The Lawn & Landscape Media Group is proud to introduce this June a hands-on field guide to turf and ornamental insect identification and management. This pocket-sized book will provide technicians and lawn care operators with unequaled information on the biology, behavior and physical characteristics of more than 60 commonly encountered insect pests in both trees and ornamentals.

Author, Dr. Richard Kramer, a well-respected name in pest management education says, “One of the best features of the handbook is going to be the full-color photo identification section.”  In addition to the photos, the handbook is filled with identification tips so technicians can identify the problems and learn how to eradicate them.

To pre-order your publication today or for further information please click here.

Toro is adding standard Rollover Protection Systems to its line of Z Master commercial zero-turn radius mowers. Most of the manufacturer’s riding mowers soon will sport a functional, two-post ROPS with a convenient hinge point for increased maneuverability and clearance when loading and unloading the equipment from trailers.

“Since we already provide standard ROPS on several commercial mowers, it makes perfect sense to do the same with the TORO Z Masters,” recalled Brad Hamilton, director of marketing for Toro’s landscape contractor business.

Although this feature is will not be seen until the latest models are released in a few months, the addition has been a top Toro priority for months.

“We actually began our commercial Z mower safety campaign last November at GIE,” Hamilton recalled. “The addition of ROPS is a continuation of that initiative, and physically goes into production on our Toro Z mowers with model year 2004 production, which begins this summer.”

Last summer, Toro and other industry names recognized the need for increased safety among users of commercial zero-turn mowers. Particularly, users must beware when mowing near blunt drop-offs, steep inclines, retaining walls or unstable ground around ponds or drainage ditches, Hamilton observed. Such unsafe mowing “can cause loss of traction and control and can result in serious injuries or fatalities.”

Toro’s ROPS step toward mower safety is one the Bloomington, Minn.–based manufacturer believes will set a trend among others in the industry.

“Safety is important to everyone in the industry, including equipment operators, landscape company owners, equipment dealers and manufacturers,” Hamilton noted. “And since ROPS is already available as optional equipment from most manufacturers, we believe more manufacturers will put ROPS on standard in the near future.”

There are no statistics available to accurately quantify the rollerover problem posed by mowers.  However, Toro knows through experience “that equipment accidents can occur when the equipment is operated improperly, and we want to be pro-active in our approach to ensuring operator safety,” Hamilton asserted.

Toro expects the reaction from contractors to be positive as well.

The author is Assistant Editor-Internet of Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at aanderson@lawnandlandscape.com.

DENVER — United Horticultural Supply (UHS), a national distributor of turf and ornamental products, recently acquired York Distributors, a distributor for the structural pest control industry. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
The acquisition is integral to UHS’s strategic growth plan, explained UHS Marketing Director Brian Payseno.

“For years, we’ve seen some crossover with the PCO business, with a lot of the same suppliers and, in some cases, the same customers,” Payseno related. “We were aware of York being a strong company, so we thought this would be a good opportunity to find some efficiencies between the two companies and achieve some growth.”

York Distributors, based in Forest Hill, Md., primarily services the East Coast and Southeast, while Denver-based UHS has a network of warehouses throughout the United States.

“There are a lot of resources available to us that might not have been available to York and vice versa, so I think the acquisition will open markets for both sides,” Payseno noted.

As part of the agreement, York Distributors will continue to operate under the same name and Cliff Mohrhaus will serve as general manager of the PCO business. Payseno said all of the York offices will continue to operate as usual and that UHS is not planning any immediate changes to the York sales team.

The author is Managing Editor of Pest Control Technology magazine, a sister publication of Lawn & Landscape, and can be reached at bharbison@pctonline.com.

Rob Estes jumped in with both feet after he graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in landscape architecture.

“After I graduated, I began working for Landers Landscape Design as vice president of the design department,” Estes remembered. “Mr. Landers really gave me the opportunity to get my name out and start my own business.” Now, Estes’ name really is out there. As a result of some strong business deals, he is now the owner of both Estes Lawn Maintenance and Estes Landscape, Sharpsburg, Ga.

“In the summer of 1996 I purchased the stock in Landers Landscape Design and changed the name to Estes-Landers Landscape Design,” Estes explained. “I bought the stock from Landers Lawn Maintenance in 1997 and by 1999 I had grown the design and installation business from annual sales of $600,000 per year to $1.9 million. That’s when I purchased the property from Mr. Landers.”

But as Landers’ maintenance and design/build businesses changed hands, changed names and increased in revenue, Estes held onto one significant business approach he learned from his predecessor: the value of multiple companies working together.

In 1996, several other companies were located on the Landers/Estes property, all of which rented space from Landers. “Working under Ray Landers, he started the scenario of having a location for people to buy mulch, plant material, etc., all on one site,” Estes described. “But he had a vested interest in the businesses, and I could see that didn’t work. The competitors wouldn’t buy from the nursery or they wouldn’t buy mulch because they were basically putting money into competitors’ pockets.”

In a twist on the original idea, Estes has formed what he calls a “business park” approach on his property. Six companies, including Whitley Lawn Care, Vining Stone, Stovall Irrigation & Nursery Supply, Georgia Professional Sprinklers, Rios Masonry, and P.E.P. (Erosion Control) rent space from Estes and, along with his two companies, create an eight-business complex in the middle of booming Coweta and Fayette counties.

“This setup is very convenient for everyone,” Estes assured. “I don’t have to stock chemicals and I purchase my plant material straight off the nursery lot. When we open the doors at 6:30 in the morning, we go out, get the plant material we need, load it onto the truck, and that really cuts down on deliver fees and that sort of thing.

The fact that the companies share 14 acres of property and an office building make forging business deals very convenient, since all eight businesses subcontract with one another frequently.

“We all generate a lot of business off each other in terms of subcontracts,” Estes noted. “The companies I have the most contact with are Vining Stone and Stovall Nursery as well as Whitley lawn care, and we subcontract our irrigation with Georgia Professional Sprinklers.” Whereas some clients may hire contractors with their hands in a little bit of everything, risking a “jack of all trades, master of none” scenario, Estes explained that a significant benefit of the business park is each company’s dedicated abilities.

“We have eight different companies here on the property that all specialize in individual portions of the green industry, so we don’t really compete against each other at all,” he explained. “Instead of calling a much larger company and trying to get everything, our clients have one-stop shopping and can use each of our services – knowing that we’re all very specialized in what we do.”

Estes related that working in a business park has truly cut down on certain business costs and downtime, thereby increasing his bottom line. But this, like any business venture, hits its snags.

“We have 14 acres, but we’ve become increasingly overwhelmed with space issue,” Estes reported. “Parking has become the biggest issue because Vining Stone and the nursery are generating so many walk-in customers – it makes it difficult for us to move.” Because Estes’ crews are offsite for the majority of the workday, space isn’t as much of a problem for them, but it does keep Estes from expanding the business park even more. “If we had more room I think two other companies I would seek to really provide everything would be lawnmower sales and repair,” he reasoned.

Despite logistical issues like this, Estes is thoroughly proud of his accomplishment and expects his business park approach to remain unique for some time. “To find qualified people who I would refer my customers to and who would share the same business idea would be difficult,” he commented. “I’m very fortunate that we’re right between Coweta and Fayette counties – two of the top-10 fastest growing counties in the nation. We’ve surrounded ourselves and been particular about trying to negotiate with possible tenants who would be leaders in the industry.”

The author is Assistant Editor of Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at lspiers@lawnandlandscape.com.