Industry Update

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New Holland Construction Sponsoring Extreme Dream 2011 Contest

New Holland Construction is sponsoring the Extreme Dream 2011 contest, and the winning entry will be provided with a free L218 skid steer loader. Simply tell us about your biggest, best and/or most challenging landscape project, and three winners will be selected to receive a trip to the GIE+EXPO trade show in Louisville, Ky., where the grand prize winner will be announced in the New Holland Construction booth. Enter your project today at www.newholland.com.

Champlain Stone Donates Material to Camp

Champlain Stone, Ltd., Warrensburg, N.Y., donated a sizable amount of stone material to Camp Chingachgook, a 100-year-old, 200-acre YMCA children’s camp located in the Lake George region of the Adirondack Mountains. The camp wanted to upgrade its facilities but lacked sufficient funding. Michael B. Morey, president and founder of Champlain Stone, agreed to donate $50,000 worth of stone to the camp over a five-year period. Champlain Stone products have been used to add rustic landscaping to a new baseball field, bridge abutments and stone patios.

Finn Continues Dealer Expansion

Finn Corp. announced Turf Equipment & Supply Co. as its full-line dealer. The dealership arrangement encompasses Finn equipment sales, rentals, service and parts for eastern Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and Delaware. Turf Equipment & Supply provides products and services to several segments of the green industry.

New England Grows Announces 2012 Program

New England Grows will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2012. The show is scheduled for February 1-3 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. “Above and Beyond!” is the theme and 30 educational seminars are planned. The speaker lineup includes Tony Avent, Lew French, Chris Heiler, Dan Kittredge, Brook Klausing, Rebecca McMackin, David Mellor, James Urban and Claudia West. They will address a variety of horticultural and design topics like living architecture, water management solutions and biological controls, as well as business growth ideas such as inbound marketing, selling in a challenging economy and social media strategies. Learn more at www.newenglandgrows.org.

Underhill Expands East Coast Distribution

Underhill International has expanded its East Coast presence with two new master stocking distributors. Bisco, based in Dedham, Mass., has branches in East Hartford, Conn.; Dennis/Cape Cod, Mass.; and Portsmouth, N.H. Turf Equipment & Supply Co., headquartered in Jessup, Md., has locations in Frankford, Del.; Frederick, Md.; Kennett Square, Pa.; and Fairfax, Va. Both companies have been in business for more than 25 years.


From left, Richard A. Sperber, ValleyCrest president and CEO; Alejandro Lerma Zea; and Burton S. Sperber, ValleyCrest chairman and founder.

ValleyCrest Rewards Safest Employees with Trucks

ValleyCrest Landscape Companies rewarded five of its safest employees with new Ford Ranger trucks. ValleyCrest’s annual Safety Awareness Day truck giveaway encourages employees to perform throughout the year accident-free. The winners are drawn from a pool of qualified full-time field employees who have completed one year of service with no accidents and are employed by a branch that meets or exceeds the company’s threshold safety standards. The 2011 winners are Manuel Gonzalez, Alejandro Lerma Zea, Agustin Lara Marcos, Jose Luis Yepiz and Ricky Henderson.

Excel Announces Australian Distributor

Excel Industries, Inc. announced APW Imports of Melbourne, Victoria, as its Australian distributor for BigDog Mowers. APW Imports has been an independent distributor for over 15 years and represents more than 70 dealers. Allan Wilkinson, director of APW, has been involved in the Australian power equipment industry for more than 35 years.

Pro-Tech Makes Documentary Available

Pro-Tech Mfg. & Distribution is making its “Project Sno Fighter” documentary available to the public. The film premiered at the Snow & Ice Management Association’s Symposium, and now the company is sharing the video on its website, www.protechcorp.com/snofighter1, as well as giving away a limited number of DVDs. The documentary was produced by Joshua C. Pies of C47 Films and pays tribute to snow and ice professionals by highlighting the lives of five contractors throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Novae Announces New Sales Manager

Novae Corp. announced the promotion of Brandon Lisinicchia to the newly created position of sales manager LG&A. Included in his new responsibilities are the Cardinal Proslide and Gridiron product lines. Lisinicchia has been with the company in engineering and management roles for the past year.

Grigg Announces New International Distributors

Grigg Brothers continued its international expansion, announcing an array of new distributors for its golf and sports turf products. Grigg will now have distribution in Austria, China, Denmark, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. The environmentally sensitive company was founded in 1995 and is based in Albion, Idaho.


Reames Concrete will participate ina project to build a home similar tothe one pictured, which theValdosta-Lowndes County Habitatfor Humanity built in 2010.

Jon Sowl, NWTC instructor, left,accepts the donation of a Caseengine from Russ Wadzinski, generalmanager, Case Customer Center.

 

Case Honors Contractor, Donates Equipment

Case Construction Equipment announced that Reames Concrete Co., Valdosta, Ga., is the April winner of the Case Community Challenge. Reames was awarded for its commitment to participate in the second annual weeklong Freedom Build, organized by the Valdosta-Lowndes County Habitat for Humanity. Learn more at www.casece.com/community challenge.

Case donated a diesel engine, transmission and hydraulic pump display from a Case loader/backhoe to the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College’s diesel and heavy equipment technician program. Case had been using the equipment at its Tomahawk Customer Center in Tomahawk, Wis., but donated it to the Sturgeon Bay college after NWTC students visited Tomahawk.

John Deere Landscapes Helps Provide Hope Through Gardens

John Deere Landscapes’ Mashpee, Mass., location assisted Hope in Bloom in planting a garden at a breast cancer patient’s home. Hope in Bloom is a nonprofit organization that plants gardens free of charge at the homes of Massachusetts residents undergoing treatment for breast cancer. John Maher, branch manager, donated rail fencing to enclose a vegetable garden, and also recruited and organized volunteers from other John Deere Landscapes locations and local contractors to donate materials and labor. The group renovated the lawn and planted a vegetable garden at the home of Alison McCutchen.

LiveRoof is FM-Approved

LiveRoof, LLC announced that its LiveRoof hybrid green roof system was the first to be FM-approved according to FM Standard 4477. Developed by FM Approvals, LLC, 4477 is the approval standard for vegetative roof systems. It evaluates green roof performance related to fire, foot traffic resistance and water leakage. FM Approvals also examined LiveRoof’s manufacturing facilities and audited its quality control procedures to verify that the company produces a consistently uniform and reliable product.


Crystal Arlington, AGMG president and CEO, accepts the SIMA Excellence in Safety Award.

AGMG Receives SIMA Award

The Snow & Ice Management Association recognized Affiliated Grounds Maintenance Group, Inc. for its outstanding safety record during the winter season of 2010 through 2011. Crystal Arlington, AGMG president and CEO, accepted the Excellence in Safety Award at the annual awards ceremony. This is the second safety award given to the company by SIMA.

Morbark Expands Dealer Network

Morbark continues to expand its dealer network, adding six new dealers since late 2010, as well as expanding the territories of several existing dealers. Morbark dealers signed in the past year include Columbus Equipment Co., Ohio; Bartlett Mfg., eastern Michigan; White Star Machinery, Oklahoma; Fabick Caterpillar, eastern Missouri and southern Illinois; Schmidt Equipment, Massachusetts and Rhode Island; and Elliott & Frantz, Maryland and Delaware. Doggett Machinery Services expanded its territory to include the state of Texas (with the exception of Bowie and Cass counties). Newton Power now covers the entire state of Connecticut.

MBI Celebrates Fifth Year of Success

Marrone Bio Innovations is celebrating its five-year anniversary. Since incorporating in 2006, MBI has experienced rapid growth as it delivers on its mission to fill unmet pest management needs. Over the past five years, the company has developed a diverse and growing customer base around the world and achieved other key milestones, including the launch of two biopesticides, submitting four new products to the EPA for registration, inking international distribution agreements and winning numerous awards.

IDN Named Distributor Group for VP Racing

The Integrated Distributors Network LLC was awarded exclusive rights to distribute VP Racing Fuel’s SEF94 small engine fuel products throughout the U.S. Created in 2004 to provide a complete national distribution system within the outdoor power equipment industry, the IDN is comprised of companies that are leaders in their local and regional markets.