Author: Dillon Stewart

Dillon StewartAug 14, 2023

Isuzu Commercial Truck of America, distributor of low cab forward trucks, promoted Shaun Skinner to president of the company. He will replace Hisao Sasaki, who is returning to Isuzu Motors Limited in Japan. A 29-year Isuzu veteran, Skinner served as vice president and general manager for the past eight years. He also serves as president of Isuzu Commercial Truck of Canada. Central […]

Dillon StewartAug 6, 2018

Morbark was acquired by an affiliate of Stellex Capital Management. Acquisition details were not disclosed. For 50 years, the company has produced equipment for the forestry, tree care, recycling and other markets. Dan Ruskin will serve as the company’s CEO. Ruskin has an extensive management background in lean manufacturing and corporate restructuring, and most recently, he founded and managed Anchor […]

Dillon StewartNov 10, 2023

The National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) Foundation awarded $69,100 in scholarships to 53 students during the National Collegiate Landscape Competition, held March 16-19 at Mississippi State University. The Foundation also awarded the President’s Scholarship, a $3,000 scholarship, to Ben Harcey from Michigan State University. The President’s Scholarship is selected by the Foundation judging panel, which looks for […]

Dillon StewartAug 15, 2023

Stihl Southeast President Bob “JR” Noble Jr. unexpectedly passed away on March 8. As a wholesale distributor serving Florida, Georgia, Alabama and several of the neighboring islands, Noble Jr. was promoted from sales manager to president in 1999 when his father, Stihl Southeast founder Bob Noble Sr. retired. “This is without a doubt the most difficult […]

Dillon StewartNov 10, 2023

Mid-March is spring break for college students across the country. For many, that meant a week at mom and dad’s house, binge watching Netflix, or a trip somewhere warm, binging on something else. But for 850 horticulture students on 65 teams, spring break meant testing their skills at the National Collegiate Landscape Competition (NCLC), hosted […]

Dillon StewartNov 3, 2023

____1. Schedule and price the job Many companies price spring startups by the zone or by the hour. Tom Horn, president of All-n-One Outdoor Solutions in Jefferson City, Mo., calls his prices “middle of the road.” The company charges $60 for a residential property with four zones plus a $3 to $4 upcharge per additional […]

Dillon StewartAug 15, 2023

The National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) selected Barry Troutman, Ph.D., as its new technical adviser. Troutman, a 38-year veteran of the industry, most recently served as director and vice president of technical services for ValleyCrest. Previously, he worked in technical and training capacities with Massey Services and ChemLawn. Troutman also worked with the Professional Lawn Care Association of America, […]

Dillon StewartNov 10, 2023

Brett Lemcke Vice President R.M. Landscape Hilton, N.Y. Education Aquinas Institute Rochester, N.Y. Class of 1998 SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill Associate degree, landscape development Class of 2000 SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill Bachelor’s of technology Class of 2002 Work Experience 1994-1998 R.M. Landscape Crew member Rochester, N.Y. Lemcke’s […]

Dillon StewartFeb 3, 2024

Spring-Green Lawn Care Vice President Terry Bradford retired after 34 years with the company. He was also COO of the Spring-Green-owned Superior Lawns. Rich Helfrich, a nine-year veteran of Spring-Green, assumed Bradford’s positions. Bradford joined Spring-Green in 1981 as a franchise support representative, now known as a business consultant. Before becoming vice president, he served as branch manager in northeast Wisconsin. “My most […]

Dillon StewartMar 19, 2021

Pure Green acquired its competitor, Turf Team. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. “This is a primary business for me, and it was a secondary business for them,” said Nathan Brandon, founder and owner of Pure Green. “There was an operational benefit for me. In some neighborhoods, I went from having five houses […]

Dillon StewartMar 1, 2016

When tragedy struck the Excel Industries facility last week, competitors turned into supporters. Ariens, Dixie Chopper, Jacobsen, Gravely and others extended thoughts and prayers to Excel Industries using the hashtag #ManufacturersUnite. Four were killed and 14 were injured in a shooting at the Excel Industries facility in Hesston, Kan. Excel produces the brands Hustler Turf and Big […]

Dillon StewartAug 14, 2023

Jeffrey Scott, in partnership with LM, brought his Grow Your Landscape Business Workshop to the Holt Cat facility in Little Elm, Texas, Feb. 25. Twenty-three landscape company owners and high-level employees were in attendance. Many attendees owned companies in Texas, like Managing Partners Julie Donie and Alexa Villalobos of Fertile Grounds in Austin, Texas. Others traveled farther, such as Owner Mike Pruitt […]

Dillon StewartAug 16, 2023

Even companies that’ve seemingly mastered Angie’s List and Yelp have woes with the sites. But a new website is giving the power back to the contractors. Contractor’s Customers, which launched in January, lets businesses write reviews on the customers they work with. Before agreeing to a job, subscribers can search the potential customer by name or street address and read reviews left by other […]

Dillon StewartFeb 23, 2016

Great Northern Equipment (GNE) purchased the assets of Maxim Manufacturing, a Mississippi-based manufactuerer commercial landscape tillers, trimmers, sprinklers, rollers and more. GNE is based in Rogers, Minn., and has a branch office in Garland, Texas. The company has sold outdoor power equipment to dealers, rental stores and big box stores nationwide for more than 30 years. Heads Up Landscape […]

Dillon StewartNov 3, 2023

Daniel Plawski Founder/CEO Peninsula Landscaping Hampton, Va. Education Tabb High School Yorktown, Va. Class of 2010 Old Dominion University Norfolk, Va. Studied business administration 2010-2011 “Everybody was following that path because it was supposedly the key to a good job, but I realized I didn’t need a degree to make a good living.” Did you […]

Dillon StewartAug 15, 2023

Swingle Lawn, Tree & Landscape Care’s arborist Jeff Stimson has retired. Stimson started in the green industry in 1983. With experience in tree diagnostics, pruning, lawn care, landscape installation and design, he joined Swingle in 1990. He holds certifications with the International Society of Arboriculture and is an active member of the American Society of Consulting Arborists. “I’ve […]

Dillon StewartAug 6, 2018

Lush Lawn CEO and Founder Aaron Samson traveled to the city of Flint, Mich., Jan. 21 to donate bottles of water to the Flint Fire Station. With branches in Brighton, Rochester Hills and Grand Blanc, the company has employees and customers who were directly affected by the consumption of lead-tainted water during the Flint Water […]

Dillon StewartFeb 27, 2023

ChemChina—a Chinese-government-owned pesticide and agrochemical company—offered to acquire Swiss-based agricultural company Syngenta for $43 billion in cash. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year. “In making this offer, ChemChina is recognizing the quality and potential of Syngenta’s business,” said Michel Demaré, chairman of Syngenta. “The transaction minimizes operational disruption; it […]

Dillon StewartFeb 3, 2016

McFarlin Stanford, a business coaching firm, named Chris Psencik vice president of construction operations and sales coaching practices. Psencik graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s in horticulture, specializing in landscape design. He earned a certificate of management from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University. His experience comes from 14 years of leading sales […]

Dillon StewartNov 3, 2023

When renovating or installing new turf, choosing whether to sod, seed or hydroseed is a case-by-case decision. Below, we break down a few considerations, but the most important one should always be what’s best for the lawn, experts say. “Whenever we’re making a recommendation we give (the client) what fixes the lawn the best because […]