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Candidates for the At-Large Director
Kevin Meredith, CSFM
National Soccer Hall of Fame, Oneonta, NY
Kevin Meredith CSFM has been the Turf Manager for the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, New York for the past 19 years. He is one of the founding members of the New York Chapter (STMONY) and has served as President, Past President and currently Chairman of the Board of Directors.
On the national level Kevin has always been willing to help to the best of his ability. Doing whatever he was asked, he stuffed badges and set up books for the national conference attendees and sold raffle tickets with Tom Curran for the SAFE Foundation. He has served on the Editorial, Information Outreach and Chapter Relations committees as well being the New York Mentor when the mentoring program was in place. Kevin won the Soccer Field of The Year in the Parks and Recreation category in 2000 and was honored with the George Toma Golden Rake Award in 2004.
Originally from Liberty, NY, Kevin served in the US Navy from 1968-1972 as an Aerographers Mate (weather guesser). He has an AA from Sullivan County Community College and a BS from SUNY Oneonta where he studied biology. Meredith Maintenance, a landscape and property maintenance business was started while in college to help with expenses and is still operating today. Having also worked in the social services field, Kevin became a New York State Credentialed Alcoholism Counselor (CAC) and worked in that field for 12 years. At present Kevin has started a new business and is President/CEO of EcoSyn Distributors, a company that has partnered with KeyPlex, a manufacturer of high-grade micronutrients and plant health elicitors.
Vision for STMA:
My vision for STMA remains the same as it has been. I want to continue to bring the highest quality sports turf education available to those dedicated people that have chosen this profession. I want STMA to be the gold standard. I want our growth to be controlled and steady with an eye on the future without having to compromise our values and direction.
I have always been a great ambassador for STMA and would like to think that my efforts have had a positive impact on the growth and influence of this great organization. I would like the chance to serve on the Board of Directors and work at the highest level of service to give back to the organization that helped change my life and mold my professional career.
vs.
Michael Tarantino
Poway USD, Poway, CA
Michael Tarantino is the Director of Maintenance and Operations for the Poway Unified School District where he has been employed for 24 years. The Poway District consists of 39 sites covering 100 square miles with an enrollment 33,500.
Michael manages over 3 million square feet of building space including gymnasiums and pools and over 800 acres of ornamental landscape, over 42.5 acres of sports turf, 99 acres of multi use fields and 19 acres synthetic turf fields.
Michael has been involved in the green industry for 37 years and is currently the Past President of the SoCal Chapter of the Sports Turf Managers Association. He has served on many committees for the national STMA including the PCI Task Force, Membership, and Chapter Relations Committees. He currently serves on the STMA Finance and Audit Committee. At the 2009 national STMA conference held in San José, Calif., Michael received the Dick Ericson Founders Award for his service to the national STMA and his leadership within STMA and the local level to better the sports turf industry.
Michael holds a BSBM with a minor in Human Resources, and he is a licensed landscape contractor in California. He is a frequent presenter for many organizations and schools and sits on the Board of Directors for a local soccer club.
Vision for STMA:
My vision is threefold: to help make the Sports Turf Managers Association the ‘go to’ organization in the sports turf industry, to assist in the growth of the organization whether at the local or national level, and to provide my expertise and knowledge to all categories. Critical to the accomplishment of this vision will be networking with all of the categories, local chapters, the current Board members, and building strong relationships with affiliate associations.