With a kickoff reception, golf contests and a poker tournament, EREF’s annual event was a great opportunity to network and raise funds for its research and educational initiatives.
At the end of September, attendees representing various aspects of the waste industry gathered in historic Pinehurst, NC for one of the most exciting networking events of the year: the 2017 EREF Fall Classic & Networking Event, sponsored this year by Waste Industries. Proceeds will fund the Environmental Research & Education Foundation’s (EREF) goal to increase the number of projects funded and scholarships awarded in order to expand solid waste research and benefit the industry and its participants.
The event kicked off Wednesday evening, September 27, with an open bar reception to reunite old friends and begin new relationships while sparking competition during a nighttime putting contest. The excitement continued during Thursday morning’s breakfast, featuring a Bloody Mary bar, with giveaways including shirts, hats, Titleist golf balls and the range finder Voice Caddie system.
After loading up with goodies, players boarded their golf carts for shotgun starts on Pinehurst Courses No. 1 & 5. While on the course, players had the opportunity to put their golf skills to the test by taking on a veteran golfer during the Beat the Pro Contest, teeing off for a hole-in-one worth $50,000 and competing for longest drive, closest to the pin and longest putt. To determine the tournament champion, a representative from each 1st place team was given 60 seconds to chip as many golf balls as possible into a waste cart. Winners of this year’s Fall Classic were:
1st Place Tournament Champions
Steve Cowman, Energy Developments
Darrell Thompson, Aptim
Mike McGuigan, Aptim
Steve Martin, Aptim
2nd Place Tournament Champions
James Telling, PACCAR
Tony Cardamone, Concorde, Inc.
Dennis Calvert, CupriDyne Clean
Later in the evening, competition heated up at EREF’s 3rd annual Poker Tournament, featuring an open bar and heavy hors d’oeuvres, where attendees put on their best poker faces as well as some silly hats for the photo booth. The winner of this year’s Poker Tournament, George Paturalski of Environmental Solutions Group, won a three-night stay at any Fairmont location across North America.
For a complete list of tournament winners, visit https://erefdn.org/2017-eref-fall-classic/.
EREF would like to thank all participants and sponsors for their continued support of the foundation and its mission and making this year’s Fall Classic a success.
EREF is a 501(c)3 class charity that funds and directs scientific research and educational initiatives for waste management practices to benefit industry participants and the communities they serve. For more complete information on EREF funded research, its scholarship program and how to donate to this great cause, visit www.erefdn.org.
