North Coast Media, LLC

North Coast Media brands recognized nationally at Azbees, internationally at Tabbies

CLEVELAND, OH – August 1, 2016 – North Coast Media (NCM) is thrilled to announce another strong showing at some of the industry’s most respected award ceremonies. At this year’s Azbee Awards of Excellence, Pest Management Professional (PMP), Golfdom, GPS World and NCM corporate were all honored for their editorial and design work at a banquet July 21 at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The American Society of Business Publication Editors’ Azbee Awards recognize the exceptional work of magazines, newsletters and digital media in the business-to-business and professional publication industries on the national level. According to asbpe.org, nearly 1,150 Azbee entries were submitted in 75 different categories.

NCM’s five Azbee Awards are:

North Coast Media, Silver, Website Design, “NorthCoastMedia.net,” Jesse Malcmacher, Joelle Harms, Bethany Chambers, Pete Seltzer, Steve Galperin
GPS World, Bronze, Website Redesign, “GPSWorld.com,” Jesse Malcmacher, Joelle Harms, Bethany Chambers, Pete Seltzer. GPS World offers news and information for businesses and individuals who work with GPS, GIE, GNSS, and UAV technologies.
Golfdom, Bronze, Original Research, “The Golfdom Report,” Seth Jones, Pete Seltzer, Grant B. Gannon. Golfdom focuses on news and information for businesses and individuals who manage and maintain golf courses.
Golfdom, Bronze, Front Cover-Photo, “A Masterpiece of Minimalism,” Peter Seltzer, Seth Jones
Pest Management Professional, Bronze, Front Cover-Illustration, “Pest Management Professional: December 2015,” Leo Michael, Tracie Martinez, Marty Whitford, Heather Gooch. PMP offers news and insights to businesses and individuals who work in the pest control field.

Joelle_Azbee_Award — Joelle Harms at the Azbee Award ceremony in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Joelle Harms, senior digital media content producer for NCM, was in attendance not only to collect these awards, but also to be recognized as a top young leader by ASBPE. The Young Leaders scholarship is awarded to five of the country’s top business editors under 30.

Along with these awards, GPS World received a Tabbie Award from the Trade Association Business Publications International. The awards recognize the top business-to-business publications from around the globe. GPS World earned the Bronze Tabbie for “Best Use of Social Media.” The contest received more than 400 entries from 11 countries. The judges awarded Tracy Cozzens, Joelle Harms and Bethany Chambers for their variety of social media platforms and the significant amount of updated content.

“All of us at North Coast Media take great pride in our products. We continually look at ways to improve the design and content of our magazines, newsletters and digital media and to increase reader engagement. Receiving these awards is a great honor and supports these goals,” said Kevin Stoltman, NCM President & CEO.

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

North Coast Media brands win 14 Regional Azbee Awards from ASBPE

CLEVELAND — North Coast Media (NCM) is proud announce that its brands and staff combined to win 14 Azbee awards at the ASBPE Heartland Region banquet June 24 in Cleveland.

Launched in 1964 as the American Society of Business Press Editors, ASBPE is the professional association of editors, writers, art directors and designers in the business, trade and specialty publishing industry.

Heartland Region awards were selected from more than 1,200 entries from member states Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.

NCM staff members at the 2016 ASBPE Heartland Region awards banquet in Cleveland

North Coast Media publications Golfdom, GPS World, Landscape Management, LP Gas and Pest Management Professional received awards, as did the company’s corporate website. (See below for the complete list)

Several of the regional finalists are also finalists for national awards, which will be announced July 21 at the Azbee Awards of Excellence Banquet during the ASBPE National Conference at The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida.

NCM’s Joelle Harms will represent the company at the National Awards, where she is also being named a Young Leader.

The complete list of NCM brands and staff recognized includes:

Golfdom

Print, Original Research, Gold Medalist, “The Golfdom Report,” Seth Jones, Pete Seltzer and Grant Gannon

Design, Front Cover-Photo, Silver Medalist, “A Masterpiece of Minimalism,” Pete Seltzer and Seth Jones

Design, Opening Page/Spread-Illustration, Bronze Medalist, “Water, Water, Everywhere” (November 2015), Pete Seltzer

GPS World

Design, Website Redesign, Bronze Medalist, GPSWorld.com, Jesse Malcmacher, Joelle Harms, Bethany Chambers and Pete Seltzer.

Landscape Management

Print, Special Supplement, Gold Medalist, LM150, Marisa Palmieri, Dillon Stewart and Tracie Martinez

Print, How-To Article, Silver Medalist, “Step by Step: How to store pesticides,” Marisa Palmieri, Dillon Stewart and Tracie Martinez

Online, Social Media Presence, Silver Medalist, Landscape Management social media, Marisa Palmieri, Allison Barwacz and Dillon Stewart

LP Gas

Online, Web Feature Article, Silver Medalist, “The digital revolution and its impact on the propane industry,” Allison Barwacz

Print, Original Research, Bronze Medalist, “Concealed carry policy discussion,” Megan Smalley

North Coast Media

Design, Website Design, Silver Medalist, NorthCoastMedia.net, Jesse Malcmacher, Joelle Harms, Bethany Chambers, Pete Seltzer and Steve Galperin

Pest Management Professional

Design, Front Cover-Illustration, Silver Medalist, “PestTech 3.0” (December 2015), Leo Michael, Illustrator; Tracie Martinez, Marty Whitford and Heather Gooch

Print, Humorous/Fun Department, Silver Medalist, “Start-Up Diaries,” Pete Schopen, Contributor; Marty Whitford, Heather Gooch and Tracie Martinez

Design, Front Cover-Best Typographic Cover, Bronze Medalist, “2016 State of the Industry Survey” (November 2015), Tracie Martinez, Marty Whitford and Heather Gooch

North Coast Media brands Golfdom and Landscape Management net 27 industry awards

CLEVELAND – May 17, 2016 – North Coast Media (NCM) is pleased to announce two of its brands were recognized for outstanding editorial, graphic design and photography, winning 27 awards at the Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) awards ceremony in Omaha, Neb., on May 5.

Both Golfdom and Landscape Management (LM) won more total awards and more first place awards than their competitors.

Golfdom led golf market publications with 17 awards, including 10 first place awards and seven merit awards.

Landscape Management (LM) came home with 10 awards. Included in its accolades are two “best in show” Gardner Awards for new media and special projects, along with seven first place awards and one merit award.

“Once again, we are proud of our haul of TOCA awards,” said NCM President and CEO Kevin Stoltman. “Each year they help strengthen our longstanding leadership positions in the landscape and golf course maintenance industries.”

NCM staff members recognized for their work include VP of Graphic Design & Production Pete Seltzer, Editorial Director Marty Whitford, Editorial Director and LM Editor-in-Chief Marisa Palmieri, Golfdom Editor-in-Chief Seth Jones, Golfdom Associate Editor Grant Gannon, LM Associate Editor Dillon Stewart, LM Digital Media Content Producer Allison Barwacz, and LM Art Director Tracie Martinez.

TOCA annually recognizes members for excellence in writing, design, photography/AV, new media and special projects, and top winners in the marketing and publishing categories are named as Gardner Award winners.

The complete list of winnings for the two publications includes:

Golfdom:

Design – First
Two-plus page design, editorial – printed magazines
“Make yourself at home” | Pete Seltzer

Design – First
Cover page design – printed magazines
“A masterpiece of minimalism” | Pete Seltzer

Photography, Video, Multimedia – First
Best single photo – Use of stock art
“Search. Tap. Sold!” | Pete Seltzer

Photography, Video, Multimedia – First
Best single photo – Use of stock art
“Water, Water, Everywhere” | Pete Seltzer

Photography, Video, Multimedia – First
Best single photo – created by a TOCA member or freelancer commissioned by a TOCA member
“Ready for Play” | Seth Jones, Pete Seltzer

Writing – First
Environmental stewardship article – commercial publications
“Propane to the people” | Seth Jones

Writing – First
Product information article – commercial publications
“The stars of Texas” | Seth Jones, Ed Hiscock, Marty Whitford, Grant Gannon

Writing – First
Business management – commercial publications
“What are online tee times doing for your course?” | Grant Gannon

Writing – First
Series of columns by regular department columnist – commercial publications
“Assistant Living” | Matt Neff

Writing – First
Turf feature article – commercial publications
“To Core or Not to Core?” | Stacie Zinn Roberts

Design – Merit
Overall magazine design – printed magazines
“October 2015 Golfdom” | Pete Seltzer

Photography, Video, Multimedia – Merit
Best single photo – created by a TOCA member or freelancer commissioned by a TOCA member
“A masterpiece of minimalism” | Pete Seltzer

Photography, Video, Multimedia – Merit
Best print magazine cover
“Search. Tap. Sold!” | Pete Seltzer, Seth Jones, Grant Gannon

Special Projects – Merit
Writing for special projects
“The Golfdom Report” | Seth Jones, Grant Gannon, Pete Seltzer

Writing – Merit
General feature article – commercial publications
“Getting by with a little help from friends” | Seth Jones

Writing – Merit
Column – commercial publications
“You might be a turf guy if…” | Matt Neff

Writing – Merit
Ornamental feature article – commercial publications
“The buck stops here” | Hannah Schrum

Landscape Management:

New Media – Gardner Award
“LM Social Media Strategy” | Marisa Palmieri, Dillon Stewart, Allison Barwacz

Special Projects – Gardner Award
“LM October 2015” | Marisa Palmieri, Dillon Stewart, Tracie Martinez

Design – First
Single page design, editorial – printed magazines
“January 2015 Backstory” | Tracie Martinez

New Media – First
Blogs
“LM Blog” | LM Staff + Contributors

New Media – First
Innovative use of social media
“LM Social Media Strategy” | Marisa Palmieri, Dillon Stewart, Allison Barwacz

Photography, Video, Multimedia – First
Portrait/Personality
“March Cover Photo/Bill Dysert” | LM Staff, Laura Watilo Blake

Photography, Video, Multimedia – First
Best print magazine cover
“LM March 2015” | Laura Watilo Blake, LM Staff

Special Projects – First
Best single issue
“LM October 2015” | Marisa Palmieri, Dillon Stewart, Tracie Martinez

Special Projects – First
Writing for special projects
“LM150 2015” | Marisa Palmieri, LM Staff

Writing – Merit
Editorial/Opinion Piece – commercial publications
“Editor’s Note: To the point” | Marisa Palmieri

Golf Industry Show 2016

The Golf Industry Show takes place Feb. 6-11, 2016 in San Diego. Events featured include the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America championships, the GCSAA conference, the National Golf Course Owners Association conference, seminars, and opportunities to network with peers in the industry.

27th Annual TOCA Meeting

The Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association will host its 27th annual meeting May 3-5, 2016 at the Magnolia Hotel in Omaha, Nebraska. The event will include award presentations, speeches, and meetings.

The first cut is the deepest: A perspective on starting a journalism career

By Grant B. Gannon | Associate Editor, Golfdom

The end of November marked my first anniversary as a full-time journalist. I have been told by veteran reporters that I will not learn more than I did during that first year. To summarize all that I gained during this year into one blog post would be impossible. So I’ll stick to some of the highlights.

Finding a job

My journey as a professional journalist didn’t start with my employment at North Coast Media but when I sent my first applications and cover letters for jobs back in the spring of 2013.

Journalism jobs are not easy to get, and I had to start with jobs that I didn’t see myself doing forever but were great experience, including working as the stats guy for a newspaper sports department and taking temp jobs. Nothing will make you appreciate your degree more than when you can leave behind temp agency work for the comfort of a full-time career with your own desk.

It was more than 18 months after I graduated before I started my current position. That time forced me to learn the value of patience.

You have to really love the work to stay in journalism, and one of the biggest tests was finding my current job.

Fieldwork and travel

I have been very lucky this year to travel eight times to cover events and meet our readers. Those opportunities to get away from my desk have been the best learning experiences as a journalist — and where I’ve learned the most about the industry.

The biggest thing I have taken away from the events is that you need to have a camera or phone ready at all times. You don’t know when the perfect person or situation will come along for a linchpin interview or great photo.

When it comes to traveling, if you are going to fly more than four times a year (for personal or business) you should invest in TSA Precheck. It costs $85 dollars and lasts for five years – but the amount of time and stress it saves cannot be assigned a value. TSA Precheck members don’t have to take off shoes, belts or light jackets or remove laptops from bags to pass through security.

I am the type of person who gets anxious while waiting in the security line, and TSA Precheck solves that issue for me. I recently traveled to Orlando, Florida, and before my return flight I passed through security in less than five minutes. That’s what I call fast.

What they didn’t tell you in school…

Free stuff is a gray area. During journalism school you probably had an ethics class that taught you it wasn’t OK to accept meals and gifts. I remember applying that lesson while still in school when I received two T-shirts, which retailed for less than $50, while covering an event. I was applauded by one of my teachers in class for returning the shirts.

Fast forward to an event I attended this year where journalists were provided meals, drinks and a “swag” bag that included, conservatively, $100 worth of merchandise and electronics. I did not register soon enough to receive that bag, but other media members readily accepted. In the professional world, turning a blind eye to free stuff is the norm. Whether you agree with that or not, there is no journalism jail for taking free swag bags; you have to make that call for yourself and it may not be so black-and-white as it was in ethics class.

AP Style changes. If you follow AP Style religiously you know major changes have been made recently. That doesn’t mean you will be following them in a new job.

Individual publications have rules that you will have to memorize. For example, Golfdom has not adjusted to the new rule that all U.S. states should be spelled out.

Mistakes happen. Finally, first-year journalists are going to make mistakes, maybe even a big mistake. This fact has been hard for me to come to terms with.

Throughout school you may have been able to avoid running a dreaded correction, but it will probably happen in your first year as a professional journalist.

The best advice I can give is to move on and learn from the mistake. It’s not the mistakes that will define your success, it’s how you handle and rebound from the mistakes.

Although I may not learn as much in my second year as I did in my first, I will be constantly evolving as I continue my career. The skill I want to improve on the most is time management, so I’m better able to juggle everything that comes with this crazy career that is journalism. That, I suppose, is a blog for next year.