Landscape Management articles from November 2003

Landscape Management archives from November 2003

Next month: what's coming up in December.(Brief Article)(Directory)
November 1, 2003... * Green Book 2004 Check out the Green Industry's leading reference guide. It's full of helpful information such as: * Buying directory From equipment to fertilizer to seed--it's all in this issue * Distributors A detailed...

Here's the real Lone Ranger.(on the record: self-reliance in business)
November 1, 2003... The Lone Ranger really wasn't so lonely if you think about it. He could always count on his faithful sidekick Tonto. He also had Silver, his horse. In a very real sense, they were his support team. Tonto offered wise counsel that the Lone...

Unleash the power of your UVP; promote what makes your company unique and say goodbye to the commodity game.(business ideas: unique value proposition)
November 1, 2003... Are you tired of being a participant in the commodity game? You don't have to play this game by identifying and capitalizing on your unique value proposition (UVP). If you don't have a UVP, it's time to create one. A UVP is simple to...

Lorne Hall: [C] Western Lawns.(inside the owner's head)
November 1, 2003... Lorne Hall owns Western Lawns, a $4.7 million full-service landscape company located in Oklahoma City, OK. About half of the company's business comes from commercial maintenance clients. In peak season, the company employs 95 people. Hall is a...

Texas landscapers think big at state fair.(in the know: news you can use)
November 1, 2003... DALLAS -- How would you like six million people looking at a landscape that your company designed and installed? If you were a landscape professional in the Dallas area, you can make it happen and put some signage there, too. After all, you'd...

Competition a blooming success.(in the know)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... BEREA, OH -- Never doubt the power of professional grounds management and neighborhood gardens to make a community's pride swell. So says Janet Biddlecombe, organizer of a community-wide effort to beautify and showcase the public parks and...

John Deere to equip NFL's Bears.(Clippings)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... CHICAGO, IL -- The Chicago Bears recently named John Deere their new preferred provider of grounds care equipment for the newly renovated Soldier Field. The sponsorship agreement is for the 2003-2004 season. The multi-year partnership...

Schiller-Pfeiffer nabs BedShaper.(Clippings: Pro Industries Inc. product line)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... SOUTHAMPTON, PA -- Schiller-Pfeiffer, Inc., manufacturer of Little Wonder and Mantis Landscaping & Gardening Power Equipment, announced the acquisition of the BedShaper line of self-propelled and tractor mounted edgers from Pro Industries,...

Syngenta requests diazinon removal.(Clippings)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... GREENSBORO, NC -- Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. requested that the registrations for all of its remaining products (agricultural and outdoor non-agricultural) containing the organophosphate pesticide diazinon be voluntarily canceled. The...

Ewing merges with Oasis.(Clippings)(Ewing Irrigation Products has merged with Oasis Irrigation)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... PHOENIX, AZ -- Ewing Irrigation Products has merged with Oasis Irrigation. The merger has created Ewing's new Moreno Valley Branch, the 123rd Ewing branch in the nation and second in Riverside, CA.

Peterson improves customer support.(Clippings)(has allied with Con-Way Logistics, Inc. (Con-way))(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... EUGENE, OR -- In order to offer customers more responsive parts service in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada, Peterson Pacific has allied with Con-Way Logistics, Inc. (Con-way). Peterson parts will be stocked at Con-way's state-of-the art...

U.S. EPA registers Emerald fungicide.(Clippings, Environmental Protection Agency)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... RESEARCH PARK TRIANGLE, NC -- BASF's Emerald fungicide recently gained registration from the U.S. EPA. The product, based on a new chemistry, showed excellent performance against dollar spot in university and golf course trials. Boscalid (BS...

The Boston Society of Landscape Architects.(People & companies)(Joseph T. Geller receives 2002 Excellence Award)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The Boston Society of Landscape Architects named Joseph T. Geller, partner of Boston-based Geller Associates Inc., the recipient of its 2002 Excellence Award.

Environmental Turf.(People & companies)(Stacie Zinn appointed international marketing director of Environmental Turf Nurseries)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Environmental Turf appointed Stacie Zinn International Marketing Director.

The Musser International Turfgrass Foundation.(People & companies)(Eric Watkins receives Award of Excellence for 2003)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The Musser International Turfgrass Foundation awarded Eric Watkins, currently a Ph.D. candidate from the Rutgers University in the Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, its Award of Excellence for 2003.

Swingle Tree & Landscape Care.(People & companies)(Tom Kosinski hired as plant health care supervisor)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Swingle Tree & Landscape Care hired Tom Kosinski as Plant Health Care Supervisor.

Profile Products LLC.(People & companies)(Joe Betulius promoted to vice president, sales)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Profile Products LLC promoted Joe Betulius to Vice President, Sales.

RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment).(People & companies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment) honored Laurie Treu, Vice President of Specialty Products for Crompton/ Uniroyal Chemical, with CropLife America's Workhorse award.

Tecumseh Products Company.(People & companies)(Paul Krishnan named vice president of engine and transmission group)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Tecumseh Products Company promoted Paul Krishnan to Vice President of its Engine & Transmission Group.

Shindaiwa Kogyo Ltd.(People & companies)(Tom Bunch named to Board of Directors)(Steve Synnott named president and chief operating officer at PRO Group, Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Shindaiwa Kogyo Ltd. named Shindaiwa President Tom Bunch as the newest member of its Board of Directors. The PRO Group, Inc. named Steve Synnott President and Chief Operating Officer.

Schiller-Pfeiffer, Inc.(People & companies)(Stuart Bryan hired as president)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Schiller-Pfeiffer, Inc., manufacturer of Little Wonder and Mantis Landscaping & Gardening Power Equipment, hired Stuart Bryan as President.

Maruyama.(People & companies)(Frank Petersen hired as general sales manager)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Maruyama hired Frank Petersen as General Sales Manager. He will be responsible for all sales efforts in North and South America.

Info center: videos and literature for the green industry.(in the know)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Hunter releases new 2004-2005 Irrigation Products Catalog Hunter Industries has released a new 2004-2005 Irrigation Products Catalog featuring the manufacturer's complete line of rotors, sprays, valves, sensors, controllers and central...

Statistics: industry trends by the numbers.
November 1, 2003... UTILIZATION RATE The utilization rate is a labor hour metric calculated by dividing applied time (hours charged to jobs on time tickets) by total time paid to production staff. For example, if a foreman is paid 50 hours in a week, and 40...

GIE here to stay: continued ALCA/PLCAA/PGMS cooperation bodes well for bigger, better shows to come.(Your Business: Green Industry Expo, Professional Grounds Management Society, Professional Lawn Care Association of America, Associated Landscape Contractors of America)
November 1, 2003... For three days this month, more than 6,000 people will visit this year's Green Industry Expo (GIE) in St. Louis. The number includes those attending the three related association conferences, people trying out the mowers, diggers and other...

People of the Year '03: John Van Etten: grounds management.
November 1, 2003... If you know John Van Etten, you'd half-believe that a cut in his arm would yield a torrent of potting soil. Ornamentals, turfgrass and annuals are the kinds of things that give him goosebumps. Who else would spend his spare time planting...

People of the Year '03: Roger Mongeon: lawn care.
November 1, 2003... For decades, the Weed Man, founded by visionary Des Rice in the early 1970s, stayed pretty much north of the border. Although its franchise operations spanned Canada from coast to coast, making it the single largest lawn care provider there, it...

People of the Year '03: turning over the Crystal Ball: Tom Lied: landscape contracting.
November 1, 2003... Special 'lifetime' achievement None of us can predict the future with any certainty. Some of us help build it, however. For almost 30 years, Tom Lied was the chairman of the Crystal Ball Committee, and he has been and remains a great...

Eliminate the weakest link: in the service industry, it's probably your people.(Your Business)
November 1, 2003... I believe the old adage, "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link." And the more time I spend in the lawn service industry, the more I'm convinced that critical link is spelled p-e-o-p-l-e. People are critical to success. Ask...

Grand Ole Opry: 2002 PGMS Grand Award Winner for Amusement/Theme Park.(LM presents: award-winning landscape management)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Just as the Grand Ole Opry is an institution in Nashville, TN, so is Mac Smith. Smith has worked there since 1970, when he started as a seasonal worker. In fact, his early experience at the Grand Ole Opry made him change his mind about wanting...

Recover an ailing business with the right software.(Technology That Works)
November 1, 2003... What are the symptoms of having too much software to deal with? There is confusion, bewilderment, inconsistency, head-aches, sighing, tension, too much time spent searching for the "right" disc, ad infinitim. Short of employing a computer...

Sharp ideas for the shop.(LM Reports)
November 1, 2003... A sharp mower blade is just as important to maintaining good turf quality as variety, selection and regular nitrogen applications. A dull blade damages grass leaves, leaving them prone to disease. It leaves behind a ragged, ratty looking...

Ask the expert.(tree diseases)
November 1, 2003... Sick sycamore? A sycamore tree in our customer's yard doesn't seem to be losing its fruiting bodies. We don't remember this happening in past years. Is there something wrong with these trees? --CA Based on your observations, it...

Dandy dump.(products: tech center)
November 1, 2003... Dakota Peat & Equipment's new 550 Turf Contractor industrial grade dump box was specifically designed to carry heavy loads without damaging turf. The pull-behind dump box is equipped with 16-in. Dakota SuperTrac tires that carry a 4-yd. or...

Shifting gears.(products: tech center)
November 1, 2003... Kubota enters the utility vehicle market with its new RTV900, which will be available in four configurations--turf, general purpose, recreational and worksite. The new utility vehicle will be in dealers' showrooms in February 2004. Standard...

Chip it away.(products: tech center)
November 1, 2003... Salsco calls its chipper a giant in a small package. The model 608 is powered by an 8-hp Honda or Briggs & Stratton engine, and the balanced impeller is 13 in. in diameter by 1in. thick. It's mounted on a frame with axle and pneumatic tires and...

Keep on truckin'.(products: tech center)
November 1, 2003... American Cargo LLC introduces the Heritage cargo van, available in 10-ft. through 16-ft. lengths and 72- to 96-in. interior body heights. Standard features include a larger bulkhead door, Galvaneal steel rear frame, rear roll-up door with...

Bigger, better deck.(products: tech center)
November 1, 2003... Encore Power Equipment's Z-Series of riding mowers now has a 60-in. deck, as well as 42-, 48- and 52-in. decks. Each mower also has a lower center of gravity for greater stability. Durable automotive-style drum parking brakes have also been...

Events: what, when & where.(Calendar)
November 1, 2003... November 17-20 Turf and Ornamental Seminar / West Lafayette, IN; 765/494-8039; www.agry.purdue.edu/turf 18-20 International Irrigation Show / San Diego, CA; 703/536-7080; www.irrigation.org 22 Field Day / Salem, OR; Sponsored by...

Make them pay for themselves.(best practices: guidelines to help an industry grow)
November 1, 2003... If you attend an industry conference, it should pay for itself. I had that concept drilled into my head by an influential mentor, Joe Marsh. He said that before you leave, you should pin down the total cost of attendance, airfare, meals, hotel,...