Info Tanza, Irrigation Show Report Increased Attendance
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011, 6:30 p.m. EST
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| Rick Smith (right) of easyPro Pond Products presents Max Taylor with a trophy and $1,000 check. | The 7th annual Info Tanza event, hosted by the International Professional Pond Companies Association, took place Nov. 5-7 in conjunction with the Irrigation Association’s 2011 Irrigation Show and Innovations in Irrigation Education Conference Nov. 3-8 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego.
The IPPCA reported increased attendance over the 2010 show. Ninety-six industry professionals from 23 states, Canada, Mexico, and as far away as Brazil and Barbados, attended the 15 available training sessions scheduled for the three-day workshop, compared with 25 attendees in 2010.
Info Tanza workshop topics included beginning and advanced pond installation, marketing, plant care, pond maintenance and product reviews. Class instructors included Demi Fortuna of Atlantic Water Gardens, Rick Bartel of Savio, Eric Triplett of The Pond Digger, Rick Smith of EasyPro Pond Products and Bill Johnson of Firestone Specialty Products.
The IPPCA’s awards banquet took place Nov. 6 at the House of Blues. Nine contractors received Top Gun Contractors Awards for participation in the Ponditat For Humanity build on Nov. 2-3: Mike White, Eric Triplett, Mike Garcia, Tim Rogers, Dave Jones, Mark Lawson, Max Taylor, Jacob Langsley and Rod Galasco.
Max Taylor, owner of Magnolia Ponds, Pools and Water Gardens in The Woodlands, Texas, received the 5 Star Contractor Award, sponsored by EasyPro and the IPPCA. The award includes a trophy and a check for $1,000. The IPPCA presents the award to the contractor member with the highest overall score from the association’s Online Customer Satisfaction Rating Form submitted by contractors’ customers.
“This year marks the first West Coast Info Tanza event for the IPPCA, and we could not be any happier with the industry participation,” said Taylor, the incoming IPPCA executive vice president. “Next year’s event will be even bigger as our members continue to actively participate in events designed to grow our industry.”
At press time, plans still were being discussed for the 2012 Info Tanza event.
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| The IPPCA presented this 5 Star Contractor award to Max Taylor, owner of Magnolia Ponds, Pools and Water Gardens in the Woodlands, Texas. |
The IA reported a nearly 20 percent jump in attendance with 5,300 attendees compared to 4,500 attendees at last year’s show. There were 304 exhibitors in the 200,000 square feet of exhibition space, and 23 of them participated in the new Pond and Waterscapes Pavilion, organizers reported.
During the IA’s General Session, the association honored winners and runners-up of the New Product Contest. EasyPro was recognized as the specialty runner up for its Vianti Falls Kit.
The IA also presented its 2011-2012 Board of Directors, who officially took office immediately following the show: Phil Burkart of The Toro Co. as president, Bob Dobson of Middletown Sprinkler Co. as president-elect, Warren Thoma of Warren Thoma and Associates as vice president, John Vikupitz of Netafim USA as treasurer and Mark Huntley of John Deere Water as past president.
IA board members include James Barrett of James Barrett Associates Inc., Tom Childers of John Deere Landscapes, Warren Gorowitz of Ewing Irrigation Products, Gregory Hunter of Hunter Industries, Dan Keppen of Family Farm Alliance, Todd Magatagan of Around the Grounds, Robert Meaney of Valmont Industries, Aric Olson of Jain Irrigation Inc., Jay Robbins of Irrigation-Mart Inc. and Diane Toth of Aqua-Lawn Inc.
The group also presented its annual awards, including industry achievement awards to Rene Evelyn-Veere of Rain Bird Corp. in Tucson, Ariz., and George Sesser of Nelson Irrigation Corp. in Walla Walla, Wash.; its National Water and Energy Conservation Award to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service’s Water Management Research Unit in Fort Collins, Colo.; its Person of the Year award (for people outside the commercial irrigation industry) to Howard Wuertz of Sundance Farms in Coolidge, Ariz.; and its Crawford Reid Memorial Award for contributions outside the United States to Jack Keller, Ph.D., of Keller-Bliesner Engineering in Logan, Utah.
The group also recognized winners of its Smart Marketing Contest for six categories of Smart Irrigation Month promotions. The 2011 winners were: Del Conte’s Landscaping of Fremont, Calif. (contractor); Rainscapes of Maryville, Tenn. (small business); Aqua-Flo Supply of Goleta, Calif. (distributor); The Toro Co. of Riverside, Calif. (manufacturer); Reinke Mfg. of Deshler, Neb. (agriculture); and the Atascadero Mutual Water Co. of Atascadero, Calif. (affiliate).
The 2012 Irrigation Show will be held Nov. 4-5 in Orlando, Fla.
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Info Tanza, Irrigation Show Report Increased Attendance
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