Art Evans Named EOY Finalist, Inducted into Hall of Fame

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – The Indiana businessman whose down-to-earth principles helped turn Dixie Chopper into a household name was inducted into the Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur Hall of Fame during a gala awards ceremony last month, and was a national finalist for the Entrepreneur of the Year (EOY) title. Arthur Evans, who has seen his Putnam County company grow from humble beginnings in a barn outside Fillmore, Ind. to status among the world leaders in zero-turning-radius lawn mowers, was named Indiana Master Entrepreneur of the Year back in June.

Competing against 38 other regional winners in an event hosted by Jay Leno of “The Tonight Show,” the 63-year-old Evans was named one of three national finalists in the manufacturing, distribution and security category. Also named as finalists were Tracy Krohn, president and CEO of W&T Offshore, a Houston, Texas-based oil company, and Richard Jarman, CEO of Sceptor Industries, which makes scanners used  by airport security and the U.S. Postal Service.

Selected as the overall 2005 Entrepreneur of the Year was Arthur Blank, cofounder of Home Depot and owner of the National Football League’s Atlanta Falcons.

Evans, whose Hall of Fame image shows him in his trademark Dixie Chopper cap, was humbled by his inclusion in such an elite group. “I was in some pretty good company,” he acknowledged. “I’m very proud and honored to have been chosen as a national finalist.”

Evans was joined at the ceremony by wife Noi, Dixie Chopper Treasurer Gary Pershing and Public Relations Director Eric Bernsee.

In addition to Leno hosting the awards ceremony, the program featured inspirational appearances by Harley-Davidson’s Richard Teerlink, former Philadelphia 76ers owner Pat Croce, Miami Dolphins owner and 2004 national EOY winner Wayne Huizenga and Oscar-nominated actress Angela Bassett.

Another highlight for the Dixie Chopper delegation came during the early moments of the opening session. As Ernst & Young official Christopher Bruner welcomed everyone, he generalized about the type of people competing for top entrepreneurial honors. “One of you has changed the way people mow grass,” Bruner said of Evans’ accomplishments. “One of his (Evans’) machines can mow a football field in nine minutes – where the heck was that when I was a kid?" he joked.

Evans perfected his first zero-turning-radius machine in April 1980 and his creation has gone on to become known as the “world’s fastest lawn mower.” Dixie Chopper celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2005 with a third straight year of better than 30 percent growth as commercial cutters and private users continue to move from garden-variety lawn tractors to faster and more powerful zero-turn mowers.
Across the corporation, Dixie Chopper now employs 200 people at its plants in Greencastle and Fillmore, Ind., as well as the Dixie Chopper Business Center located at the Putnam County Airport.

Acknowledged as the most prestigious award of its kind, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year program recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic and growing businesses.