Can’t find a solution? Create one. That’s what Rudy Larsen did. The owner of LawnButler in Centerville, Utah, says he saw a growing need for a water conservation and water management application.
Aiming for better remote management and tech support, Smart Rain started in 2012 as a water manager. But Larsen became frustrated with the lack of technology and in 2015 had a controller prototype built.
A separate business from LawnButler, Smart Rain has its own hardware and firmware engineers and software development team.
“We built everything from the ground up,” he says. “Our customers loved it. We grew our customer base by 70 percent.”
Most of Smart Rain’s customers are located in the West. Larsen says hundreds of commercial clients are currently using the app. Alongside companies like Rain Bird and WeatherTRAK, LawnButler uses the Smart Rain technology for a majority of its clients.
“The primary concept right now is selling to landscapers and property owners that need and want more water management,” Larsen says.A two-hour set-up time is typical for installation and programming on site, he says. The existing controller is replaced with Smart Rain’s and then synced up with Smart Rain’s weather data. Photos and site maps can be added directly to the platform. Users can view all of the information in the software from the office or in the field.
Larsen says customers receive Smart Rain’s features as they are released, so there is no need to upgrade.
Last year was the first full year all the Smart Rain products were working together. A responsive mobile application launched May 1 for Android and iOS, and wireless moisture sensors will be released later this year.
