Berea College’s Matthew Partain Earns CGM Status

The Professional Grounds Management Society has announced that Matthew Partain of Berea, Ky. has become the 139th grounds management professional to successfully complete its Certified Grounds Manager (CGM) program. Partain has served as the Grounds Coordinator at Berea College since 2008.

“I have had my eye on this certification for a number of years, as long as I have been a member of the PGMS, really,” Partain said on his decision to complete the program. “I know and respect many CGM certified PGMS members, and saw the program as a challenging, but worthy, way to gauge my grounds management ability.”

Those achieving the CGM professional designation must have first accomplished a set level of education and on-the-job experience and then successfully complete a two-part examination process administered by PGMS.

After completing the two-part exam process, Partain reflected on his thoughts about the program. “I believe a word used during the process was ‘comprehensive’ and that’s absolutely correct! The CGM program requires an in depth look at all aspects of grounds management. I thought it was a fantastic way to show what I am doing well, and areas that I could manage better.”

Read a full interview with Partain at http://pgms.org/2013/01/22/pgms-announces-matthew-partain-as-139th-cgm/.

Founded in 1911, PGMS is an individual membership society of grounds professionals dedicated to advancing the grounds management profession through education and professional development.