Writing from the Landscape Management Lawn Care Forum at Reunion Resort in Orlando, Fla., I can’t help but think one of the attendees may be more critical of the grounds than most: keynote speaker Anthony Williams.
In opportune fashion, this week’s Throwback Thursday post, from the June 2004 issue of LM, features Williams, then director of grounds for Renaissance PineIsle Resort & Golf Club in Lake Lanier Islands, Ga. Today Williams is director of grounds for Stone Mountain Golf Club by Marriott, Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort and Stone Mountain Inn in Stone Mountain, Ga.
The article ran in preparation of the 2004 Green Star Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) Awards, spotlighting PineIsle as the 2003 PGMS award winner in the hotel, motel or resort category.
One of the biggest challenges Williams faced in maintaining the 167-acre resort was to strike a balance of deterring wildlife damage yet safeguarding the environment for that wildlife—the resort is an Audubon Society Cooperative Sanctuary.
In 2003 Williams was tasked with using more natural means to maintain the resort, and he accomplished that goal and has gone on to do so for other properties, like the ones he currently presides over.
“There is extensive wildlife here, so protecting the environment is our first priority,” he said. “There are certain chemical solutions that aren’t available to us, but the end goal is worth it.”
