OPEI Redesigns Web Site

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute recently launched a new design format for its Web site, www.opei.org, in order to provide easy access to three distinct visitor sections featuring information on commercial products, consumer safety and OPEI membership information.

“Our Web site has always been a great resource for helpful safety, environmental and emissions information, but now we’ve shifted the design direction in order to offer more ways for consumer and commercial users to obtain helpful access to our members’ Web sites,” says Bill Harley, president and CEO of OPEI. “We’re particularly excited about new additions regarding e-commerce, a commercial products section and a moving message at the bottom of the homepage featuring the latest OPEI news.”

In both the consumer and commercial sections, a product directory titled, “Who Makes That?” enables visitors to enter a product category name like “lawn mowers,” “chain saws,” or “leaf blowers,” and display the OPEI member manufacturers for those products.

There are sections on outdoor power equipment maintenance tops and audio/video flies offering safety and lawn care advice. The Leaf Blower Log, a segment devoted to leaf blower safety, courteous operation and sound issues, offers a downloadable usage guide, as well as an informative PowerPoint presentation created for use by dealers, commercial and residential users, and interested municipalities.

For manufacturers and industry suppliers, there is a classified ad section for job seekers, links to the National Weather Service, EXPO 2005 and a membership information section.

“Our Web site has successfully served the OPEI’s needs since its introduction in 1996,” Harley says. “And our new site is already off to a great start with more additions planned this year.”

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute is a major international trade association representing the manufacturers and their suppliers of consumer and commercial outdoor power equipment, such as lawn mowers, garden tractors, utility vehicles, trimmers, edgers, chainsaws, snow throwers, tillers, leaf blowers and other related products. Founded in 1952, the Institute is dedicated to promoting the outdoor power equipment industry by undertaking activities that can be pursued more effectively by an association than by individual companies.