Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council – New KAFMO Website Brings Up-to-Date Technology to Turfgrass

Pennsylvania Turfgrass - Keystone Athletic Field Managers Organization (KAFMO) If you have visited the KAFMO website recently, you may have noticed a new look. The familiar green on green checkerboard background is gone, replaced by an up-to-date online presence with a clean, modern look built to serve members, board, and staff equally. We talked with [...]

The post Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council – New KAFMO Website Brings Up-to-Date Technology to Turfgrass appeared first on The Turf Zone.

Pennsylvania Turfgrass – Keystone Athletic Field Managers Organization (KAFMO)

If you have visited the KAFMO website recently, you may have noticed a new look. The familiar green on green checkerboard background is gone, replaced by an up-to-date online presence with a clean, modern look built to serve members, board, and staff equally. We talked with KAFMO Board member “Turftechguy” Bill Brown, who designed the new website, about his involvement in the project and KAFMO’s goals. According to Bill, this is not just a facelift. “We are making a big leap in the technology of the KAFMO website and I think it is important to highlight that,” Bill says.

“Turftechguy”

“Given my technology background, Dan Douglas asked me to serve on the Board to assist in updating the KAFMO website,” he says. Bill’s credentials in both Turfgrass Science and technology are indeed impressive. In 2009 Bill founded iTurf Apps, the leading technology and Social Media source for turfgrass professionals, and in 2012 he founded Turf Republic, a platform for a turf-centric community of solution generation and sharing that connects industry, professionals, academia, students and enthusiasts. In 2013, he was named to Golf Inc’s Most Innovative People in Golf. Since 2016, Bill has served as the Director of Brand Development / NE Distributor Support for AQUA-AID SOLUTIONS.

Bill was showcased in Golf Course Industry Magazine in a 2010 article entitled Mobile Mileage. “That article was really my springboard into the industry as the leader of integrating technology into turfgrass management,” he says. Since then, Bill has been teaching and giving presentations across North America on the integration of Technology and Social Media to turfgrass managers. He served as faculty for the GCSAA, teaching at the Golf Industry Show on Technology and Personal Branding. He also helped found the Test Drive Technology Center, GCSAA’s technology showcase at the Golf Course Industry Show. KAFMO is fortunate to be able to draw on the expertise of someone so uniquely qualified to understand both the industry and the technology needs of the organization.

KAFMO.ORG: Old vs. New

The old KAFMO site provided great information regarding the organization. It was home to all of KAFMO’s history of awards, events, and publications and had a current calendar. However, in Bill’s opinion, it had some limitations on the backend technology to help with managing the organization and allowing members to manage their membership. The old site’s architecture also made it difficult to use on anything other than a desktop. The website was not mobile friendly, which is what nearly two-thirds of people use these days to access website information. KAFMO’s ability to provide value to sponsors through a digital system was also limited. It was time for an upgrade.

With phase one of the launch of the new kafmo.org this summer, the goal was to bring the website up to 2021 design and feature standards. KAFMO’s objectives for the new site were as follows:

– Update the architecture of the website, including the design and capabilities. The new website’s technologies give the board and Executive Director Linda Kulp a more simplified, unified system to manage the organization that exists in one location, versus the more piece-meal system that had been in place before. Through the new website CMS (Content Management System) and CRM (Customer Relationship Manager) systems, staff and board can now evaluate the current overall health of the KAFMO organization from a membership and financial standpoint. A modernized communication system will allow a streamlined system of communication with members and prospective members.

– Provide a new and modernized platform to allow members and prospective members the ability to engage with the organization.

– Provide a modern and simplified system for members and organizations to take ownership of their KAFMO membership. Members and organizations can now manage and renew their memberships, register, and make payments for events and sponsorships directly through a secure portal on the website.

– Showcase the value that KAFMO and its members bring to athletics in the state of Pennsylvania through the new design of the website.

All these goals were met with the initial launch, but Bill adds,”There are several features that we look forward to rolling out in the months to come.” One of these is the ability to showcase sponsors through a more digital platform, providing a great return on their investment in KAFMO. Additional member features that will add value to their membership with KAFMO are in the works as well.

Turf and Tech

Bill Brown brings two very different areas of expertise to bear on this project. When asked how he came to combine turf and information technology, he responded, “Technology has always intrigued me since I was a kid.” He got his B.S. in Turfgrass Science at Penn State and he has been an integral part of the turf industry for over 27 years. As a Certified Golf Course Superintendent, Bill served as both a Superintendent and Regional Agronomist, completing his tenure at Hartefeld National in Avondale, PA. However, he recalls that even as a Turfgrass Science student he quickly found he also had a passion for both technology and a fantastic array of Apple Inc. products. In his Penn State days, he would write excel scripts on his iMac to solve various problems the students were assigned. When he entered the industry, he continued to integrate various technologies that were available at the time to help track data collection on the course to better analyze the efficiency of operations and the ability to achieve required turfgrass standards. The culmination of his tenure in the industry and his technology expertise have served him well in his current role with AQUA-AID Solutions.

Bill Brown’s expertise and passion for turfgrass and technology have grown concurrently over the course of his career. If you visit www.kafmo.org, you will see that his work on the newly-launched KAFMO website is just one more piece of evidence that “Turftechguy” is a perfect title for him.

The post Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council – New KAFMO Website Brings Up-to-Date Technology to Turfgrass appeared first on The Turf Zone.