FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 7, 2007
Contact: Molly Baldwin, mollybaldwin@assnhqtrs.com

Payne Newest Grounds Management Professional to Earn CGM Status

(Baltimore, MD) - The Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) has announced that Joe Payne has reached the status of Certified Grounds Manager (CGM). Payne currently works for the City of Springfield, Mo. where he has been public works operations supervisor over public grounds since 1995.

Becoming a CGM was important to Payne because he wanted to demonstrate the talent and education his profession requires. As an active member of the Greater Ozarks Branch of PGMS, he wanted to encourage other branch members to follow in his footsteps by joining the branch and becoming a CGM themselves.

Payne found the CGM process to be effectively detailed oriented. "Once I realized the focus of part of the test was almost like a portfolio, I found I could really demonstrate my grounds management principals on a detailed level" he explains.

He urges other grounds management professionals to step up and demonstrate what they're capable of and their best grounds management practices. "Becoming a CGM is a real boost for both for the individual and the profession as a whole" he says.

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