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2012 GCM's Most Valuable Technician

Thanks to everyone who took time to vote for the winner of the 2012 Most Valuable Technician award. Congratulations to our three finalists: Corby Coggins, RedStick Golf Club, Vero Beach, Fla.; John Patterson, PGA National Resort and Spa, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; and Jim Stuart, Stone Mountain (Ga.) Golf Club. Look for the winner to be announced in the Insider: Shop column in the August issue of GCM.

Finalist No. 1
Corby Coggins
RedStick Golf Club, Vero Beach, Fla.

Calling him the "go-to guy in the go-to department," GCSAA Class A superintendent Scott Bell nominated Corby Coggins, his equipment technician at RedStick Golf Club in Vero Beach, Fla., for the 2012 Most Valuable Technician award. "He is the best in the business," Bell bragged.

A graduate with honors from the turf equipment management program at Lake City Community College (now Florida Gateway College), Coggins has been an active member of the Treasure Coast Golf Course Equipment Managers Association, and has also organized education for other equipment managers through the Florida Turfgrass Association. Bell categorized him as a student of facilities management who routinely impresses representatives from local government agencies and the club's insurance carriers who routinely visit RedStick.

Coggins' love of the outdoors has inspired a true sensitivity to environmental stewardship on the golf course, Bell says, which trickles down to his equipment maintenance programs. Also a renowned cook, Coggins has been brought in on more than one occasion to assist the club's kitchen staff in food preparations for member-guest dinners and other parties.

Read Corby Coggins' nomination »

Finalist No. 2
John Patterson
PGA National Resort and Spa, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

With 90 holes of golf to tend to, including the Champion Course which annually hosts the PGA Tour's Honda Classic, PGA National director of agronomy Lukus Harvey says he's found the ultimate partner in the club's equipment director John Patterson, his nominee for the 2012 Most Valuable Technician Award.

"John is the ultimate role model for equipment managers in the field today," Harvey wrote, and that is evident in Patterson's dedication to the industry. He was one of the founding members of the International Golf Course Equipment Managers Association (IGCEMA) and currently serves as that group's president. That leadership role is also evident in the maintenance facility at PGA National, where Harvey calls him a "calming voice of reason" for the entire maintenance team.

Patterson's innovative approach to his duties has manifested itself in a number of areas, according to Harvey, from writing the club's training manuals for equipment operators that focus on overall safety to saving nearly $80,000 from last year's repair and maintenance budget thanks to a series of "out-of-the-box ideas."

Read John Patterson's nomination »

Finalist No. 3
Jim Stuart
Stone Mountain (Ga.) Golf Club

From managing the equipment that maintains 36 holes of golf and the grounds at two hotels at this property just outside of Atlanta, to his dedication to giving back to his community, lead equipment technician Jim Stuart embodies "the spirit and substance of this award," according to Anthony Williams, CGCS, who nominated Stuart for the 2012 Most Valuable Technician honor.

A veteran of nearly 30 years in the golf industry, Stuart has been a leader in continuing education among equipment managers in the state of Georgia, hosting a number of events for the Georgia GCSA and other groups to train and support others in the business. He also has a penchant for fabricating his own parts or finding just the right solution to problems in a pinch, Williams says.

Stuart is also active in the community, having started a program through his church that offered free oil change and engine inspections for the cars of elderly church members and single mothers.

Read Jim Stuart's nomination »