Author: Dillon Stewart

Dillon StewartJan 27, 2016

Peter Becker has retired as senior vice president and Mid-Atlantic division manager of Bartlett Tree Experts after 40 years with the company. John Smithmyer, previously assistant division manager, has been promoted to vice president and division manager. Becker joined Bartlett in 1973 as an intern and assumed the role of Mid-Atlantic division manager in 1989. He worked closely with Smithmyer, who has […]

Dillon StewartJan 22, 2016

An executive of a Johnston, R.I.-based landscape and nursery company agreed to plead guilty in federal court for his role in orchestrating a scheme to avoid paying union benefits to employees who worked on two federally funded projects and for falsifying unemployment documents. Steven Pagliarini, executive vice president and treasurer of Central Landscaping Construction and […]

Dillon StewartFeb 27, 2023

JCB North America appointed Tim Witter as its vice president of manufacturing. In his new position, Witter is responsible for JCB’s North American Manufacturing Center, which builds the company’s skid-steer and compact track loaders, the 3CX backhoe loader and the High Mobility Engineer Excavator (HMEE). His experience in manufacturing includes more than 18 years at Gorbel, a global […]

Dillon StewartJan 18, 2016

Green industry members from across the Midwest converged on the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, Jan. 11-13 for CENTS 2016, hosted by the Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association. Attendees struggling with labor issues had the opportunity to learn from the father-son team at The Bruce Co., which has mastered employee retention. The Wisconsin-based firm has […]

Dillon StewartFeb 27, 2023

TaskEasy, a start-up offering on-demand services, reports $10 million in snow removal and landscape services ordered through its website. TaskEasy has provided services in more than 4,400 cities across 50 states. “Part of our mission is to build strong communities and to fuel our local economies. Hitting this milepost and announcing over $10 million in jobs provided […]

Dillon StewartFeb 27, 2023

B. Rushing Lawn & Landscaping in Lorton, Va., acquired East Coast Professional Landscape in Fairfax Station, Va. Terms of the deal, effective Jan. 1, were not disclosed. “Both companies are similarly aligned, and we really felt this was a win-win situation for all,” said Brandon Rushing, owner of B. Rushing Lawn & Landscaping. “I am looking forward to working […]

Dillon StewartAug 15, 2023

Stihl’s outgoing president, Fred Whyte, will continue to serve as chairman of the board of directors following his retirement in December. He also will act in an advisory role by providing strategic counsel to the incoming president, Bjoern Fischer, and his executive management team. Whyte has worked with Stihl for more than 44 years and […]

Dillon StewartAug 6, 2018

Ruppert Landscape announced another round of personnel changes, including promotions and hires at its Maryland landscape construction branch, Gainesville, Va., landscape management branch and its Washington, D.C., landscape management branch. Rich Schubach will retire as branch manager of the Maryland landscape construction branch. Mike Felts will be promoted to fill his position. Schubach joined the […]

Dillon StewartFeb 27, 2023

A new report from BuzzFeed found some employers “go to extraordinary lengths” to avoid hiring U.S. workers so they qualify for foreign workers through the H-2A and H-2B guest worker programs. It also said some state and federal officials allowed companies to disobey “not only the spirit, but the letter, of the law.” The landscape industry is […]

Dillon StewartAug 6, 2018

Companies often don’t want to show customers “how the sausage is made,” but that wasn’t the case for John Deere, which made an effort to put human faces to products and receive feedback from past and potential customers at its recent Turf Care Quality First Factory Tour event. In three waves, dozens of contractors from […]

Dillon StewartAug 6, 2018

Massey Services Chairman and CEO Harvey L. Massey, who founded the company in 1985, was selected for membership in the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. The award recognizes “outstanding business, civic and cultural leaders who have succeeded despite facing significant adversity and who are committed to philanthropy and higher education,” the organization said. During a 52-year career in the […]

Dillon StewartNov 3, 2023

See what type of herbicides lawn care professionals across the country choose for various turf types. Lee Kral Lawn Service Manager, Mountain High Tree & Lawn Location: Lakewood, Colo. Turf types: Kentucky bluegrass/ryegrass mix, fine fescue, creeping red fescue, tall fescue Preemergent: Liquid Postemergent: Liquid Trade tip: “It’s far more about results than cost for […]

Dillon StewartDec 10, 2015

Ruppert Landscape announced a slew of personnel changes and new hires in three of its branches. The full-service company, based in Laytonsville, Md., was listed No. 11 on the LM150 list with $110,000,000 in annual revenue. Company President Phil Key attributes the growth to the company “showing a pattern of steady growth in the last few […]

Dillon StewartDec 3, 2015

Scott Tilley, general counsel and member of the executive council of Stihl, was elected chairman of the Virginia Manufacturers Association. He was elected to the board in 2011 and has served as the vice chairman for the past two years. His past experience with associations includes work with Norfolk Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Outdoor […]

Dillon StewartDec 4, 2015

Mariani Landscape, based in Chicago, received this year’s Acanthus Award for Landscape Design by the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. Mariani’s project, Italian Renaissance (pictured), was acclaimed for its excellence in classical and vernacular design and embracing the Italianate architecture. The project is located in Winnetka, Ill., on Lake Michigan. “The homeowners gave us […]

Dillon StewartNov 19, 2015

Caretaker Landscape & Tree Management hired Kent Miller as its next president. Miller is a former executive with the The Groundskeeper, based in Tucson. With a new market in Colorado, Caretaker “sees incredible value in Kent’s past experience.” Ariens Co. made three personnel changes for the Ariens and Gravely brands. Joe Horn, vp of global sales, […]

Dillon StewartAug 14, 2023

Of the 34 attendees of LM’s 2015 Lawn Care Forum, the majority noted the biggest challenge lawn care operators face is hiring and retaining quality employees. During a breakfast panel Nov. 18 at the Forum, Chris Joyce, owner of Joyce Landscaping and Always Green of Cape Cod, Andrew Ziehler, owner of Ziehler Lawn & Tree Care, and […]

Dillon StewartNov 3, 2023

David Katz President Elite Landscaping Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Education Mahopac High School Mahopac, N.Y. Class of 1977 SUNY Cobleskill Nursery management and landscape design Cobleskill, N.Y. 1977-1979 SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Landscape Architecture 1979-1980 “I work between 4:30-5:30 every morning. I go into work somewhere between 6:00-6:45 a.m. And I leave my office […]

Dillon StewartNov 12, 2015

Ariens Co. named Ginger King president of Ariens Specialty Brands, a distributor of specialty equipment, supplies and gear through the brands Gempler’s, Ben Meadows, AW Direct, Stens, J Thomas and Bynorm. King previously served as vice president of human resources for the company. Prior to joining Ariens, she held several human resources positions at Kohler and Serigraph. She […]

Dillon StewartAug 6, 2018

Cleveland’s Veterans Day Parade just passed our downtown office on E. 9th Street. It’s a jubilant reminder of the great men and women who have served in the U.S. armed forces and the sacrifices they made that allow us to sit at our desks and produce a magazine each month—comfortable, safe and worry-free. Here at […]

Dillon StewartNov 6, 2015

Vermeer named Jason Andringa the president and CEO, effective Nov. 1. Previously, he served as president and COO, in addition to various other roles. Before joining Vermeer in 2005, he was a staff engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Andringa graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Calvin College and also has […]

Dillon StewartAug 6, 2018

Heads Up Landscape Contractors of Albuquerque, N.M, stepped up after its owners heard a local, wounded Army veteran needed grass for his service dog. “Lucky (his mastiff/Great Dane service dog) alerts me when I need oxygen for my headaches as a result of a traumatic brain injury and reminds me to take my medication twice […]

Dillon StewartAug 15, 2023

After a four-month investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found a New York landscaper’s death was “easily preventable” with proper equipment maintenance. The organization proposed a penalty of $70,000. “This worker’s death was easily preventable. The attachment and use of the required guard for the discharge chute would have […]