Industry Update

Source: www.TurfMagazine.com

News from around the Green industry

News from around the Green industry

Clark Wins GIE+EXPO’s Trucks of the Industry Giveaway

Jennifer Clark of Clark Landscape Group in Monroe, N.C., was the winner of the Trucks of the Industry Giveaway held during the 2007 Green Industry & Equipment Expo. Just by attending the show and visiting the exhibits of the participating truck manufacturers, she received $20,000 toward the purchase of a new work truck.

The giveaway was sponsored by Power Equipment Trade and Turf magazines, and featured eight major truck manufacturers: Dodge, Ford Commercial Truck, Isuzu Commercial Truck America, GM Fleet and Commercial, International Truck & Engine Corp., Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America, Sterling Truck Corp. and Toyota Trucks.

Attending the site dedication are Pam Ely, RVHFH executive director; Dan McGroarty, RVHFH construction manager; Susan Connolly, Foley COO; Kim Foley, Foley CEO; and Richard Carr, RVHFH board president.

Foley Partners with RVHFH; Hires Johnson

Foley, Inc., a Caterpillar dealer based in Piscataway, N.J., is the Signature Sponsor for Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity’s building project in Franklin Township, N.J., and will work with RVHFH to build two houses.

Foley has agreed to fund half of the estimated construction cost for the two homes. In addition, the company has donated the use of their rental equipment on the site. Foley employees will be volunteering on the construction site, working with Habitat volunteers and partner families.  

Chris Johnson has joined Foley as a customer support sales representative for Monmouth County, N.J., and Staten Island, N.Y.  

Johnson comes to Foley with 25 years of transportation and heavy construction equipment industry experience. He spent his first 18 years in the bulk material hauling business, during which he owned and operated his own company. Johnson then entered the construction equipment field, initially working five years at an equipment dealer, then spending the last two years as an assistant equipment manager for an excavation and paving contractor.

Parker Hannafin Presents Grasshopper Innovation Award

The Grasshopper Co. has received a Partnership Award for Excellence in Pioneering Innovation from Parker Hannafin Corp.

The company received the award in recognition for their collaborative design and test efforts in the codevelopment of a new hydrostatic drive system. The system, dubbed T2 by Grasshopper, is incorporated into a new AntiVibe Power Platform in certain 2008 models.

Ariens Purchases ACI

Ariens Co. has acquired the former Auburn Consolidated Industries. The facilities in Auburn, Neb., have been renamed Ariens Co.—Auburn Operations.

The EverRide and Great Dane brands will benefit from the corporate resources of Ariens, including a more in-depth product development effort. The company anticipates new product announcements.

Established in 1933 in Brillion, Wis., Ariens is a manufacturer of outdoor power equipment for both consumer and commercial use.

Columbia Receives PGMS Award

The Professional Grounds Management Society recognized Columbia University in New York City, N.Y., with a Grand Award in the society’s 2007 Green Star Awards competition. The award was given in the Urban University Grounds category for exceptional grounds maintenance. Winners were honored during the society’s 2007 School of Grounds Management.

The facilities department at Columbia maintains 36 acres. The high volume of pedestrian and vehicular traffic requires the maintenance of acres of hardscapes, including concrete sidewalks, brick and asphalt pavers, and granite steps. With all the time devoted to maintaining hardscapes, the grounds staff has had to come up with ways to trim their budget elsewhere. One solution was to reduce mowed acreage, specifically in areas that were difficult to access with mowers.

The Green Star Awards program brings national recognition to grounds maintained with a high degree of excellence. 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.

Tette Receives IPM Award

Dr. James Tette, New York’s “Father of IPM,” is being honored with an Excellence in IPM Award from the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program at Cornell University. Tette built New York’s program from scratch, making it one of the top IPM programs in the nation by the time he retired in 1999.

When Cornell got the first grant for IPM, they were looking for an entomologist. As a chemist, Tette had spent several years isolating the pheromones of insects. Analyzing these pheromones made it possible to develop new ways to track insect pests.

In 1985, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets proposed a law that established the NYS IPM Program. The law passed, and in 1986 Ag and Markets began funding the program. Soon after, Tette added educators and researchers in ornamental crops to his IPM team.

In the late 1990s the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation also lent its support to the program and Tette put a community IPM program in place.

Moon Farm & Yard Named Retailer of the Year

Moon Farm & Yard, located in Ulysses, Pa., was named National Retailer of the Year by Cub Cadet for their dedication to customer service, their continuous expansion and innovation, and their top-performing sales record.

Moon recently completed an extensive remodel of their showroom and parts area, nearly doubling their display space. They also implemented Cub Cadet’s new parts display fixtures to enhance and expand their parts department. In addition, they created a play area in the showroom to entertain kids while their parents shop.

In addition to their flagship store in Ulysses, Moon operates a second location in nearby Wellsboro. Owners John and Vicki Moon have been honored by Cub Cadet in the past as Regional Retailers of the Year. This is their first national win.

Now in its seventh year, Cub Cadet’s National Retailer of the Year award recognizes the top dealer in its national network. Dealers are judged on a variety of factors, including customer service, sales growth, operational excellence and facility aesthetics.

LidoChem Expands Into Southeast

LidoChem, Inc.’s Performance Nutrition Division has expanded into the southeast turf and ornamentals markets with its line of agricultural, turf and ornamental fertility and disease control products. To support this new stage of growth, LidoChem has announced the addition of Glen Thompson as southeast regional sales manager for the turf and ornamental markets. He will be responsible for managing product sales for golf courses and sports turf management, and expanding the company’s network of local dealers throughout the Southeast.

Thompson is a graduate of the Lake City Turf Management Program and has served as an assistant superintendent at various golf courses in the Carolinas. He spent several years selling fertilizer products for dealers in the Florida markets. Most recently he owned and operated a local fertilizer distribution company.

Scotts Co. Promotes Lewis

Ryan Lewis has been promoted to the position of product manager for water soluble fertilizers for The Scotts Co. 

Based in Marysville, Ohio, Lewis is responsible for all water soluble fertilizer product lines. Lewis started with Scotts in June 2006 as an assistant marketing manager for the Professional Business Group.

Prior to his tenure with Scotts, Lewis served as an assistant product manager for Union Tools, Inc. in Columbus, Ohio. He also served as a marketing assistant for Ohio State University’s Department of Athletics in Columbus. Lewis holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University.

Conwed Purchases Tie-Net Unit

Conwed Global Netting Solutions acquired the Tie-Net Unit of Tipper Tie, Inc., located in West Chicago, Ill. The purchase includes Tipper Tie’s knitted net products brands, Tie-Net and Net All.  

Conwed is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn.

John Deere Names Agency of Record

John Deere Construction & Forestry Division has tapped Fergus/Peters Group, based in Des Plaines, Ill., as its public relations and advertising agency of record for its construction business.

John Deere’s partnership with Fergus/Peters officially began Nov. 1. All public relations and media activity for their construction business will be coordinated through the new agency and managed by Craig Olson, the manager of marketing communications, events and promotions for the Construction and Forestry Division.

Eagle Point Adds Job Board

Eagle Point Software Corp. announced the addition of a job board to its newest business service, Eagle Point Exchange.

This service is an on-line business community dedicated to civil engineering, land surveying and landscape architecture firms. Initially, it includes access to resources that help owners manage workload, such as a job board and Contract Connections. The exchange will evolve to provide educational materials, business templates, and connections to others in the industry to help business owners manage their organizations effectively and efficiently.

TeeJet Alerts Users of Update

TeeJet Technologies sells and supports GPS receivers using the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the United States’ free DGPS correction system.

The WAAS signal is transmitted by geostationary satellites that are independent of the GPS satellite system. Two of these satellites (referred to as PRN 122 and PRN 134) were decommissioned in July 2007, and once they ceased broadcasting correction signals, PRN 135 and PRN 138 became the only active WAAS satellites available. Many GPS receivers that have been shipped over the past five years will need a configuration change in order to continue receiving the WAAS correction signal from the new satellites.

TeeJet will be exhibiting at a variety of trade shows, and GPS receivers can be brought to shows for free upgrades to any affected products. For more information visit www.teejet.com.

Scotts Co. Announces New Global Structure

The Scotts Co. has announced a new organizational structure for its Professional Business Group, which markets fertilizers, plant protection products and agriculture products. According to Claude Lopez, senior vice president, international, the realignment is intended to leverage the company’s worldwide presence.

Fred Bosch has been named vice president, global professional, and will be responsible for developing a long-term business plan for that division. He will also lead the International and North America Professional businesses.

Korbin Riley has been named vice president, Global Professional Grass Seed and Emerging Markets and is tasked with leveraging Scotts’ recent investment in grass seed operations on a more global basis. He will also focus on expanding the company’s Professional and Consumer businesses into emerging markets throughout the Asia/Pacific region, Latin America and other world regions. Fidel Quinones, director of the Latin America division, will now report to Riley.

Thomas Appoints Etholm President & CEO

Thomas Equipment, Inc. has hired Petter M. Etholm as president and chief executive officer, and he was appointed to the board of directors. He succeeds Michael Luther, who will remain with Thomas Equipment as chairman of the board.

Thomas Equipment is emerging from a period of financial difficulty and embarked on a restructuring program to regain its market position and financial strength.

Previously, Etholm was a consultant to the Thomas Equipment 2004 subsidiary. He was also president of Cardsmart Retail and executive vice president of Nutri/System, Inc. Earlier in his career, Etholm founded Norwegian Wood, Inc. and Elinex, LLC.  

CGC & SPI Announce New President; Honor Distributors

Commercial Grounds Care, Inc. and Schiller-Pfeiffer, Inc. announced that Pat Cappucci is the new president of the affiliated companies. Cappucci brings a diversified background and experience to the companies, with service in a variety of functional areas ranging from ground level to senior management. Cappucci brings over 10 years of OPE experience to CGC & SPI and more than 25 years of driving growth for leading companies. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Marquette University and an MBA with honors from The Carlson School at the University of Minnesota.

CGC and SPI also honored their commercial distribution sales partners at their recent distributor meeting in Johnson Creek, Wis.

CGC award winners include Hayward Distributing, Distributor of the Year; Bobby Garner, Pat Davenport and Jeff Keuhn, Territory Managers of the Year;  Mike Fairfax, Sales Manager of the Year; and Scott Ferrone, Rookie of the Year.

SPI award winners include Fierle Distribution Corp., Distributor of the Year (United States); Echo Canada, Distributor of the Year (Canada); Buddy Merz, Jeff Woods and Jeff Peek, Territory Managers of the Year; and Rick Favata, Sales Manager of the Year.

John Deere Clarifies Position on Biodiesel Use

Due to the variety of standards that exist in the diesel engine industry and in response to questions from various markets, John Deere Power Systems has officially clarified its position on the use of biodiesel in its diesel engines.

While 5 percent blends (B5) are preferred, biodiesel concentrations up to a 20 percent blend (B20) in petroleum diesel fuel can be used in John Deere engines through Tier 3/Stage III A models, including all non-emissions-certified engines. Biodiesel blends up to B20 can be used only if the biodiesel (100 percent biodiesel or B100) meets ASTM D6751, EN 14214 or equivalent specification. Biodiesel users are strongly encouraged to purchase biodiesel blends from a BQ-9000 Certified Marketer and to source from a BQ-9000 Accredited Producer, as certified by the National Biodiesel Board.

Arysta Acquires GBM

Arysta LifeScience Corp. has completed the acquisition of Grupo Bioquímico Mexicano, S.A. de C.V. (GBM), a Mexican manufacturer and marketer of inputs for the fruit and vegetable market. The purchase includes GBM and its subsidiaries, affiliated real estate and employee service companies, as well as its formulation and manufacturing facilities in Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila, Mexico.

TapSet Signs Distribution Agreement With Rex

TapSet Corp. has signed a distribution agreement with Rex Commercial Tool & Fasteners, authorizing the sister company of Senco Products, Inc. to sell TapSet branded products through its existing channels. The TapSet line of chemical anchors will be sold through the sales organizations of both Senco and Rex.

TapSet is a plastic injection molding company headquartered in Calumet, Mich.

Komatsu Announces Completion of Parts Depots

Komatsu America Corp. announced the completion of eight regional parts depots throughout the United States and Canada.  

Komatsu will work closely with distributors to monitor and improve local parts stocking and availability of “on-the-shelf inventory” at distributor locations. The company has also improved the customer service, technical assistance and response teams as well as increased the inventory levels and parts availability at their Master Parts Distribution Center in Ripley, Tenn.

HMI Announces Wildfire Preparedness Program

Horticultural Asset Management, Inc. is now offering a tool for evaluating a property’s wildfire preparedness. HMI’s Wildfire Preparedness Assessment consists of an on-site evaluation of a property using HMI’s proprietary PDA-based software, which collects specific information regarding the property’s compliance with established defensible space criteria. Based on the data collected by a trained assessor, HMI will produce a graphical report detailing any non-compliant conditions as well as provide specific remedial requirements for each property.

Platinum Equity Acquires Tecumseh

Platinum Equity has acquired Tecumseh Power Co., which provides powertrain solutions to the outdoor power equipment industry. The acquisition includes facilities in Wisconsin, Indiana, Tennessee, the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic.

In conjunction with the acquisition, Platinum Equity announced that Rudi Strobl has been appointed as president and CEO of the business. Strobl is an experienced senior executive who previously served as president and CEO of Strategic Distribution, Inc., a Platinum Equity company engaged in outsourcing of MRO supplies, as well as deputy CEO of DyStar, a Platinum Equity company that manufacturers textile dyes.

German Company Begins Distribution Of Subsite Equipment

The Charles Machine Works, Inc. has announced the addition of Schmetz Messtechnik of Menden, Germany, as an official dealer of Subsite electronic locating equipment, which is used to locate and identify underground utilities at construction jobsites. Established in 1982, Schmetz Messtechnik is a distributor of a wide variety of electronic measurement products, including densimeters, flow meters, leak indicators and ultrasonic wall-thickness gauges.