Industry Update

Source: www.TurfMagazine.com

Jain Launches Web Site Redesign

Jain Irrigation, Inc. announced the redesign of its Web site at www.jainsusa.com. The site incorporates a new look and feel, along with database-driven content. Features include company news, searchable products and specifications, detailed product information and images, technical information and a dealer list linked to Google maps. A login system allows dealers and end users to view additional site content and interactive features.

Rayco Adds New Dealer

Rayco Mfg., Inc. has added Ditch Witch of Houston (Texas) to its worldwide network of dealers. DWH, with over 40 years of experience, has a dedicated sales staff, six full-time service technicians, two field service trucks and bilingual employees in parts, service and administrative functions. The company will represent Rayco’s full line of environmental equipment.

Todd Galgoci Laura Roan

Talbert Names New Area Sales Managers

Talbert Mfg., Inc. hired Todd Galgoci as an area sales manager for the Great Lakes territory, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin, and the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Nunavut and Ontario. Previously, he worked for East Mfg. Corp., and has also worked for Mid-Michigan Equipment and Pace Trailer Sales.

Talbert also hired Laura Roan as an area sales manager for the Southeast territory, which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. She has worked for Truck Bodies & Equipment International, Morgan Corp. and Dorsey Trailer Co.

Converted Organics Gets High Rating in Trials

Archer Daniels Midland conducted a turf trial on natural fertilizers typically used on commercial turf, such as urea. Tested against seven other competing natural fertilizers, Converted Organics 6-0-0 displayed the best overall and consistent quality over nearly two months of evaluation. Fermanian Consulting, LLC conducted the study.

Lillard Incorporates Mobile Advertising

Lillard Lawn & Landscaping has initiated a mobile billboard campaign designed to raise awareness and recognition for their brand across McKinney, Plano, Frisco and Allen, Texas. The company engaged Radius Mobile Media to provide the mobile outdoor advertising to highlight the range of services it provides, including hardscapes and fencing.

C.S. Trading Named as ATT Distributor

C.S. Trading LLC, Liberty, S.C., has been appointed as the distributor for Advanced Turf Technology, Inc. in North America. C.S. Trading will work with existing dealers and further develop the network. Visit www.csturfproducts.com for details on the complete range of products.

Stone Mountain Park Lawn Restoration

Stone Mountain Park, Atlanta, Ga., has begun work on a yearlong, $3.5 million restoration project for the Memorial Lawn. The project will remove concession stands currently on the lawn, relocate production towers that hinder access, improve lighting, restore the terraces and widen walkways. Park management is collaborating with expert arborists and landscape architects, and the work will be led by Robert and Company, Atlanta-based landscape architects who wrote the original master plan for the park more than 50 years ago.

Tygar Volunteers on “Extreme Makeover”

Tygar Mfg. participated on ABC-TV’s reality show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” as part of a community effort to construct a new home for a family in Owensboro, Ky., in seven days. In partnership with Curb Scapes of Owensboro, Tygar assisted with the oversight and installation of nearly 300 feet of landscape curbing for the new home. Curb Scapes is a Tygar certified and trained contractor chosen by the builder, Thompson Homes, for the program.

Maruyama Signs Distributors

Maruyama announced agreements with JET Equipment & Tools, Ltd., Burnaby, B.C., and Beaver Valley Supply Co., Inc., Denver, Colo. JET will distribute the complete line of Maruyama professional outdoor power equipment in Canada’s western provinces, including British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Beaver Valley Supply will distribute the line in Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah, eastern Idaho, El Paso, Texas, and Elko, Nev.

Rain Bird Announces Film Competition Winners

Rain Bird’s Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition crowned three short films with top honors at a final screening event held at the Getty Center, Los Angeles, Calif. The winners were Jennifer and Christopher Gandin Le, Austin, Texas, who received the $6,000 Jury Award for “Small Changes”; Keith Cantrell, McPherson, Kan., who earned the $3,000 Audience Choice Award for “The Saving Water Song”; and Mark E. Petersen, Boulder, Colo., who received the $6,000 Green Industry Award for “More or Less.” All of the finalists’ films are available for viewing on the competition’s Web site at www.iuowfilm.com.

Blount Announces CEO Succession

Blount International, Inc. announced a succession plan for its chief executive officer position. Joshua L. Collins has joined the company as president, chief operating officer and CEO-designate. James S. Osterman, chairman and CEO, will retire as an employee on January 4, 2010, when Collins will assume the position of CEO and retain the position of president. Osterman will remain chairman of the board until the annual meeting of stockholders in May 2010. Collins has been a board member since 2005 and has been involved with the company since 1999.

Echo Acquires KPI

Echo, Inc., Lake Zurich, Ill., has acquired Kwik Products, Inc., which has manufactured trimmer heads and line for 12 years. KPI will continue to operate out of Phoenix, Ariz., as an independent company led by current president, Fernando Iacona.

OPEI and Weekly Reader Debut Educational Program

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute announced the first phase of a new educational outreach program, developed to teach third through fifth-grade students the science behind lawns’ ability to absorb carbon dioxide, release oxygen, cool the air, control dust, reduce erosion and filter water. The program includes experiments, worksheets, games and a Web site and blog by the program’s “spokesperson,” TurfMutt, at www.TurfMutt.com.

Schools in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento, Calif., will be the first to receive educational materials from Weekly Reader, a publishing company that produces resources to support the development of academic vocabulary, reading comprehension, writing skills and fluency.

News from Jacobsen

Jacobsen announced the online availability of hundreds of product service manuals, free to end users and others who need instant access to this type of detailed information. The manuals, for both current and discontinued equipment, can be found at www.jacobsen.com/americas by typing “manuals” in the search box.

Jacobsen also announced a realignment of dealer responsibilities in the western United States. Golf Ventures West, Phoenix, Ariz., was appointed as an authorized golf and professional turf equipment dealer for northern California and western Nevada, the territory previously covered by H.V. Carter Co. C&M Golf and Grounds Equipment, Waco, Texas, was appointed as a dealer for Colorado, New Mexico, western Texas and parts of Nebraska and Wyoming, replacing McPhilomy Commercial Products Co.