OPEI News: Textron Reorganizes its Business Units

Industry observers have watched Textron Golf, Turf & Specialty Products over the years, waiting to see how the many parts of the business will come together in one cohesive piece.

The answer came at the Outdoor Power Equipment Expo when Textron Golf, Turf & Specialty Products, Charlotte, N.C., announced the formation of their new Commercial Grounds Care business unit, which will integrate the sales, marketing, engineering and operations of Textron’s Bob-Cat, Bunton, Brouwer, Steiner and Ryan lawn care product lines.

The new business unit will be headquartered in Johnson Creek, Wis., and will include the products manufactured at the Johnson Creek and Dalton, Ohio plants. Previously, the Dalton-based Steiner-Brouwer and the Johnson Creek-based Bob-Cat/Bunton/Ryan businesses were managed separately.

The company hopes this reorganization will further enable Textron to address its market segments, including professional lawn care, commercial grounds care, sod farming, large property owners, hobby farmers, cemeteries and parks and recreation maintenance. “This will boost the brands we have and help us promote them better,” pointed out Mike Clayton, the newly appointed vice president/general manager, Textron Golf, Turf & Specialty Products’ Commercial Grounds Care, who pointed out that the division has already experienced a 24-percent increase for the first six months of this year. “And having one place like Johnson Creek to bring everything together will create a center of competency.”

Before joining Textron, Clayton worked for Deere & Co. in business development and manufacturing. He has also held senior management positions in marketing and sales at Case Corp. and Ford Motor Co. In addition to Clayton’s appointment, Tom Meier, former general manager of Steiner/Brouwer, was promoted to vice president of sales for the new Commercial Grounds Care business unit. He will be responsible for further developing the distribution network and sales of Bob-Cat, Bunton, Ryan, Steiner and Brouwer products.

Now that Textron is piecing all its business parts together, Joe Zvanut, the company’s advertising and promotions specialist, said industry observers should look forward to hearing much more news coming from Textron. “Stay tuned to this channel,” Zvanut said, “because things are changing.”

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