The 36th Annual Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) Meeting was held April 29-May 1, 2025, in Charleston, South Carolina. The event brought together green industry professionals from throughout the country for three days of education, networking and professional development.
The conference featured a dynamic lineup of sessions focused on communication strategy, industry insight and skill development. Brandon Bell, M.Ed., North America Diversity and Inclusion Lead at Syngenta, opened with a session on the value of inclusive communication in today’s workplace. Jon Greenberg, faculty member at the Poynter Institute and founder of Beat Academy, followed with two practical writing workshops — one on simplifying complex topics and another on tools for stronger storytelling.
Communication coach and professor John Patrick led a session on navigating high-stakes conversations, highlighting how habits can either strengthen or undermine a communicator’s message.
Attendees explored Middleton Place on Wednesday afternoon. Located along the Ashley River, Middleton is a National Historic Landmark and home to America’s oldest landscaped gardens. Sidney Frazier, vice president of horticulture, shared his experience maintaining the 18th-century property for more than 50 years, beginning as a teenager. The group learned about plant care practices, preservation efforts and the historical significance of the site, once home to a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
On Thursday, the Behind the Sod panel featured Hank Kerfoot, president and founder of Modern Turf; Aaron Tipton, grounds supervisor at the College of Charleston; and K.C. Bell, senior director of athletic grounds at Clemson University. The panel offered insight into field-level turfgrass decisions, covering management practices, college and customer expectations and what it takes to work with grass every day.
To close the education program, Valerie Smith and Scott Covelli led an interactive session on how communicators use artificial intelligence to support writing, editing and creative development. Attendees rotated between tables in small groups, each tackling a different AI-focused prompt before sharing their takeaways with the larger group.
Evening events included a welcome reception at King Street Dispensary, sponsored by GIE Media and North Coast Media, and a silent auction and gathering at Prohibition hosted by Hunter Industries, both featuring delicious food and drinks. The conference wrapped with the TOCA Awards Banquet on Thursday evening, which included dinner, the Hall of Fame induction and the annual Communications Contest Awards program.
The 37th Annual TOCA Meeting will be held April 28–30, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at the Arcade in Cleveland, Ohio.
– This article was written by Sod Solutions Media and Content Manager, Cecilia Johnson.