Applications for 2017 Syngenta Business Institute are open

Golf course superintendents seeking to enhance their business acumen can now apply for the 2017 Syngenta Business Institute. Through SBI, Syngenta partners with the nationally-ranked Wake Forest University School of Business to provide superintendents with heightened business and managerial skills.

The ninth annual SBI is Dec. 4-7 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Syngenta receives nearly a hundred applications annually, and approximately 25 superintendents are chosen to attend the program.

Selected participants will learn business management practices presented by Wake Forest University faculty, such as: financial management, managing generational and cultural differences, delegation skills, effective communication, and negotiation tactics. To be considered, candidates must complete the application, which includes an essay on why they should be selected, relevant professional experience and educational background.

Click here to learn more about SBI. Completed applications are due Tuesday, Aug. 15. Participants will be notified of their acceptance into the 2017 Syngenta Business Institute in October.

“The Syngenta Business Institute is a very good program that addresses a lot of relatable topics – my time there was fantastic,” said Wesley Curtis, golf course superintendent at Westwood Golf Club in Houston, Texas, who attended SBI in 2016. “The seminars are very in-depth, and everything they cover pertains to the golf course. This program has been very helpful for the advancement of my management skills, my club and my career. I highly recommend that others apply.”

For more than eight years, superintendents have recognized this program for its effectiveness and impact on their careers.

“This was the best form of continuing education that I have received. It’s not often that we, as superintendents, receive education that doesn’t involve a sales pitch,” said Jason Blythe, director of agronomy at The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club in Aloha, Oregon. “I ended up learning a lot about myself and feel like I left with new tools that will make me a better manager. The professors were entertaining and knowledgeable, and they did a great job relating to our struggles within the industry.”