Biltmore Honored With Grounds Management Excellence Award
Asheville, NC
November, 2007
Biltmore was recognized by the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) for exceptional grounds maintenance with two Grand Awards in the Society's 2007 Green Star Awards competition. A Grand Award was given in the Park, Recreation Area or Playground category and a second Grand Award was given for the Inn on Biltmore Estate in the Hotel, Motel or Resort category. Winners were honored during the Society's 2007 School of Grounds Management held in conjunction with the GIE+EXPO in Louisville, Ky., (Oct. 24–27).
Biltmore's horticultural department’s mission is the stewardship of the estate’s historic authenticity and contemporary landscape in an effort to add value and pleasure to the guest experience. The estate's expansive spread includes 3,000 acres of managed forest, 300 acres of pastures and fields, and 75 acres of historic gardens. More than 200 container gardens are used for seasonal color, and the historic conservatory provides production and display space.
"This is a great honor to receive," said Biltmore’s Landscape Manager Susanne Woodell. "It not only recognizes the efforts made by my staff, but also Biltmore’s commitment towards enriching its visitors' lives through green spaces."
Biltmore was the vision of George W. Vanderbilt, who completed Biltmore House, America’s largest home, in 1895, which is situated on an 8,000-acre estate, originally designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, father of American landscape architecture. The property also includes the most visited winery in the U.S. and the four-star Inn on Biltmore Estate.
The Green Star Awards program brings national recognition to grounds maintained with a high degree of excellence, complimenting other national landscape award programs that recognize outstanding landscape design and construction. This year's program acknowledged the nation’s top manicured grounds in settings ranging from parks to apartment complexes to cemeteries. Overall, PGMS presented 19 Grand Awards, its highest honor, as well as 20 Honor Awards in 14 categories of competition.
Founded in 1911, PGMS is an individual membership society of grounds professionals advancing the grounds management profession through education and professional development. For further information on PGMS, visit them online at www.PGMS.org.
For more information on Biltmore, call 877.BILTMORE or visit www.biltmore.com.