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The West Palm Beach County Convention Center welcomed more than 2,100 participants, including nearly 1,300 sports turf leaders and 850 exhibitors from 15 countries. Four days of industry education, networking events and product demonstrations were highlighted by a volunteer rebuild of Howard Park, sports complex tours including FITTEAM Ballpark and Hard Rock Stadium and $40,000 raised for the nonprofit SAFE Foundation.

Attendees enjoyed 45 learning sessions and panels given by renowned industry leaders. Sessions focused on turfgrass management, facility management, synthetic turf, pest control, water, industry developments, baseball and professional development.

Award winners recognized included “Field of the Year” recipients in professional, collegiate, schools and parks categories. The prestigious Founders’ Awards acknowledging significant contributions to the profession were bestowed to:

• Kim Heck, CAE, SFMA – George Toma Golden Rake
• Allen Johnson, CSFM, Green Bay Packers – Dick Ericson Award
• Troy Smith, CSFM, Ewing – Harry C. Gill Award
• Victoria Wallace, University of Connecticut – William H. Daniel Award

 Student Challenge four-year program winners:

• Penn State University, State College, Penn. – Team 403 (First Place)
• Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa – Team 405 (Second Place)
• Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind. – Team 418 (Third Place)

Student Challenge two-year program winners:

• Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, Calif. – Team 209 (First Place)
• Penn State University, State College, Penn. – Team 211 (Second Place)
• Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute, Wooster, Ohio – Team 208 (Third Place)

Check out SFMA’s 2020 Conference Video Recap here.