North Coast Media, LLC

Pit & Quarry launches Hall of Fame website

CLEVELAND—December 9, 2016—North Coast Media brand Pit & Quarry launched pitandquarryhalloffame.com, an online representation of its annual Hall of Fame dinner and recognition ceremony.

“The Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame has become a great resource for aggregate professionals to celebrate and learn from the inventors, forward thinkers and leaders of their industry,” says Pit & Quarry Group Publisher Rob Fulop. “This website delivers that same inspiration beyond the annual induction ceremony.”

The website features profiles of each Hall of Fame inductee and an online form where visitors can nominate future inductees. Visitors can also purchase tickets to the 2017 Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on March 6, 2017.

The Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame was established in 2013 to recognize professionals that have made significant contributions to the aggregate industry. Eligible professionals include aggregate producers, manufacturers, suppliers, dealers, associations and additional representatives of the industry.

Visit the new website, or the Pit & Quarry website, for more information.

About Pit & Quarry
Pit & Quarry is published by North Coast Media, LLC (NCM), the largest B2B publishing company headquartered in Cleveland. NCM’s flagship brands include LP Gas, Pit & Quarry, GPS World, Pest Management Professional, Landscape Management (LM) and Golfdom. Ancillary brands include Portable Plants & Equipment (PP&E), Geospatial Solutions, Athletic Turf News and Truman’s Scientific Guide to Pest Management Operations, and a host of other leading industry reference books.

LP Gas unveils 2017 Hall of Fame Class

CLEVELAND — November 29, 2016 — National propane association leaders, codes and standards experts, and equipment developers integral to industry growth are among the individuals selected for the LP Gas Hall of Fame as part of its 2017 class, LP Gas magazine announced recently.

John D. (Jack) Capps (National LP-Gas Association), Theodore Lemoff (TLemoff Engineering), Darrel Reifschneider (Manchester Tank) and William Young (Superior Energy Systems) make up the 2017 class. The magazine will honor them and recognize their contributions to the propane industry during a black-tie induction dinner and ceremony April 20, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee, prior to the NPGA Southeastern Convention & International Propane Expo.

LP Gas launched its Hall of Fame in propane’s centennial year of 2012 as a way to honor past and present leaders who helped establish, advance and grow the industry. This year’s class brings the total number of inductees to 32. Suburban Propane, AmeriGas, Blossman Gas and Tarantin Industries are sponsors of the LP Gas Hall of Fame.

Meet the 2017 class:

John D. (Jack) Capps – National LP-Gas Association

The late Capps served as a leader and a guide to the propane industry by committing his time and efforts to the National LP-Gas Association (NLPGA) as its executive vice president and general manager in the 1970s and 1980s. He led activities that helped to modernize the industry during his time with NLPGA. Capps encouraged the use of the term “propane” instead of “LP gas.” He helped to form several committees that are still vital to the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) today, including the audit committee, the Certified Employee Training Program (CETP) certification committee and the safety committee. Capps always took member suggestions into consideration and often sought opportunities to implement those ideas. He is also a recipient of the NPGA Distinguished Service Award.

Theodore Lemoff – TLemoff Engineering

Lemoff worked as staff liaison at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for about 26 years for a number of codes and standards. Lemoff served as the editor for eight editions of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code Handbook and for six editions of the National Fuel Gas Code Handbook. He coauthored the NFPA Pocket Guide to Fuel Gas Storage and Use, and he contributed to the development of the NFPA 54, NFPA 58 and NFPA 59 codes. He has traveled the world for NFPA as its staff liaison and has extensive knowledge over the content of NFPA codes. He has lectured on NFPA 54 and NFPA 58 in seminars throughout his career. He exercised leadership at NFPA to move business forward, and his often-used comment, “Mr. Chairman, if I might suggest,” was key to guiding his discussion in the direction it needed to go to resolve sticking points. In addition, his gift of putting complex requirements into straightforward language helped to focus many NFPA meetings. Lemoff retired from his role as NFPA’s principal gases engineer in 2010, and he started TLemoff Engineering as a consulting business. Today, he remains a valuable resource on NFPA codes for the propane industry.

Darrel Reifschneider – Manchester Tank

Reifschneider led Manchester Tank as its president and CEO, helping to grow the company from a single site in Los Angeles to multiple plants across the United States, Canada and Australia. He joined his mother, Mollie Reifschneider, to lead the family business in 1955 after graduating from college. Throughout his career, he had a zeal for selling and was loyal to his customers. Reifschneider introduced powder coating to the 20-pound cylinder market, and his company’s efforts helped to further that market overall. The production of large volumes of 20-pound cylinders at low cost to grill manufacturers is a key reason for propane dominating the grill market today. He also helped to introduce the vertical dispenser as a Manchester Tank design. With its former leader as a strong advocate of autogas, the company has shown a willingness to manufacture autogas tanks, even when the market was limited. Throughout the course of the autogas market, the company has developed new tank designs to accommodate new vehicle packaging. Reifschneider is characterized as someone who remained steadfast to the propane industry, even through tough times in the industry’s history.

William Young – Superior Energy Systems

For more than half a century, Young has dedicated himself to the safety and improvement of the propane industry. He began his career as a staff engineer for Industrial Gas, a small propane company in Pittsburgh. Not long after, he started to work on his first water-bath vaporizer and propane-air blender systems. Young sums up his career in the industry by saying that he “builds the products and ideas that no one else wants to build.” Young helped to found Superior Energy Systems in 2002, and with his expertise as vice president of engineering the company has manufactured bulk plants and trans-shipment terminals that are used throughout the United States. In more recent years, Young recognized the industry’s need to focus on propane autogas. He has worked with his engineering group to steer the company to manufacture a range of certified turnkey propane autogas dispensing systems. Having been involved in industry standards for decades, Young puts a priority on compliance and safety. He has shared his knowledge as a member of numerous NPGA and NFPA technical committees. He has testified in front of governmental organizations, and he continues to educate communities about propane. The NFPA Standards Council honored him this year with its Committee Service Award. “[Young’s] commitment to safety in handling and using a hazardous material such as propane is evident by the many decades that he participated [in writing codes and standards] at his own expense,” says Bruce Swiecicki, senior technical adviser at NPGA. “The propane industry is indebted to [Young] for his contributions over the years.”

About North Coast Media
North Coast Media, LLC. employs over 50 professionals who collectively possess hundreds of years of experience creating and delivering unparalleled media — from industry-leading print magazines, to websites and email newsletters, to social media and mobile solutions, to exclusive industry research, custom products and one-on-one buyer-seller networking events. NCM flagship brands include LP Gas, Landscape Management, Pest Management Professional, Pit & Quarry, Golfdom and GPS World. Ancillary brands include Portable Plants & Equipment, Geospatial Solutions, Athletic Turf News and Truman’s Scientific Guide to Pest Management Operations.

Pit & Quarry unveils 2017 Hall of Fame class

CLEVELAND — November 22, 2016 — North Coast Media brand Pit & Quarry recently announced the 2017 class for its’ Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame, which includes Bob Bartlett of the National Stone Association; Paul Detwiler Jr. of New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co. Inc.; Kim Snyder of Eastern Industries Inc.; and Mark Towe of Oldcastle Inc.

The four 2017 inductees will join the 20 current members in the Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame. The 2017 inductees will also be represented in the National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum in Leadville, Colorado, joining the other Hall of Famers already represented there.

The 2017 inductees will be honored in Las Vegas at a black-tie induction ceremony and dinner Monday, March 6, 2017. The event, held at the Encore Las Vegas just ahead of ConExpo-Con/Agg 2017, is supported by the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA). To purchase tickets to the black-tie induction ceremony and dinner, click here.

The inductees, detailed below in alphabetical order, were selected by a group of peers from a pool of nominees submitted by industry experts and Pit & Quarry readers.

Bob Bartlett, National Stone Association

Bob Bartlett, a former Pennsylvania highway secretary, served as National Stone Association (NSA) president starting in 1986. He served through the majority of the 1990s, retiring from the position in 1997. Bartlett was praised for doubling the association’s membership during his tenure. He also created a $5 million endowment for the International Center for Aggregates Research. In addition, Bartlett was a key figure in the merger of NSA and the National Aggregates Association (NAA) into NSSGA. Says Tina Richards, a former association colleague: “When I was [at NSA], he brought the association into a fiscally responsible position. He took the helm after the merger of the two organizations. One was a little bit more profitable than the other. He managed to grow their investment reserves.” Bartlett also served as president of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association and as an executive vice president for L.B. Smith Inc. in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. Bartlett died in January 2016.

Paul Detwiler Jr., New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co. Inc.

A descendant of New Enterprise Stone & Lime (NESL) founder J.S. Detwiler and a current owner of the company, Paul Detwiler Jr. was instrumental in guiding and building NESL into a top 25 U.S. aggregate-producing company and a top 10 crushed-stone producer – one that has provided a number of families in Pennsylvania with quality jobs, and countless more with quality construction materials. Detwiler was an innovator on the technology front, bringing leading-edge ideas to his company. As an example, NESL conveyor tail pulleys were raised from the ground on columns years before a number of other companies did the same, improving cleanup and reliability. Detwiler also excelled in working to help the aggregate industry improve in the areas of operation, safety and efficiency. Over the years, he served on a number of association boards at both the national and state levels. Detwiler joins his son, Paul Detwiler III, in the Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame.

Kim Snyder, Eastern Industries Inc.

Kim Snyder’s career in the aggregate industry spans more than 40 years, having provided value to several different aggregate companies. Perhaps his greatest contribution was to Eastern Industries, which he served as president and where he devoted 16 years of his career. According to those closest to Snyder, his management style has always created well-grounded and highly committed teams that are successful within their market areas, communities or associations. Snyder served as chairman of the board of NSA/NSSGA, as well as of the National Asphalt Pavement Association. He was instrumental in leading the efforts that led to the successful merger of NSA and NAA in 2000. In addition, Snyder had a passion for establishing grassroots efforts within his companies and the industry to achieve his goals. Today, Snyder is principal at New Normal Advisors LLC, “helping family businesses adjust to the new normal.” He is also chairman of the board at McCarthy Bush Corp., and he’s a member of the board of directors at Hilltop Basic Resources Inc. and Mellott Co.

Mark Towe, Oldcastle Inc.

Mark Towe, CEO of Oldcastle Inc. since 2006, joined the company as COO of the Materials Group in 1997. Towe became president of Oldcastle Materials Inc. in 2000, and he has held a number of senior management positions in the aggregate industry over the years. With more than 40 years of experience in the construction materials industry, Towe has overall responsibility for Oldcastle’s aggregate, asphalt and ready-mix concrete operations in the United States, as well as its products and distribution businesses in the Americas. Towe serves as chairman of the board of trustees for the Rocks Build America Foundation at the Smithsonian Institute. He was a recipient of NSSGA’s Barry K. Wendt Commitment Award in 2001, when members of the NAA-NSA Merger Steering Committee were recognized.

Other members of the Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame include:

Glen Barton, Caterpillar
Eli Whitney Blake, Blake Rock Crusher Co.
J. Don Brock, Astec Industries Inc.
Emil Deister, Deister Machine Co.
Paul Detwiler III, New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co.
Richard J. Feltes, Feltes Sand & Gravel Co.
Bernie Grove, National Stone Association
LeRoy Hagenbuch, Philippi-Hagenbuch
Howard Hall, Iowa Manufacturing/Cedarapids Inc.
Donald M. James, Vulcan Materials Co.
Charles W. Ireland, Vulcan Materials Co.
Chuck Lien, Pete Lien & Sons
Charles Luck Jr., Luck Stone
Samuel Calvin McLanahan, McLanahan Corp.
Paul C. Mellott Jr., Mellott Co.
Bruno Nordberg, Nordberg Manufacturing Co.
Ralph Rogers, Rogers Group
Neil Schmidgall, Superior Industries
Arthur Taggart, Columbia and Yale Universities
Stephen P. Zelnak Jr., Martin Marietta Materials Inc.

Pit & Quarry is currently accepting nominations for the 2018 class of the Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame. Nominate a worthy individual today at www.pitandquarry.com/hall-of-fame.

About North Coast Media
North Coast Media, LLC. employs over 50 professionals who collectively possess hundreds of years of experience creating and delivering unparalleled media — from industry-leading print magazines, to websites and email newsletters, to social media and mobile solutions, to exclusive industry research, custom products and one-on-one buyer-seller networking events. NCM flagship brands include Pit & Quarry, Landscape Management, Pest Management Professional, LP Gas, Golfdom and GPS World. Ancillary brands include Portable Plants & Equipment, Geospatial Solutions, Athletic Turf News and Truman’s Scientific Guide to Pest Management Operations.

Athletic Turf editor-in-chief interviewed by Chicago Tribune

While it may take a few dozen professional athletes to win a baseball game, it takes the hard work of close to a hundred unseen turf specialists to keep a field in playing condition. Seth Jones, editor-in-chief of Athletic Turf and Golfdom, knows all about these groundskeepers and the maintenance required of them.

Chicago Tribune shared Jones’ expertise in an article about Wrigley Field’s groundskeepers published on Oct. 4, 2016. The Chicago area newspaper is published by tronc Inc. and has about 455,000 subscribers to its weekday paper.

Jones, who was voted best columnist of 2014 by the Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association, has 15 years of experience in the golf and turf industries.

“The guys want to be behind the scenes,” said [Jones of groundskeepers]. “Very rarely do people celebrate these guys, even though they appreciate their handiwork every time they go into the ballpark.”

The article, which noted that Athletic Turf delivers sports turf news to a mailing list of 15,000, also featured the work of Justin Spillman, head groundskeeper at Wrigley Field. Spillman has 20 years of groundskeeping experience in minor and major league ballparks.

“People get so jealous,” Jones said. “He’s a minor celebrity in the baseball field himself because he’s been all over the place.”

Jones gained insights from Spillman about maintaining Wrigley Field grounds after concerts in an Athletic Turf interview published May 20, 2016.

Read the original article: ‘The ivy and the infield: What it takes to keep Wrigley Field beautiful’ from Chicago Tribune, Oct. 4, 2016

North Coast Media’s Sanchez-Perkins elected to AAMP Board of Directors

CLEVELAND, Ohio — October 17, 2016 — North Coast Media (NCM) is thrilled to announce the election of Senior Audience Development Manager Antoinette Sanchez-Perkins to the Association for Audience Marketing Professionals (AAMP) Board of Directors.

AAMP is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the media industry. Established in 1976, AAMP is the only organization committed to audience marketing professionals in the media industry.

The AAMP Board of Directors is comprised of industry experts who volunteer their time to educate other magazine publishing professionals in the areas of circulation, audience development, marketing and subscription fulfillment.

AAMP was created to educate and connect the audience marketing community through webinars, community building and networking events like its signature CircDayLA.

“I am excited to see the innovations she contributes to audience marketing through her role on the AAMP Board of Directors,” said Steve Galperin, North Coast Media’s vice president of finance & operations.

Sanchez-Perkins has more than 20 years of experience in business-to-business media print and digital audience development. Her expertise in database and list management and controlled circulation audits and assessments helps North Coast Media advertisers target the right audiences and see detailed data regarding the brands with which they interact. Sanchez-Perkins began her career with Penton Media as circulation fulfillment manager for Electronic Design magazine.

About North Coast Media
North Coast Media, LLC. employs over 50 professionals who collectively possess hundreds of years of experience creating and delivering unparalleled media — from industry-leading print magazines, to websites and email newsletters, to social media and mobile solutions, to exclusive industry research, custom products and one-on-one buyer-seller networking events. NCM flagship brands include Golfdom, Landscape Management, Pest Management Professional, LP Gas, Pit & Quarry and GPS World. Ancillary brands include Portable Plants & Equipment, Geospatial Solutions, Athletic Turf News and Truman’s Scientific Guide to Pest Management Operations.

Landscape Management & Golfdom announce promotions and a new staff addition

Cleveland, OH — October 17, 2016 — The North Coast Media brands Landscape Management and Golfdom are happy to announce the promotions of Craig MacGregor to Group Associate Publisher and Jake Goodman to Western Regional Sales Manager, and the addition of Chris De Cicco as Eastern Regional Sales Manager.

These moves were made necessary thanks to the consistent growth of their print and digital products as well as the overwhelming success of their hosted events.

Craig MacGregor is now the Group Associate Publisher for both the Golfdom and Landscape Management brands, supporting Golfdom Publisher Pat Roberts and Landscape Management Publisher Bill Roddy. He joined Landscape Management in January 2012 and has consistently grown his territory every year. Craig excels on the digital media side, working with the North Coast Media digital team to pioneer unique digital solutions for his customers.

After nearly two years of successfully growing his territory, Jake Goodman’s role will expand to cover the newly formed Western Region. Jake will work with a diverse portfolio of Golfdom and Landscape Management customers to help guide their growth.

Chris De Cicco, a graduate of the University of Dayton, joins the company with more than 20 years of sales, marketing and operations experience. He’ll utilize his experience to manage the Golfdom and Landscape Management brands in the newly formed Eastern Region. Chris will help his customers develop advertising solutions to strengthen their positions in the golf course maintenance and landscaping and lawn care industries.

“The Landscape Management and Golfdom brands are rich in tradition, and have a long history of meeting the needs of both readers and marketers,” said Kevin Stoltman, President and CEO of North Coast Media. “We’re constantly striving to make investments in not only our print, digital and event products — but also in our people. These moves, along with others we’ll be announcing in coming weeks, are an outstanding reflection of that.”

About North Coast Media
North Coast Media, LLC (NCM), employs over 50 professionals who collectively possess hundreds of years of experience creating and delivering unparalleled media — from industry-leading print magazines, to websites and email newsletters, to social media and mobile solutions, to exclusive industry research, custom products and one-on-one buyer-seller networking events. NCM flagship brands include Golfdom, Landscape Management, Pest Management Professional, LP Gas, Pit & Quarry and GPS World. Ancillary brands include Portable Plants & Equipment, Geospatial Solutions, Athletic Turf News and Truman’s Scientific Guide to Pest Management Operations.