John Deere Gator Models Recognized With 2018 AE50 Award: This Week’s Industry News

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Want to keep up with the latest news in lawn care and landscaping? Check back every Thursday for a quick recap of recent happenings in the green industry.

John Deere Gator XUV Models Recognized with 2018 AE50 Award
The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) recognizes the Gator XUV835 and Gator XUV865 from John Deere with the AE50 Award for 2018. The AE50 award highlights the year’s most innovative designs in product engineering in the food and agriculture industry, as chosen by a panel of international engineering experts. Introduced in 2017, the new utility vehicles are designed for customers who need all-day comfort with off-road terrain capability in all seasons. The gas-powered Gator XUV835 and diesel-powered Gator XUV865 offer a quiet cab, three-wide seating, and heating and air conditioning to maximize productivity and comfort.

Rotary Offers Assortment of Trimmer Parts, Accessories for 2018
A full line of commercial strength trimmer line, parts and accessories are among more than 9,500 items featured in Rotary’s new 2018 catalog for servicing dealers and distributors. A special 28-page trimmer section includes photos, illustrations and descriptions plus a trimmer head application chart. Featured items for 2018 are diamond-cut, quad-tex, premium quad, precut and Rotary’s best-selling twisted vortex line which produces less noise and requires less operating power.

FINN Awarded National Purchasing Contract by the National Joint Powers Alliance
FINN Corporation has been awarded a national purchasing contract by the National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA) under the category of Roadway Maintenance, Asphalt, Snow & Ice and is officially available to NJPA Members. Through this contract (#052417-FNN) members now have the ability to purchase all FINN products including HydroSeeders, Straw Blowers and Bark and Mulch Blowers.

Growth Consultant Jason Cupp Wins Kolbe Professional Award
Kolbe Corp announced Kansas City-based business leader Jason Cupp as a 2017 Conative Excellence award winner. The professional award honors a consultant for success in applying conative theory – which uses instinctive strengths to unlock greater human potential. Cupp was one of four finalists for the award, which honors distinguished leaders for applying conative theory to identify people’s natural strengths through consulting work. The criteria is based on expertise in Kolbe Theory, impact on organizations and voting from a panel of more than 80 other consultants. Cupp has been a Kolbe Certified Consultant since 2006.

Registration Now Open for the 2018 ASIC National Conference
The 2018 ASIC National Conference Website and Registration is now open. The event will be held March 4-6, in Quebec City, Canada at Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, with a mix of education, networking and fun. The early-bird registration deadline is Friday, January 12, 2018.

Project EverGreen Renovates William Bradley Park in San Marcos
The playing surface of William Bradley Park’s Field # 3 in San Marcos, California, became uneven due to the settling of decomposing organic matter — the park was built on a former landfill in the 1960s — and was in need of immediate attention. Project EverGreen and Hunter Industries, along with the Southern California Sports Turf Managers Association, and local landscape contractors and suppliers came together to revitalize this valuable stretch of green space. The project was valued at more than $31,000 in donated time and materials. The project included: aeration, re-seeding, weed control, new sod installation, field laser-level grading, infield clay soil mix, outfield warning track mix, outfield top dress sand to fill in uneven areas, field and shrub beds, irrigation repair and re-alignment, new trees and shrubs bed planting, mulching and repairs and painting of ballfield dugouts, benches, fences, and backstop.

Ferris Honored With Gold Level Award From EDA For 3rd Year
For the third consecutive year, the Equipment Dealers Association (EDA) awarded its Gold Level Award to Briggs & Stratton Corporation for its Ferris commercial mower products. This year, 2,371 dealers participated in EDA’s detailed dealer-manufacturer relations survey. Annually, dealers are asked to rate manufacturers on a scale of one to seven, one being extremely dissatisfied and seven being extremely satisfied. EDA members noted improvement in Ferris’ warranty procedures and say they’re satisfied with warranty payments. The increase in satisfaction comes after Ferris introduced a flexible limited warranty for all commercial riding mowers. In the first two years, Ferris riding mowers have an unlimited hour warranty. After two years, the mower has a 500 hour or four-year warranty, whichever comes first. Ferris walk behind mowers have an unlimited hour warranty1 for the first two years.

JCB North America Celebrates Employee Excellence
JCB North America hosted its annual “Celebrating Success” event, to recognize employees who made extraordinary contributions to the company’s success in 2017, and to celebrate those who achieved significant employment anniversaries in the past 12 months. The event at the company’s headquarters in Savannah, Georgia, was attended by 250 employees. The ceremony recognized milestone years service anniversaries of more than 60 employees, including two 30-year service award recipients, Steve Fox, president of Direct Sales and Product, and Chris Harrison, development engineer, and 40-year service award recipient, John Carter, aftermarket sales specialist.

SiteOne Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Pete Rose, Inc.
SiteOne Landscape Supply, Inc. has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Pete Rose, Inc. Started in 1975, Pete Rose has one location in the Richmond, Virginia market, and is a leader in the distribution of natural stone and hardscape material. The deal is scheduled to close in January 2018, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.