Author: Marty Whitford

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Marty Whitford

Marty Whitford is an award-winning journalist and editorial leader at North Coast Media. He is publisher of Landscape Management's sister magazine, Pest Management Professional. He's a graduate of Kent State University’s School of Journalism & Mass Communication and he served a four-year stint in the U.S. Navy.

RISE to raise dues, funds will go to fighting pesticide litigation battles

The Governing Board for Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE), at the group’s annual meeting in August in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., unanimously approved a membership dues increase to fund a more proactive messaging stance and fight mounting pesticide litigation battles. The dues increase—the organization’s first in years—is significant but needed, said RISE Chairman Jonathan […]

‘Change’ is the operative word at RISE Industry Issues Breakfast

“Where should we begin today?” Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE) President Aaron Hobbs asked a crowd of members and golf course superintendents attending the organization’s annual Industry Issues Breakfast Feb. 8 at the Golf Industry Show (GIS) in Orlando. “We did have an election. How about we start there,” said Hobbs, after a […]

Quali-Pro gives new product breakdown at GIS

Quali-Pro, a division of Pasadena, Texas-based Control Solutions (CSI), held its “Third Annual Distributor Breakfast Breakdown” on Feb. 26 at the Golf Industry Show (GIS) in San Antonio. Rick Grant, CSI business director—turf and ornamental markets, kicked off the confab by introducing to distributors Matt Shipp, CSI’s new VP of marketing. Shipp holds a bachelor’s […]

Lost and found: Be willing to ask for help … and use common sense

A few years ago, I lost our son Jamie while I was looking for a new pair of jeans at a JC Penney store. After organizing a search party comprising just one increasingly frantic father, I decided the best course of action was to run around the department store like a mad man. Failing to […]

Weighing in on wellness

I’ve spent most of my married life — the past 20 years — dodging our bathroom scale. In ducking this weighty issue, I’ve spawned a virtual Dockers store: My closet now is overflown with dozens of pants spanning 34-, 36-, 38-, 40-, 42- and 44-inch waists. My mother has lovingly nudged me to lose weight […]

Fantasy football teaches 5 building blocks for business leaders

It finally happened! It took two decades, but I eventually won the outlaws’ (inlaws’) McNamara Fantasy Football League this year! Strike that. Actually, we won it — “we” being our oldest son, Mickey (17), me (the clueless Old Man helping run the front office) and the talented team we drafted, refined and fielded on a […]

Honesty always rings true

Remember what it was like to possess unbridled honesty? For many of us adults, it’s been decades. Unbridled honesty is what made “Liar, Liar” — the 1997 comedy in which Jim Carrey played an attorney who can’t help but speak his mind and tell the truth at every turn — so appealing at the box […]

Role reversal and the Age of Necessity

It’s the circle of life. As our children grow into adults and we grow into grandparents, we hope our children remember at least some of the things we did for them and lend us a hand during our times of need. The world’s economy is no different. Welcome to seniorhood, America. “Nine out of 10 […]

DuPont Professional Products showcases Acelepryn

Mike McDermott grinned as he advanced to the next slide in his PowerPoint presentation. It featured a wide-angle shot of DuPont Professional Products’ impressive line-up. “It brings a tear to my eye every time I see our family photo,” half-joked McDermott, global business leader for DuPont Professional Products. “We’ve grown our family from zero registered […]

Do you have multiple personalities?

In 2004, archaeologists digging in Israel unearthed the earliest evidence to date of the controlled use of fire — charred wood and seeds — at a site dating back 790,000 years. At least one academic believes this pivotal use of fire originated in part thanks to the proliferation of multiple personalities. “I believe fire was […]

Homeless, but not hopeless

Chris Gardner, author of the best-selling autobiography ‘The Pursuit of Happyness,’ shares his street smarts with Green Industry professionals. Every time I see the movie ‘The Pursuit of Happyness,’ I’m absolutely amazed. How did those people spend $70 million to tell a story about what I did with nothing?” half-jokes Chris Gardner, who penned the […]

Let’s not re-enact ‘Lord of the Flies’

Ever read “Lord of the Flies,” or seen one of the two flicks based on the novel? I only ask because some within the Green Industry have forgotten the book’s golden message. In the allegorical novel by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding, a group of British schoolboys descend into savagery after being marooned on a […]

Same resolutions, renewed resolve

In March 2009, I wrote a column, “What are you going to do with all of the time you’ve been given?” I concluded it by sharing my professional, personal and spiritual To-Dos. Looking in the rearview mirror, it’s clear that outside of a few sporadic successes, I fell a bit short working toward those goals. […]

Whit’s World: Learning to laugh at ourselves

Roses are red. Violets are blue. I sleep naked. How ’bout you? Last month, I promised I’d close this rather difficult year by sharing a few “Jamie gems” — humorous stories proving our middle son, who happens to have Down syndrome, is wiser than his 14 years on Earth — and much wiser than his […]

Whit’s World: Help set the record straight

SmartMoney makes quite a living systematically tarnishing the reputations and threatening the livelihoods of all types of professionals. Its often-shoddy journalism produces a plethora of dirty laundry lists — “10 Things (fill in the blank) Won’t Tell You.” Some of the magazine’s recent one-sided slams include “10 Things Your Contractor Won’t Tell You,” “10 Things Your […]

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