"Saving money is a smart thing – I think anyone trying to save money is doing a smart thing,” points out Dan Carrothers, during an interview with Lawn & Landscape at the Green Industry Expo in Orlando, Fla.
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But the current director of U.S. Green Business for Bayer Environmental Science, Research Triangle Park, N.C., wants lawn care operators to remember that when making decisions to save money, they need to look at all of the repercussions. “You can save money in a lot of ways,” he explains. “But you have to remember that price is what you pay and value is what you get.”
One example he shares to explain this type of business thinking is moving from a fertilizer to a fertilizer combined with insecticide or herbicide to save on labor costs and accomplish two vital services the turf requires.
Another example that is even closer to Carrothers' heart is the choice of standing by a potentially more expensive branded product vs. choosing a less costly generic version. About four out of every five active ingredients labeled for turf and ornamental use is or soon will be off-patent, including Bayer’s imidacloprid – the active ingredient in Merit®, leaving it open to be purchased by a generic supplier.
At the most basic level, the choice between branded and generic products appears to be one of cost vs. value. Knowing that some of lawn care operator’s key costs, including fuel and labor, will continue to rise, leaving them searching for places to cut costs, Carrothers says Bayer is going to do everything in its power to secure its Merit® user base in 2006. “We recognize in 2006 we’re going to be faced with generics,” he says. “We’ve known this was coming and for many years have worked on developing a strategy. Our job in 2006 will be to execute this plan flawlessly.”
Part of this plan includes continuing to bring new products and innovations to the market to drive customer relationships, including its newest releases – Allectus™ on fertilizer and TopChoice™ on fertilizer, as well as doing a better job understanding end user needs, Carrothers says. Many of these goals are being carried out via the company’s Backed by Bayer initiative, which includes product support and training, add-on service education, industry involvement and regulatory assistance.
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Despite the fact that Carrothers has resigned from Bayer effective Dec. 31, he is confident that his replacement – Neil Cleveland, who will assume his new position on April 1, 2006 – will carry out this plan. From Jan. 1 to April 1, 2006, Josh Weeks, vice president, Professional Products North America, Bayer Environmental Science, will assume management of Bayer’s Green Business, working closely with Cleveland until he can move to Research Triangle Park, N.C. from Lyon, France, where he currently holds the position of global portfolio manager of Green Business for Bayer. “Neil is an outstanding leader for the green business, and I’m 100 percent confident that he’ll help take the green industry to the next level,” says Carrothers, who is set to become chief operating officer of Kansas City, Kan.-based Datacore, which specializes in database marketing and customer relationship management.
After his nine years with Bayer, Carrothers says it’s a challenge for him to leave a company he is so passionate about, but says he has to stick by his personal development goals. “To me, I have always looked at personal development in a much broader perspective than just a career,” he explains. “This opportunity will allow me to go back to Kansas City to be nearer to my family, first and foremost. But I’m an entrepreneurial individual, and in this new position I will be involved in the business in an equity stake. And it’s a marketing position, which is quite consistent with where my greatest interests lie. Also, it’s a real testament to Bayer that they would like me to remain here until the end of the year to continue forging ahead with our 2006 plan.”
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