News from around the Green industry
Shindaiwa Hires New Marketing Director
Shindaiwa has appointed Paul Wheatcraft as the company’s new director of marketing. Wheatcraft comes to Shindaiwa from Tyco Electronics, where he held the positions of marketing communications manager, product manager and product development engineer. Wheatcraft also worked for G.E. Medical Systems as a field service engineer and representative. He has a master’s degree in business administration from Marylhurst University, a bachelor’s in mathematics from Whitworth College and an associate’s in electronics from Portland Community College.
How Bobcat Unleashed Me Contest
As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, Bobcat Co. is putting on the “How Bobcat Unleashed Me” contest, which asks equipment users to share how Bobcat has helped them. Entrants need to write a brief essay and fill out an entry form at the Bobcat 50 Years Unleashed Web site, www.bobcat.com/50. The grand-prize winner will receive a $75,000 gift certificate, good for products or attachments at a designated Bobcat dealership in North America.
In addition, five second-prize winners will receive $1,000 Bobcat gift certificates, 10 third-prize winners will receive a Bobcat jacket and 50 monthly winners will receive the book “Bobcat: 50 Years of Opportunity, 1958-2008.” Weekly winners will receive a Bobcat 50th Anniversary hat. The grand-prize winner will be selected from the weekly winners.
Selected winning entries will be posted on the Web site. Entries will be judged on creativity, quality, completeness and originality of answers, as well as any supporting documents. The contest ends May 30, 2008.
RTJ Purchases Club Facilities From Bishop Trust
Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Va., has purchased its course and clubhouse from the Hawaii-based Bishop Trust. RTJ had been operating under a 40-year lease from the Bishop Trust since September 1996.
Ponte Vedra Completes Course Redesign
The Ponte Vedra Inn & Club has completed the $5 million renovation of the Lagoon Golf Course, conducted by Golf Course Architect Bobby Weed. The renovation includes new tees, fairways and greens; routing changes on several holes; new turf standards; and improved irrigation and drainage. A new addition brings the course length to more than 6,000 yards.
New Locations for Ewing
Phoenix, Ariz.-based Ewing Irrigation, Golf & Industrial will launch 15 new locations in 2008, in Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Washington.
Kenworth News
Cooper Kenworth, Inc. recently opened a new parts and service facility in south Charlotte, N.C., with seven Kenworth service bays and a customer lounge. Cooper Kenworth is a family-owned and operated heavy and medium-duty Kenworth truck dealer with locations in Battleboro, Clinton, Concord, Durham, Greensboro, Hickory, Raleigh, South Charlotte and Wilmington, N.C.
Truck Enterprises recently opened a new full-service facility in Manassas, Va., that offers customers a large selection of new Kenworth trucks, enhanced service and easy accessibility. Truck Enterprises Manassas operates in two buildings. One houses five service bays and an on-site parts area. The other houses a showroom and customer lounge. Offering parts delivery and a remote service truck, the dealership also has an off-site, 5,000-square-foot warehouse. Truck Enterprises operates branch stores in Hagerstown, Md.; Keyser, W.Va.; and Chesapeake, Lynchburg, Manassas, Richmond and Roanoke, Va.
Grand Reserve Opens
Grand Reserve Golf Course, located in Bunnell, Fla., recently opened for play. The par-71, 6,500-yard public access golf course was designed by Michael Beebe of Palm Coast, Fla., and Bill Amick of Daytona Beach, Fla. The course is owned and operated by Mike Pullen of Capstone Golf.
New Representative, Dealer for Grun
Lew Hudson Sales has signed up to represent Grun Co. in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North and South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. Williams Equipment & Supply has signed up as the exclusive authorized Grun dealer in western Tennessee, Mississippi, northeastern Arkansas and Louisiana.
Steinmetz Appointed CEO of Middleton
Sunair Services Corp. has appointed Charles P. Steinmetz to serve as the CEO of Middleton Pest Control. Steinmetz was the majority owner of Middleton from 1977 until it was purchased by Sunair in June 2005, and has served as a director of Sunair since then.
Steinmetz has been a leader in the pest control industry for over 40 years, having served in various capacities with Orkin Exterminating Co., Truly Nolen, Inc. and All America Termite and Pest Control, Inc. Steinmetz received his degree in entomology from the University of Florida.
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Jacobsen News
Jacobsen has expanded the territories of three existing equipment dealerships and added one new dealer. Kansas Golf & Turf, Wichita, Kan., will now serve the northeast corner of Kansas and the western half of Missouri. Luber Brothers, Inc., Dallas, Texas, will now serve customers in southeast Texas. Midwest Golf & Turf, Cincinnati, Ohio, will now serve Michigan and the northwest corner of Ohio. Tri-State Pump & Controls, Inc., Liberty, S.C., became the newest dealer in North and South Carolina.
Deanna Duke has joined Jacobsen as its new product manager for the fairway product category. Duke has held management positions with Curtiss-Wright Controls, Nissan Motor Corp., Sea-Land Service and, most recently, Goodrich Corp. as the company’s marketing communications manager. She earned a bachelor’s degree in human factors engineering from the United States Air Force Academy and a master’s of business administration from the University of South Carolina.
Rain Bird’s Water Summit Brings Together Water Conservation Leaders
Conservation experts and green industry professionals convened in Pasadena, Calif., for The Intelligent Use of Water Summit VIII, A Look at Global Conservation Initiatives and Strategies: Leading By Example.
Hosted by Rain Bird Corp., the summit included a panel composed of members chosen for their water conservation expertise in the areas of academia, research, media and landscape design. The panelists were Mike Binns, Roger Cook, Marty Eberhardt and David Zoldoske. Rain Bird presented a check for $10,000 to Eberhardt, executive director of The Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon, Calif., for winning the 2007 Intelligent Use of Water Award.
In addition to calling for irrigation and landscaping professionals to assist in the development and implementation of water conservation initiatives and management, the panel emphasized the need to question accepted trade practices. They also acknowledged the role that industry professionals can play by influencing individuals and organizations to adopt water-conserving practices.
The next summit is scheduled for June 2008 in Zaragoza, Spain.
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Homan & Fletcher Join Wood Bay
Derek Homan has joined Wood Bay Turf Technologies as a regional sales manager. Homan is a former golf course superintendent with 19 years’ experience in the turf industry. Nicole Fletcher has joined the firm as an administrative assistant.
Symbiot Partners With Simplot Partners
Symbiot has formed a new partnership with Simplot Partners, which is an alliance of Simplot, Estes and Harrell’s. This relationship establishes Simplot Partners as the preferred fertilizer and chemical provider of Symbiot’s registered service providers. The announcement marks the end of a three-year relationship with Lesco.
Simplot Partners distributes proprietary chemicals, fertilizers and turf maintenance products for the J.R. Simplot Co.
National Golf Products Adds Sales Reps
National Golf Products has hired Tom Conway, Gregg Gersen, John Jenkins and Kregg Moyer as sales representatives.
Conway, who has taught at the Indiana Golf Academy and the United States Golf Academy, will handle key accounts in Indiana. Responsible for the Idaho, Oregon and Washington region, Gersen has nearly 10 years’ golf industry experience. With more than 17 years’ experience as a sales representative, Jenkins, a former golf professional, will serve the Michigan territory. Moyer will handle key accounts in Connecticut and New York.
E-Z-GO News
Ronald L. Otten has joined E-Z-GO as vice president of engineering. Otten has more than 25 years of experience in the global agricultural, construction equipment, material handling and transportation industries. He joins E-Z-GO from Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America, Inc. where he served as director of product development and corporate quality and led the company’s engineering function. Otten holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Minnesota and a master’s from Benedictine University.
Michael Parkhurst has been promoted to vice president of global sales. Formerly vice president of golf channel and branch operations, Parkhurst will oversee the sales and service organizations. He joined E-Z-GO in 2000 and has held the positions of Northeast regional manager, director of northern sales and director of golf sales. Parkhurst has also served as vice president of sales for the Bruedan Corp.
Lindsay Completes Acquisition of Watertronics
Lindsay Corp. has acquired all outstanding shares of stock of Watertronics, Inc., based in Hartland, Wis. Watertronics designs, manufactures and services water pumping stations and controls for the golf, landscape and municipal markets.
Blume Joins Ewing
Ewing has appointed Mike Blume as national sales manager. He will contribute to the development of the turf and erosion control products division and assume management of the turf products sales team.
Blume has been active in the distribution of chemicals, fertilizer and seed to the turf and ornamental industry for more than 25 years. His experience includes roles in sales management, marketing and technical advising for United Horticultural Supply, Horizon and Quali-Pro. Blume holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Sonoma State University, a master’s in plant science from Fresno State University and a California Pest Control Adviser’s license.
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