.org/2012school.htm.