News

Swingle sees early increase in holiday lighting sales
DENVER – Swingle Lawn, Tree and Landscape Care has seen businesses along the Colorado Front Range getting an early jump on outdoor Christmas lighting and holiday décor plans.

In the months of June and July, Swingle's lead requests were up 50 percent and sold work was up more than 10 percent.

The company's marketing pieces have generated leads, and many of those resulted in sales made earlier than last year, said President John Gibson, who attributed the jump in activity to a mix of heightened focus on the company's part and clients' interests in holiday displays.

"We don't usually see quite this much volume this early in the year," said Tom Tolkacz, CEO of Swingle. "Businesses are seeing the benefits of custom lighting displays and many are under increased pressure to set themselves apart during the competitive holiday season."

A percentage of Swingle's increased sales have come from lighting themed around Halloween, special events taking place in the fall and even scheduling and design for the residential sector. Swingle's award-winning outdoor holiday lighting displays include Blossoms of Light and Trail of Lights for the Denver Botanic Gardens.

"Consumer interest and acumen in commercial lighting displays has grown commensurate with their popularity," said Swingle's Director of Sales and Marketing Aaron Dennis. "Our lift in bid requests is principally from townships, cities and retail shopping centers seeking to give shoppers a reason to come to visit their merchants and to refer others to do so as well.

"The overall increased use and established success of professional holiday decor as a marketing tactic means expanded displays and increased customization from our existing customers, and new market entry from businesses and organizations who, to date, have done it themselves but now are lost among the larger, more prominent and more striking professional displays."    – Carolyn LaWell

EPA bans sale, use of Imprelis
WASHINGTON – The Environmental Protection Agency banned the sale, use and distribution of DuPont's Imprelis after further investigation into the products linkage to injured trees. The agency's ruling in early August came a week after DuPont suspended sales of the product.

The EPA continues to investigate whether the incidents of browning and curling is the result of product misuse, inadequate warning and use directions on the product's label, persistence in soil and plant material or other possible causes.

DuPont, which is also investigating the matter, started a return and refund program and set up a hotline and website in order for consumers to report problems.

In a letter to consumers announcing the sales suspension, DuPont's Global Business Leader, Michael McDermott, said, "We sincerely regret any tree injuries that Imprelis may have caused, and will work with you and all of our customers to promptly and fairly resolve problems associated with our product."

The product return and refund program cover all partial containers and all pack sizes of Imprelis.

The hotline (866-796-4783) and website (imprelis-facts.com) offer additional sources for Imprelis updates and allow consumers to report problems they've encountered after using the product.

DuPont's efforts and the investigations are in response to reports of, according to DuPont, injuries to Norway spruce and white pine trees in the Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Wisconsin geographic band. McDermott said that the company has engaged with 20 independent, certified arborist companies to work with anyone who has claimed damage from the product.

Multiple lawsuits have been filed against DuPont, charging that the company was negligent or reckless in putting a new weed killer on the market.

Vila & Son ceases operations
MIAMI – In the midst of selling the company, Vila & Son ran out of cash and ceased operations.

"We had a couple of offers, but unfortunately we ran out of money before the prospective buyers could finish their due diligence," said Alan Goldberg, who joined the company in March as its chief restructuring officer. "The company has ceased operations and is in the process of closing down."

The company's last day of operation was Aug. 5. At the time, it had about 500 employees, Goldberg said.

About a dozen employees remain with the company and the legal process of officially closing could take six months to a year, said Goldberg, who also owns Crisis Management, Inc.

"A lot of employees have gone with the companies that have taken over some of our jobs," Goldberg said, adding one of those companies is Terra Bella, a construction company based in Jupiter, Fla.

Vila & Son was heavily reliant on the construction market, in addition to offering maintenance, irrigation, tree care and lighting services.

"That's tough on a company," Goldberg said to Lawn & Landscape in July. "Construction, mainline construction, went down and landscape construction went down."

According to Lawn & Landscape's Top 100 list, Vila & Son posted revenue of $62.5 million in 2008, $53.8 million in 2009 and $45.9 million in 2010. This year, Vila & Son ranked 18th on the list of the largest companies in the industry.

In a letter to customers dated Aug. 5, Juan Carlos Vila, who founded the company in 1984, said "After 28 years of doing business in the landscaping industry we have had the opportunity to create meaningful relationships through our commitment to do whatever it takes to earn the loyalty of our customers and employees. This commitment has been tested by financial distress; we have worked closely with the bank and other entities to keep Vila & Son providing services to those who, like you, have trusted us with the honor to serve you.

"We did everything we could to stay in business, but today Vila & Son had to stop operating."

Goldberg said Vila is no longer with the company.   – Carolyn LaWell

U.S. Lawns adds six franchises
ORLANDO, Fla. – Continuing an aggressive expansion as it celebrates its 25th anniversary, Orlando-based U.S. Lawns added six new franchisees to its network of more than 240 landscape-management franchises nationwide.

The company has brought on nearly two dozen franchisees during the past 12 months and currently operates in all 48 contiguous states.

The newest group of franchisees recently completed training at U.S. Lawns' home office in Orlando. The training consisted of classroom and field training in all areas of commercial landscape management. U.S. Lawns regional franchise advisers were assigned to each new franchisee and will work closely with the owners during the start-up months and provide ongoing, one-on-one training in both business planning and agronomics.

"These new franchisees are crucial additions in our efforts to create the nation's top commercial landscape-management network," said Ken Hutcheson, U.S. Lawns president. "As with all our franchisees, we will continue to mentor and support them as they grow and provide the outstanding commercial landscape-management services U.S. Lawns is known for nationwide."

U.S. Lawns' new franchisees are:

• Elizabeth and Freddy Villegas, Lubbock, Texas
• Patrick Murphy, Farmington Hills, Mich.       
• Terry Engler and Justin Nelson, Wichita, Kan.
• Kent Smith, Brooklyn Park, Minn.
• George and Stacy Guthrie, Montclair, Va.
• Kyle and Kelly Sims, Basehor, Kan.

Thousand Cankers disease moves east
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) confirmed a case of Thousand Cankers in Virginia. For several years, Thousand Cankers has been causing widespread decline and death of walnut trees in Western states. This confirmation marks the disease's first appearance east of Knoxville, Tenn., where it was detected in 2010.

The discovery was made in Richmond, Va., when two Bartlett Tree Experts arborists noticed decline and dieback symptoms consistent with the disease on a group of black walnuts on a client's property.

"Knowing how important rapid detection and communication of the disease would be to help prevent its spread, we immediately contacted our Plant Diagnostic Clinic," said Alan Jones, an arborist and division manager at Bartlett Tree Experts. "With their help in collecting samples from the declining trees, a positive identification was made quickly."

According to the VDACS, Thousand Cankers is caused by a fungus that is vectored by the walnut twig beetle. Adult beetles bore through the bark and deposit eggs. As the larvae hatch, they tunnel through the tree, introducing the fungus and causing cankers under the bark.

The result is branch dieback, decline and eventual death of the tree.

Effective controls for the disease have not been developed.

>>Continual care: Bartlett Tree Experts cares for the trees that will be planted in the plaza of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. See the story on pg. 80.

 
Four Star hosts Landscape Day
CARLETON, Mich. – The threat of inclement weather could not keep a crowd of landscape professionals away from the 4th Annual Landscape Day at Four Star Greenhouse. The rain held off long enough for everyone to enjoy the gardens, dinner, helicopter rides and lots of networking.

The display gardens at Four Star are a stop on the Michigan Garden Tour, a coordinated open house of leading young plant growers across southern Michigan. Guests were able to explore the display gardens on their own or with the guidance of the new Display Garden Coordinator Pat Siebel. More than 20 in-ground landscape beds feature the new Proven Winners and Proven Selections plants for 2012.

A tour was also available of the greenhouse facilities and growing operation.

Stacey Hirvela from Spring Meadow Nursery presented a talk on "Ten shrubs that are better than what your competition uses – but won't take you out of your (or your customer's) comfort zone." She explained why ColorChoice varieties of plants widely used in the landscaping are a better choice – habit, flowers, seedless, disease resistance.

Toro hires new CFO
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Toro Co. has elected Renee J. Peterson to the offices of vice president, finance and CFO.

Peterson will report to Michael J. Hoffman, chairman and CEO, and succeeds Stephen P. Wolfe, who will be retiring after more than 25 years with the company.

Peterson, 50, joins Toro from Eaton Corp. There she most recently served as vice president, finance and planning for that company's truck and automotive segments, which had revenues of nearly $4 billion over the past 12 months.

"Renee's extensive financial leadership experience in global businesses and proven track record in process improvements and cost controls will serve us well as we drive profitable revenue growth," Hoffman said.