Brian Winka speaks at 2016 National STMA Conference

Brian Winka, Maintenance Supervisor for the Parks, Recreation & Arts Division, presented “Warm Season Turf, Cool Season Turf…Why Not Both?” at the 2016 National STMA Conference and Exhibition on Wednesday, January 20, 2016 in San Diego, CA. The one hour presentation on managing athletic fields in the transition zone gave a detailed account on pioneering maintenance practices at the Chesterfield Valley Athletic Complex, along with some of the university research.  Brian was also selected to sit on a panel discussion on Soccer Field Maintenance with Allan Reed & Weston Applefeller from the MLS and Simon Gumbrill, Field Advisor to the EPL. Brian was awarded 1.5 CEUs for attending through STMA to go towards being a Certified Sports Field Manager.

San Diego hosted one of the most successful conferences on record for STMA. Approximately 1,200 attendees were represented from 48 states. A record high of 175 exhibitors sold out the trade show floor and with more than 600 exhibitor personnel on-site. There were over 70 well-known speakers from academia and sports field management with speaking on diverse segments including: industry developments, professional development, facility management, agronomic, synthetic, water, sustainability, baseball, pest control, construction and research.