The Ohio Lawn Care Association (OLCA) annual meeting and breakfast was held in conjunction with the Ohio Turfgrass Conference & Show. More than 90 lawn care professionals and guests participated.
Highlighting the annual meeting was the presentation of research grants, student scholarships and annual awards. Committee chair Jeff Biskar, Your Lawn, Ashville, Ohio, presented a $1,000 check to Bernie Car of Ehove Ghrist Adult Career Center to help fund its adult horticultural programs.
A second grant was presented in the amount of $3,000 to Susan Everett, Clark State Community College to help assist in the installation of a new irrigation system for Clark State's turf program. Also, a $6,000 research grant was awarded to Parwinder Grewal, OSU/OARDC Department of Entomology for his project on determining the effects of mowing height and frequency on alkaloid concentration and pest resistance in endophytic-infected tall fescue and perennial ryegrass lawns.
Bisker also presented scholarships to three students pursuing careers in the lawn care industry. The recipients who received $1,000 each were: Susan Balaschak, Brandon Connelly and Thor Leidigh.
During special presentations, President Kim Kellogg, Grasshopper Property Maintenance, Millersburg, Ohio, presented former OLCA President Joe Reynolds with an Honorary Lifetime Membership. Kellogg also awarded special recognition to immediate past president Fred Schillinger, The Turf Doctor, Mt. Vernon, Ohio, for his years of service on the OLCA board.
OLCA's next annual meeting and breakfast is scheduled to be held in conjunction with the Ohio Turfgrass Conference & Show, Dec. 8 to 11 in Columbus, Ohio.