Every movement needs its early adopters. And there has been no shortage of those kinds of evangelists in the landscape industry as it gradually continues its embrace of battery-powered and autonomous equipment.
That much was clear last week as a broad selection of leaders from some of the country’s most prominent landscaping and lawn care companies gathered in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains for the Kress NEXT Summit, hosted at The Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Anchored around the introduction of a new “cut-and-go” autonomous mowers, the event featured state-of-the-industry addresses from Kress senior leaders, panel discussions on both electrification and robotics in landscaping and an opportunity to test drive much of the company’s product line, from blowers and string trimmers to the previously mentioned robotic mowers.
Joe Langton is one who wouldn’t shy away from being identified as an evangelist for electric and autonomous equipment. The vice president of the Langton Group in Woodstock, Ill., and acting CEO of Automated Outdoor Solutions, Langton has not only been embracing this technology in his own business, but has been encouraging colleagues to do the same. The opportunity to continue spreading that word was a primary reason he prioritized attending the event.
“Part of the reason why I was here was because a lot of the people I have been mentoring were going to be here, too,” Langton says. “I wanted to show them that, ‘Hey, I’ve been telling you about Kress, telling you they’re the real deal, so let’s see what they have to offer together.’
“I made a commitment to this technology a long time ago, so I need to walk the walk as much as I talk the talk. In 20 years, I want to be hanging out with a bunch of other professionals, talking about how big a change this technology has made in our jobs and how much more professional our space is as a result.”
Don Gao, the founder and CEO of Kress and its parent company, Positec, says the company had similar inspirations when planning the NEXT Summit.
“The industry is experiencing a major shift from gas to electric,” he says. “But a lot of landscape professionals have felt burned because … they felt the (early) technology was not supporting the kind of usage that is required in this industry.
“So, we wanted to have the CEOs and leaders of the top landscaping companies here to really introduce them to what Kress is today and where the technology is today. We want them to understand that Kress’ technology is different, and Kress’ technology can meet their requirements.”
The most obvious demonstration of that philosophy was the unveiling of a new 40-inch robotic mower that Kress says will hit the market in 2026. In contrast to the company’s RTK autonomous mowers — machines that Kress calls “cut-and-stay” since most remain in place at properties managed by the landscape companies that own them — these cut-and-go mowers are designed to move from job to job and tackle larger properties. An even larger 60-inch version is also in the works.
The event’s presentations focused on real-world lessons learned about electrification and autonomous technology by professionals who already use these mowers regularly. Featured in the session on battery-powered technology were Chris Angelo, CEO of Stay Green in the Los Angeles area; Greyson Walldorf, the founder of Lawn Capital in Decatur, Ga.; and Justin White, the CEO of K&D Landscaping in Watsonville, Calif., and a regular Landscape Management columnist.
Featured in “The Robots are Here” session, which focused exclusively on autonomous technology, were Langton; Todd Reinhart, owner of Reinhart Landscaping and Snow in Bloomington, Ill.; and Carlos Teles, owner of Teles Landscaping in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.
