Industry Update

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Barry Larson

Smithco Appoints Sales Manager

Barry Larson has been appointed to the position of regional sales manager for Smithco, Inc. He will be responsible for the Midwest region and parts of the Northeast. Larson is a graduate of Penn State University’s two-year turfgrass management program. He has worked for Wisconsin Turf Equipment Corp., Medalist America Turfgrass Seed and Jacobsen.

Mid-Am Moving to Navy Pier in 2011

After seven successful years at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center, the Mid-Am Horticultural Trade Show is returning to Navy Pier beginning with the 2011 show. Mid-Am had been located at Navy Pier for eight years, from 1996 through 2003, until it moved to Lakeside Center in 2004 and then the West Building at McCormick Place in 2007. The show is scheduled for January 19-21, 2011. For more information, visit www.midam.org.

OPES Launches New Web Site

Oldcastle Precast Enclosure Solutions introduced a Web site specifically designed for the Enclosure Solutions segment of products and services offered by Oldcastle Precast. The site is available at www.oldcastleprecast.com/enclosuresolutions.

A Hydrema MCV.

Hydrema Awarded Army Contract

Hydrema has been awarded a contract on area mine clearing vehicles from the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command to the U.S. Army Engineers. The five-year contract covers delivery of mine clearing vehicles (MCVs), spares, training and maintenance. Hydrema will provide a newly updated version of their MCV that fulfills U.S. requirements.

The AERA-vator has been rebranded as the SEEDA-vator.

First Products Rebrands AERA-vator

First Products has rebranded the AERA-vator. The SEEDA-vator name was trademarked by the company nearly 10 years ago, but replaced by the Universal AERA-vator. Due to customer demand, the SEEDA-vator name is back. A Universal AERA-vator with a seed box can once again be identified as a SEEDA-vator.

Stihl Hosts Workshop

Stihl, Inc. hosted a three-day Manufacturing Technology Summer Workshop in Virginia Beach, Va. Activities included machining, molding, assembly and apprentice lab. The objectives of the workshop were to develop a future project for the upcoming camps and to give the Virginia Manufacturer’s Association a tool to use throughout the entire state of Virginia. The workshop taught high school students, teachers and counselors significant information about manufacturing in general. The core departments focused on were accessories, assembly, engineering, machining and polymers.

CPC Signs Manufacturing Agreement

Certified Parts Corp., Janesville, Wis., has entered into an agreement with Liquid Combustion Technology, Travelers Rest, S.C., to jointly manufacture air-cooled engines for the outdoor power equipment market. The agreement will provide CPC with engineering, manufacturing and sales capabilities allowing it to reintroduce the Snow King line of snow thrower engines and other engines formerly manufactured and sold by TecumsehPower. The engines will be exclusively represented by LCT and sold under the Snow King, Lauson and LCT brands. They will be serviced exclusively by CPC and the existing TecumsehPower dealer/distributor network.

Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge, right, presents Rob Starr of Toro with an award recognizing Toro’s water conservation efforts.

“Get Smart to WaterSmart” Conference Discusses Irrigation Efficiency

Toro’s 5th WaterSmart symposium, held at Toro Irrigation in Riverside, Calif., in July, brought together water district officials, irrigation experts, property managers and business people to learn first-hand about dealing with the growing water crisis by improving irrigation efficiency. Titled “Success Without Excess V,” the conference focused on identifying and eliminating water waste in outdoor landscape irrigation so healthy landscapes and manageable water bills can both be obtained.

The mayor of Riverside, Ron Loveridge, also made an appearance at the conference, and presented Toro with an award recognizing their water efficiency efforts. Other highlights of the conference included Fiona Sanchez, conservation manager for Irvine Ranch Water District, discussing the coming trend of tiered water rates and budgets, and the Great Sprinkler Giveaway, a collaboration involving Toro, Western Municipal Water District and Riverside Public Utilities.

Pondemonium 2010 was held at Aquascape’s corporate headquarters.

Aquascape Hosts Pondemonium, Donates RainXchange

Hundreds of distributors, contractors and retailers from across North America came together for education, networking and fun at Pondemonium 2010, held at Aqualand, the corporate headquarters for Aquascape, Inc.. A variety of hands-on training sessions and workshops offered the basics, and more, for what’s needed to succeed in today’s water gardening industry. Certified Aquascape Contractors honored during the closing dinner included Atlantis Water Gardens, Rockaway, N.J., CAC of the Year; Bloom’n Dales Landscape & Design, Brampton, Ont., Canadian CAC of the Year; Earth Works, Jacksonville, Fla., Rookie CAC of the Year; and Terra Nova Landscaping, Bedford, N.S., Canadian Rookie CAC of the Year.

Aquascape donated a 500-gallon RainXchange rainwater harvesting system with 20-foot stream to Universal Design Living Laboratory, a 3,500-square-foot home in Columbus, Ohio. The UDLL project was initiated by Rosemarie Rosetti, a motivational speaker, author and wheelchair user, along with her husband Mark Leder, after a bicycling accident left Rosetti paralyzed from the waist down. The couple will be able to irrigate their home’s surrounding landscape with the captured rainwater.

LTR Makes Wish Come True

Liberty Tire Recycling worked with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia to grant the wish of 11-year-old Kyle Dempsey of Pittsburgh, Pa., who wanted his own swing set. Due to a medical condition, Kyle could be seriously injured if he fell on a playground. LTR donated Pinnacle Rubber Mulch to be used as the safety surfacing for his swing set.

A Komatsu dump truck releases rubber ducks into the Chicago River for the annual derby.

Komatsu Supports Special Olympics Illinois

A 30-ton Komatsu America Corp. articulated dump truck released more than 30,000 rubber ducks into the Chicago River for the fifth annual Windy City Rubber Ducky Derby, which benefits Special Olympics Illinois. Rubber ducks are adopted by sponsors for a monetary donation and race down the river, with prizes awarded for the first ducks to cross the finish line. This year’s derby raised more than $250,000 for Special Olympics.

Case Sponsors Gas Rodeo

Case Construction Equipment was a platinum-level sponsor of the 16th annual National Gas Rodeo, held in Fairview Heights, Ill. Case was the exclusive provider of construction equipment for the event, including loader/backhoes and compact excavators. The National Gas Rodeo offers an opportunity for gas crews from around the country to showcase their professional skills.

Mike Rowe

Rowe Teams Up with Caterpillar

Caterpillar, Inc. announced that it is partnering with Mike Rowe, the creator and star of the Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs” and founder of www.mikeroweworks.com. The two have joined forces to highlight the important work that Caterpillar customers perform every day. Rowe will be spending time with Caterpillar customers and dealers to get a real-world perspective on their jobs and how the two partner to be successful. These encounters will be featured on www.cat.com and at Cat dealerships across the country.

Grounds Guys Awards First VetFran Agreement

The Grounds Guys has awarded its first VetFran agreement to Michael Bagley, who will open his own Grounds Guys franchise in Olathe, Kan. The VetFran Program gives U.S. military veterans a discount toward the purchase of a franchise and includes hundreds of franchise concepts. Bagley served in the U.S. Army from 1987 to 1998.

Isuzu’s new NPR ECO-MAX.

Isuzu Promoting Environmentally Friendly Trucks

Isuzu Commercial Truck of America, Inc. is conducting the ECO-Advantage Tour, a coast-to-coast showcase for the 2011 Isuzu NPR ECO-MAX. Two versions of the truck will visit 135 locations through November 17. The trucks meet 2010 emissions regulations and run on fuel-efficient engines. More information can be found at www.isuzucv.com.

ITT & Mercy Corps Collaborate for Flood Relief

ITT Corp. announced that through its partnership with Mercy Corps, it is donating five portable water treatment systems to the Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces of Pakistan in response to the recent flooding. The systems have the potential to provide clean water to as many as 200,000 people and are being deployed through Mercy Corps’ large-scale humanitarian aid response. This collaborative disaster response is part of a strategic partnership between ITT’s corporate citizenship program, ITT Watermark, and Mercy Corps to provide safe water and sanitation during emergencies.

John Deere Joins with CGA, DOT for Safe Digging

Representatives from John Deere Construction & Forestry, the Common Ground Alliance and the Department of Transportation rang the ceremonial closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange to promote awareness of underground utilities through the use of the national 811 call-before-you-dig phone number. Though awareness and use of 811 have significantly decreased the number of underground utility strikes in the U.S., the fact that there are still fatalities and damages from hitting gas and utility lines underscores the need for a continued safety campaign. To further encourage safe digging, John Deere will also share portions of safety videos on YouTube.

JCB Pledges $250,000 Worth of Support for Flood Victims

JCB pledged assistance worth $250,000 to help in the reconstruction effort in the wake of the devastating floods in Pakistan. The company donated two high-specification 4CX backhoe loaders with attachments to the country.

Hires at Stone Construction

Stone Construction Equipment added Michael Worrall as district manager for western Canada. Worrall has over 16 years of experience in industrial sales. He will serve equipment dealers and rental houses in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories.

Michael WorrallDerek MillerBrian DePaul

Derek Miller was appointed to the position of district sales manager. He was previously part of the Stone sales team from 2003 to 2005, and has over 13 years of construction equipment sales knowledge. Miller will serve Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah.

Brian DePaul was named as regional manager for the Northeast. He brings a wealth of experience to Stone and worked most recently for Bartell Morrison, Inc.

News from Terex

Jim Robbins was appointed to the position of vice president and general manager of Terex Construction’s operations in the Americas. Robbins has held a number of roles during his five years with the company, most recently serving as vice president and general manager of operations for Terex Cranes.

Terex Aerial Work Platforms has realigned its management team to better serve customers. Reassigned personnel include Matt Fearon, vice president and general manager, AWP Americas; Joe George, vice president and managing director, AWP EMEAR; Siva Balakrishnan, vice president and general manager, AWP Market and Channel Development; and Paul Caldarazzo, vice president, AWP Globalization.

Terex AWP hosted U.S. Rep. David Reichert, who represents the 8th District of Washington, at its campus in Redmond, Wash. Joe Krider, Terex vice president of strategic accounts and government affairs, discussed several issues, including tax credit parity for technology, the importance of trade agreements and tariff reductions, and the critical need for comprehensive long-term infrastructure planning and investment for America.

Swierczek Named Project Engineer

Kevin Swierczek was named project engineer for liftgates for Omaha Standard-Palfinger. He has an extensive background in manufacturing and mechanical engineering, as well as experience in Six Sigma and lean manufacturing practices.