Source: www.TurfMagazine.com
Hayward to Distribute ZRATOR
After two years of steady growth for ZRATOR, UTECO, Inc. announced that Hayward Distributing Co., Columbus, Ohio, will handle ZRATOR distribution in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky, western Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and West Virginia. Hayward distributes goods and services to thousands of retailers in the Midwest and across the country. UTECO has been a distributor in the southern U.S. since 1941, and began manufacturing the ZRATOR in 2010.
From left, Paul Ganshert, Ganshert Nursery & Landscapes; Bonnie Reichert; and Beth Whitehouse Duschack, Dow AgroSciences.
Reichert Receives Dow Scholarship
Bonnie Reichert, a senior in the landscape architecture program at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, was selected to receive the $500 Dow AgroSciences scholarship for 2012. She already holds a bachelor’s degree in horticulture and is also pursuing a degree in geographic information systems and cartography. Reichert works as a landscape architecture intern at Ganshert Nursery & Landscapes.
American Beauty Joins LandOpt Network
There are now two Powered by LandOpt Contractors in Ohio. Boardman-based American Beauty Landscaping has joined the LandOpt Contractor Network. Founded 32 years ago by owner Roger Myers, American Beauty is a high-end residential design and full-service commercial maintenance landscape operation that provides service in a five-county area of northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania. American Beauty joins Marion-based Proscape Lawn & Landscape Services as the second LandOpt contractor in Ohio.
INDOT opened two salt storage facilities with structures from Legacy Building Solutions.
INDOT Opens New Facilities
The Indiana Department of Transportation has opened two new facilities for salt storage and winter deicing operations near Markle and Westfield, Ind. Custom-designed, engineered and erected by Legacy Building Solutions, the new tension fabric structures provide each location with a salt storage capacity of 3,300 tons, enough to cover several months of winter road maintenance.
New GIE+EXPO Format Means New Travel Dates
GIE+EXPO is providing a day (Wednesday, October 24) for dealers, retailers and distributors at this year’s trade show to meet one-on-one with exhibitors. Show planners are offering several incentives for suppliers to schedule their annual product introductions in Louisville during the days leading up to the show. Meeting rooms at the Kentucky Exposition Center will be available to exhibitors Monday through Wednesday. On Thursday and Friday, October 25 and 26, GIE+EXPO and the Outdoor Demo Area will be open to all industry participants. There will be no Saturday hours this year. Hardscape North America will have the same schedule.
The Tiger Prowler.
Tiger and PTE Announce Alliance
Tiger Corp. and Progressive Turf Equipment announced a new distribution agreement. Tiger was appointed as the exclusive distributor of the PTE Slope-Pro mower for Canada, Mexico and the United States. The mower will be marketed by Tiger as the Tiger Prowler. PTE will market the Slope-Pro worldwide, except for the three countries covered by Tiger.
Project EverGreen Announces New President, Board
Project EverGreen has a new president of its board of directors for the first time since 2010. Mike Sisti, of Weed Man USA, will lead the board as president, and Norman Goldenberg, with the TruGreen Companies, moves into his new role as immediate past president. The 2012 board officers include first vice president Bill Vogel, secretary Tom Delaney and treasurer Kirk Hunter. Cindy Code and Elizabeth Neiderhiser will continue as executive director and associate director, respectively.
FMC Tweeting Turf Topics
Stay up to speed on industry news and solutions via @FMCturf from FMC Professional Solutions. Follow @FMCturf on Twitter to get business tips, learn about FMC promotions and keep up with industry buzz. FMC created the Twitter handle to keep turf management professionals informed about best management practices and solutions, as well as answer questions on industry and technical topics.
ValleyCrest Earns Second Consecutive Top 125 Award
For the second consecutive year, ValleyCrest Landscape Companies earned recognition as one of Training magazine’s 2012 Top 125 training companies. In its second year entering the recognition program, ValleyCrest earned a ranking of No. 114 and is the only landscape services firm named on the list.
New Distributors in Ecolawn Network
Ecolawn entered an agreement with Cantrell Turf Equipment to distribute the Ecolawn Applicator in California, Nevada and Utah. Ecolawn also added Midwest Equipment & Supply Co., Inc. to its distributor network to cover Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Indiana.
Tom Dillon
GXi Hires Dillon
GXi Outdoor Power, LLC has hired Tom Dillon as senior vice president of sales. Dillon spent the last 10 years of his career at Lowe’s Home Improvement corporate headquarters. He will be responsible for directing all sales activities for GXi’s full line of outdoor power equipment.
Hunter Promoted to VP
Greg Hunter has been promoted from vice president of marketing to vice president of operations for Hunter Industries. He will be responsible for executing company strategy and optimizing the day-to-day operations for all Hunter business units. Hunter has held leadership positions within several key departments at the company, including engineering, product management, information systems and marketing.
PGMS Accepting Entries, Awards Scholarships
The Professional Grounds Management Society is searching for the best managed landscapes and is now accepting entries for its Green Star Awards Program. The deadline for entries is Friday, August 3, 2012. Find more information at www.pgms.org/greenstars.htm.
PGMS announced its 2012 collegiate scholarship recipients. They are Karen Anderson, Cincinnati State Technical & Community College, $1,500; Graham Glauber, University of Vermont, $1,200; Nicholas Calderone, Michigan State University, $1,000; Shangchun Hu, University of Florida, $800; and MacKenzie Patrick, Pennsylvania State University, $500.
Beatrice John
Netafim Hires John
Beatrice John has been named the new Netafim USA product marketing manager for the Landscape Division. John was previously employed at Rain Bird as a product manager in the accessories division. She is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and an MBA in finance and marketing.
Direct Solutions Adds Two to Agronomy Team
Direct Solutions announced the addition of Brandon Green and Bob Raley to its Turf & Horticulture agronomy team. Green has over five years of hands-on turf management experience and recently completed his master’s degree in agronomy from Auburn University. He will have responsibility for providing training and support for Agrium Advanced Technologies’ Experience at FarmLinks research and education program, while also supporting Direct Solutions’ internal and external customers in the southern U.S.
Raley has over 10 years of golf and turfgrass management experience and holds a master’s degree in agronomy from Penn State University. He will provide training and support to Direct Solutions’ internal and external customers throughout the northern U.S. and Canada.
Include Supports PLANET AEF
Include Software announced its commitment of $25,000 to the PLANET Academic Excellence Foundation. The donation will be made over a period of five years. The AEF was founded in 1998 to provide scholarships for students pursuing degrees in the land care industry.
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