John Kmitta Associate Publisher / Editorial Brand Director jkmitta @ epgmediallc . com 763-383-4405

Happy New Year . Welcome to 2023 .

This month brings the sports field management industry ’ s biggest event – the SFMA Conference and Exhibition , in Salt Lake City , Utah ., January 16-19 .

I ’ m looking forward to the Seminar on Wheels tours , the SAFE Night of Bowling , the conference education sessions , trade show , and the keynote address by NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith . Most of all , I ’ m looking forward to all the great networking opportunities and the ability to connect with my industry contacts , meet new people and interact with you , the reader .

For conference information , be sure to visit sportsfieldmanagement . org / conference , or check out our show preview and Salt Lake City overview at sportsfieldmanagementonline . com .

NEW BEGINNINGS The New Year brings new leadership to SFMA . In this issue , we are pleased to introduce new SFMA CEO Laura Simmons , CAE . I had the pleasure of speaking with Laura for the profile featured in this issue , and I came away from that conversation excited for the future of the association . 2022 was a challenging year for the SFMA Board as the board members and search committee worked through the process of identifying the right leader to take the reins as CEO . But I am confident that their due diligence paid off , as their new CEO brings strong association management credentials , great people skills , and a vision for the future of SFMA . I look forward to meeting Laura this month in Salt Lake and working with her to share SFMA ’ s message with our readers .

FOND FAREWELL I also want to take a moment to express my gratitude to my friend and colleague , Peggy Tupper , who retired from our company at the end of 2022 . As National Sales Manager on SportsField Management magazine , Peggy has been integral to our brand , and our team , for the past decade . Peggy ’ s impact extends far beyond the advertisers and SFMA Commercial Members with whom she has come into contact . Her personality resonates with anyone who has had the pleasure to meet her , and her ideas and support have helped our team deliver new content and products to our audience .

Now , as Peggy moves into retirement to spend more time with her children and grandchildren , I wish her all the joy and relaxation that this new chapter will bring . SFM

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SportsField Management | January 2023 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com