LAB News
Cannon To Design Student Recreation Center
Cannon Design has been commissioned to design the University of Louisville’s new student recreation center. The new facility will provide indoor and outdoor activity space for residential and commuter students at the university’s Belknap Campus.
Building components include a three-court gymnasium stacked on top of a three-court recreational gym, a weight/fitness areas, a multi-use activity court, four raquetball courts, a fitness lab, three classrooms, two group exercise rooms, a spinning room, jogging track, sports club area, gaming area, locker rooms and administrator space. The free zone contains a juice bar and lounge space. Outside, there will be a plaza and an all-season recreational turf field.
Since the free-standing building must be independent of the university’s central utilities infrastructure, a geo-thermal deep-well system will provide heating and cooling. The building is targeted to achieve LEED Gold certification.
Brock Launches Playground Safety System
Safety and sustainability on children’s playgrounds will increase with the launch of Brock PlayBase, the first 100-percent closed-loop, recyclable base system engineered for playground surfaces. The company claims it is the only C2C system designed to provide shock absorption and drainage in playgrounds under both artificial turf and rubber mulch surfacing.
Reflecting their mutual commitment to sustainability, Brock has forged a distribution relationship with Shaw Industries’ Turf Division, which is comprised of Southwest Greens, Shaw Sportexe and TerraSoft.
Launched for the first time in North America, Brock PlayBase is currently used in more than 500 playgrounds at schools, parks and other outdoor recreational areas throughout Europe.Visit www.brock-international.com to learn more.
ValleyCrest Wins Training Award
For the second year in a row, integrated landscape service company ValleyCrest has been named one of the Top 125 training companies by Training magazine. The Training Top 125 ranking honors organizations around the world that offer outstanding employer-sponsored workforce training and development.
Parke Kallenberg, Vice President of Training for ValleyCrest Landscape Maintenance, said, “We would like to dedicate this year’s award to Burt Sperber who was so proud of the company winning this award the first year and always believed in the importance of training our employees.”
Sperber passed away in September 2011 after founding and for more than six decades leading a company that today employs more than 10,000 who take care of the landscape needs of thousands of commercial customers across the United States.
For more information, visit www.valleycrest.com .
Cooper Products Earn Innovation Awards
Six Cooper lighting products have been recognized for ingenuity in Architectural Products 2011 Product Innovation Awards (PIA). Honored with the most company awards in the interior, exterior and controls lighting categories, Cooper Lighting received four product awards and Cooper Controls, a business unit of Cooper Lighting, was honored with two awards.
The inaugural Architectural Products PIA competition was designed to give recognition of product ingenuity in the built environment. By identifying the most innovative products in 18 major categories, the competition hopes to bring awareness to specifiers dealing with diverse components when designing a building. The judges included 42 top industry experts in their fields.
The winning products include:
• Cooper Lighting’s Ametrix Arrowlinear LED Luminaires provide a smooth gradient of asymmetric illumination, free from striations and hot spots, for vertical and horizontal architectural surfaces.
• Cooper Lighting’s Neo-Ray Straight and Narrow Series 22 LED Luminaires create slender lines of continuous, uniform illumination for recessed, suspended, surface- and wall-mounted applications.
• Cooper Lighting’s RSA Continuous Channel system creates a single, streamlined channel for all ceiling-based lighting and utilities, including the integration of fire suppression, HVAC events, sensors and securities.
• Cooper Lighting’s io Koi Series integrates a variety of different io luminaires to create elegant wood bollards available in a variety of styles, sizes and finishes.
• Cooper Controls NeoSwitch Wall Switch Occupancy Sensor packs multiple functions into a single wall switch, including motion and daylight sensing, and provides an EcoMeter indicator light to reinforce energy-saving behavior.
• Cooper Controls Venergy Advanced Metering System, which is a code-compliant energy-saving solution that monitors energy consumption while being easy to use, specify and scalable across any enterprise.
For more information, visit www.cooperlighting.com and www.coopercontrol.com .
Land Restoration Book Released
Co-authors Steven Apfelbaum and Dr. Alan Haney recently released the second book in their Restoring Ecological Health to your Land series, which educates readers on the benefits of land restoration and shows them how to restore an ecosystem, of any size, to its natural state.
The workbook illustrates the beauty of nature as well as our responsibility and ability to protect it. It is appropriate for both laypeople and experts--from landowners to patio gardeners to land trust property stewards, landscape architects, and agency personnel.
For more information, go to www.appliedeco.com . The workbook and the authors’ first book are available at www.barnesandnoble.com and www.amazaon.com.
ArborCAD Software Designed For Tree Industry
ArborCAD is a purpose-built computer-aided design (CAD) software for arborists. It can be used to conduct and document a site survey, produce a Tree Protection Report or for planning purposes.
ArborCAD is simple to use and easy to learn, with the help of an online training course. It is based on the landscape design software LANDWorksCAD.
For more information, visit www.cadinternational.com and click on the Products drop-down menu.
A New Turf Twitter Feed
Stay up to speed on turf industry news and solutions via @FMCturf from FMC Professional Solutions.
Follow @FMCturf on Twitter to get valuable business tips, learn about promotions, and keep up with industry buzz. The Twitter handle was created to keep turf-management professionals informed about best management practices and solutions, as well as answer questions on industry and technical topics.
FMC also wants to hear about turf issues and problems you face on a daily basis. Tweet your questions or comments to @FMCturf.
No Messy Mud At K9Grass Dog Park
Central Park Dog Park in Fremont, Calif., is the largest synthetic grass dog park in the nation, measuring 40,000 square feet. The new city park opened last summer, offering dogs and their pet parents a place to exercise, play, and socialize in a clean, mud-free environment.
K9Grass by ForeverLawn was chosen as the surface for the park, due to features that allow for instantaneous drainage, simplification of waste removal, and antimicrobial blades.
For more information, visit www.k9grass.com/parks .
Signature Expands Web Presence
Signature Control Systems Inc. has launched a new online store, “SCS Shop,” which lets U.S.-based customers purchase a variety of irrigation products and services direct from Signature.
“In addition to buying from our 500-plus dealer locations, the SCS Shop will allow our end-user clients an alternative purchase point, along with the ability to research products to best fit their specific local needs,” said Curt Schaubel, vice president.
The shop will also start to highlight and bring into focus the Signature Weather email and the Signature ET data.
For more information, visit www.SignatureControlSystems.com .
Recruits And Ladders
Margulies To Lead AECOM Southern CA Landscape Design Practice
Esther Margulies, ASLA, RLA, has joined AECOM as an Associate Principal and will focus on building the firm’s Southern California landscape design practice, collaborating with the firm’s global network of studios.
Margulies brings with her an extensive portfolio of park and open-space design, from revitalization of the landmark 32-mile Los Angeles River to the culturally rich 5-acre Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica. (see article in the LA Business archives: www.northstarpubs.com/articles/lab/rich-with-history-2 )
As a founding partner at the firm of Mia Lehrer + Associates and most recently as Managing Principal of the ValleyCrest Design Group’s Los Angeles office, she brings to AECOM a commitment to design excellence, talent for designing within natural and local contexts, and strong leadership within the field of landscape architecture.
Direct Solutions Adds Two To Agronomy Team
Direct Solutions has added Brandon Green and Bob Raley to the green industry distributor’s Turf & Horticulture agronomy team.
Green has over five years of hands-on turf management experience and recently completed his master’s degree in agronomy from Auburn University, where he focused on turfgrass management and nitrogen release characteristics as they pertain to turfgrass.
In his role at Direct Solutions, Green will be responsible for providing training and support for Agrium Advanced Technologies’ Experience at FarmLinks research and education program, while also supporting Direct Solutions’ internal and external customers in the Southern United States.
Raley has over 10 years of golf and turf grass management experience and holds a master’s degree in agronomy from Penn State University. Raley spent the past five years as the Director of Operations for Thousand Acres Lakeside Golf Club in Swanton, Md.
In his new position, Raley will provide training and support to Direct Solutions’ internal and external customers throughout the Northern United States and Canada.
For more information about Direct Solutions, visit www.aatdirectsolutions.com .
MaxLite Appoints Directors
MaxLite has appointed Pat Treadway and James Steedly to Director of Product Marketing and Director of Product R&D and Engineering, respectively.
MaxLite is a global manufacturer and marketer of the MaxLED line of LED luminaires and lamps.
Treadway and Steedly will continue reporting to Thomas Rhee, MaxLite’s Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Product.
In his new role, Treadway will be responsible for overall product strategic planning, including short- and mid-term product roadmaps, brand positioning, product category expansion, supply chain development and the development of new emerging technologies. He will also oversee product training and application engineering support.
Steedly, who has been promoted to Director of Product R&D and Engineering, will provide technical leadership and create competitive cutting-edge lighting solutions while incorporating new ideas, technologies and methodologies.
To learn more, visit www.maxlite.com .
Netafim Names New Product Marketing Manager
Irrigation industry professional Beatrice John has been named the new Netafim USA product marketing manager for the Landscape Division. John will oversee irrigation product development and coordinate marketing efforts to support the Netafim sales team.
John was previously employed at Rain Bird as a product manager in the accessories division and oversaw the introduction of irrigation products for the landscape market. She has also worked as an engineer in the aerospace industry with the McDonnell Douglas company and as a product manager for building materials manufacturers.
Netafim develops and manufactures low-volume irrigation solutions. For more information, contact the company at (888) 638.2346 or online at www.netafimusa.com .
Italia Named FX Luminaire Sales Manager Of Year
Hunter Industries is proud to announce that Anthony Italia was recently named the FX Luminaire Sales Manager of the Year for 2011. FX Luminaire is the landscape lighting brand of Hunter Industries.
Based out of Strasburg, Penn., Italia manages the Mid-Atlantic territory for FX. According to FX Sales and Marketing Manager Kevin Gordon, “The competition for the award was fierce. Tony won largely because of the gains he made in the face of tremendous adversity. He tenaciously fought a daily battle to gain market acceptance for FX in a very competitive region.” At the end of the year, Italia’s efforts resulted in the company’s largest overall sales increase.
Italia attributes the success he has had with FX to his 11 years of experience in lighting, his horticulture and landscape education, and the efficiency of the products he sells.
Underhill International Announces New Sales Rep
Underhill International has tapped Eagle Sales of Grass Valley, Calif., as the company’s new sales agency for Arizona, California and Nevada, reported Ed Underhill, president of the irrigation equipment manufacturer.
Eagle Sales will represent Underhill’s expanding lines of irrigation products for residential/commercial installations, golf courses and sports fields, including the new Sapien 2Wire controller and M-160 Total Solutions synthetic sports field kit.
Eagle’s Tom Kendall and Jeremy McIntyre will oversee the sales effort with a staff of nine professionals covering the western states. Eagle Sales has been in business since 1985 and was founded by Steve Wilson, who directed the company until his passing in 2008.
See Underhill International at www.underhill.us or call (866) 863.3744.
Word On The Web
From Twitter: On “Making A Place For A Memorial” in the November/December 2011 issue, we Tweeted that “the landscape surrounding a memorial should be meaningful.” Landscape architect Alessandro Vino replied: “Agreed, memorial should not be stand-alone items.”
On LAB’s Website : On the January/February 2012 article “Gathering Among The Greenery,” reader Alison says: “Great article, really touches on every aspect of design, including budgets. Congrats to this writer. Awesome photos too.”