MERCHANDISER OF THE YEAR – PUBLIC, JOHN VAN VALER
The Merchandiser of the Year Awards recognizes those PGA professionals who have demonstrated superior skills as merchandisers in the promotion of golf. The award is given for excellence in golf shop operations in three categories: Private, Resort and Public/Municipal/Military/Semi-Private. The following criteria are applied to all awards: PGA Member in good standing, credit rating with the industry, overall credit rating and community involvement. The candidates are judged in the following areas: merchandising ability and techniques, inventory levels and turn rate, shop display and attention to detail.
John Van Valer is our 2021 Merchandiser of the Year in the Public category at Stony Creek Golf Club. Van Valer strives to cater to all types of golfers, while pricing at a level competitive with the numerous other golf shops and off-course retailers in the area. With the safety procedures put in place due to COVID-19, Stony Creek was consistently changing their floorplan and therefore routinely updating their merchandise displays.
Van Valer’s philosophy is “to maximize the profitability of the merchandise operation through well designed buying plans that meet the needs of our customers as well as the business plan for the facility.”
MERCHANDISER OF THE YEAR – PRIVATE, PATRICK DODSON
The Merchandiser of the Year Awards recognizes those PGA professionals who have demonstrated superior skills as merchandisers in the promotion of golf. The award is given for excellence in golf shop operations in three categories: Private, Resort and Public/Municipal/Military/Semi-Private. The following criteria are applied to all awards: PGA Me