Straight from the show

The green industry gathered in Louisville, Ky., in late October for the latest product introductions, networking and education. If you missed the show or just couldn't make it to everything you wanted to see, don't worry, here are some of the highlights. For even more coverage, visit www.lawnandlandscape.com.

How to manage relationships

Hardscape North America 2011 kicked off with its Distributor Program that featured speaker Ed Fioroni, giving suppliers tips on setting expectations and developing a customer relationship management (CRM) program.

Fioroni, vice president of distributor sales and marketing at Pavestone Co. in Grapevine, Texas, says the four keys for setting expectations for employees are:

1. Set them in the right climate: A place where the employee won't feel uncomfortable or defensive.
2. Teach and prove input: "If you want someone to succeed, you have to put them in a teaching situation," Fioroni says.
3. Give managers a chance to speak up and give their opinions.
4. Offer feedback, be it positive reinforcement or constructive criticism.

As far as building a CRM, Fioroni says the program will falter before you even begin if you don't have one thing in place: a culture. About 90 percent of the time you will fail if you have the wrong culture, he says.

Another key aspect of CRM is retaining your current customers that spend the most money, and giving them more attention. "You can really make a difference by paying attention to the customers you have," Fioroni says.

Lisa Lackovic, western sales manager at Pavestone Co. in Omaha, Neb., gave tips on how to develop creative marketing on a small company's budget.

Lackovic says you should have a showroom that displays a project, and is kid-friendly. That way, when parents are shopping, they aren't being rushed by an anxious child. "The longer a customer is in your showroom, the more time you have to upsell them on more of your products," she says.
 

Fuel flux

Changes in the fuel marketplace were among the big topics OPEI President and CEO Kris Kiser highlighted when meeting with landscapers, manufacturers and suppliers. Kiser spoke about the continuing efforts to educate the industry about E15 and new advances with isobutanol.

"We have probably 200, 250 million (pieces of equipment) in use today, and so if you change the fuels marketplace, we're going to change the paradigm by which for 50 years you've been able to fuel your product," Kiser says speaking of E15.

E15 is a 15 percent ethanol blend gasoline that the EPA has approved for newer model cars but banned for non-road products.

"A landscaper can send out his crews in the morning, give them some money and say, 'Fill up the machines.' And quite literally they could destroy everything on the trailers if they put the wrong fuel in," Kiser says. "We're very concerned that not enough education is being done in the likely event that it's widespread in the marketplace."

OPEI has filed lawsuits along with other engine, auto and marine industry organizations. The first lawsuit is against the EPA's E15 waiver, the decision that approved the ethanol-blended gasoline. The second lawsuit is in regards to the EPA's "Regulation to Mitigate Misfueling," which is meant to address concerns about consumers using E15 to power the wrong engines.

Kiser says he expects a court date for oral arguments to be set in late December or early 2012. E15 has yet to be certified, meaning it's not available in the marketplace.

At the show, OPEI also announced the completion of ethanol and isobutanol fuel blend testing on Briggs & Stratton small engines

The tests were performed on three engines with gasoline containing 12.5 percent isobutanol. The results showed that isobutanol fuel blends do not cause irregular engine or performance issues, suggesting the fuel can meet the renewable fuel mandate with minimal to no impact on existing equipment.

Isobutanol, which was provided from Gevo for the testing, can be produced out of corn starch, cellulosic materials, agricultural residues and other ethanol feedstocks and is an alcohol that acts like a hydrocarbon. Therefore, isobutanol can be swapped for gasoline and modifications to equipment and the production processes won't need to be made.

"It shows us that isobutanol could be a biofuel alternative that can be introduced into the existing supply chain without the potential disruption and harm to our outdoor power equipment engines," Kiser says.
 

Skid-steer champion crowned

New Holland Construction's year-long Super Boom Road Show came to an end with Trevor Wehage being named North American Skid Steer Champion. Wehage, who works for Don Wehage & Sons Trucking & Excavating in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, defeated more than 30 compact equipment operators to earn the title and a New Holland 200 Series skid-steer loader, which is valued at $35,000.

Throughout the year, more than 2,000 participants participated in the skills challenge trying to make it to the final round in Louisville. Wehage won with a time of 00:21.10. Second place went to Thomas Mellott of Mercersburg, Pa. A time of 00:21.81 won Mellott $2,500 in cash and a $2,500 parts and service reward card for his company. Third place went to Christopher Howlett of Marietta, N.Y., who had a time of 00:23.53 and took home $1,250.

"New Holland Construction skid-steer operators like Wehage, Mellott and Howlett are pros," says Dave December, New Holland Construction marketing manager. "They do everything from material handling and landscaping to grading, plowing and digging. The New Holland Construction North American Skid Steer Championship event gave all semi-finalists a chance to operate the newest New Holland Construction equipment and put their skills to the test on a national stage."

GIE+EXPO Recap: New Products

John Deere Zero-Turn Mower

The pitch: The John Deere ZTrak PRO Z925 zero-turn mower with Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) can provide up to 25 percent fuel savings for landscape contractors.

• The mower offers a closed-loop fuel injection system that monitors engine performance for efficiency.
• A 27-hp engine fine-tunes the amount of fuel injected into the engine, resulting in fuel savings.
• A cross-porting system routes the coolest hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic pump doing the most work.
• Offered in 54-in. or 60-in. models, the mower's 7-IronPRO mowing deck is stamped from 7-gauge steel.

For more information: www.deere.com

Case Alpha Series Skid-Steers

The pitch: Case Construction Equipment launched the new Alpha Series line of skid-steers, introducing nine models ranging from 46 hp to 90 hp.

• The Alpha Series includes six radial-lift and three vertical-lift skid-steer models.
• More than 70 attachments are available, including hammers, rakes, grapples, pallet forks, brooms, dozer blades and augers.
• A front/rear weight distribution of 30/70 and a longer wheel base keep the center of gravity from moving when the loader arms are raised.
• The skid-steer cabs are 25 percent wider, with improved visibility, operator comfort and control.

For more information: www.casece.com

ROUSH CleanTech Propane Autogas Trucks

The pitch: ROUSH CleanTech's latest propane autogas product offerings, unveiling the new 2012 Ford F-250 and F-350.

• The ROUSH CleanTech Ford F-250 and Ford F-350 trucks offer two tank options: an in-bed, 49-gal. tank or an under-bed, 25-gal. tank.
• The trucks include a new 6.2-liter V8 Ford engine with improved performance characteristics over previous versions.
• Delivery is planned for the second quarter of 2012.

For more information: www.roushcleantech.com

Briggs & Stratton E-Series Push Mower Engines

The pitch: The 2012 E-Series engine line-up from Briggs & Stratton offers reduced emissions and one-step starting.

• Design improvements to the 625e, 675ex, and 725ex Series engines include one-pull starts and a starter rope and an optional electric start.
• A strengthened cylinder design reduces bore distortion for less friction and wear.
• The replaceable Maxi-Clean air cleaner captures dirt and debris.
• The Super Lo-Tone muffler reduces noise levels and improves the engines' tonal quality.

For more information: www.basco.com

Core Outdoor Power's GasLess Outdoor Power Equipment

The pitch: Core Outdoor Power's emission-free line of handheld power equipment for the residential and commercial markets starts in spring 2012 with the GasLess CGT400 Trimmer.

• The Conductor Optimized Rotary Energy (CORE)-powered equipment uses a printed circuit board stator that cooperates with permanent magnet rotors.
• The 8-lb. (11-lb. with power cell) trimmer with instant trigger start offers convenience for operators.
• This clean-technology trimmer significantly reduces noise and eliminates emissions compared with gas-powered equipment.
• The CGT400 Trimmer will be available in spring of 2012, followed by hedge trimmers, hand-held blowers, and backpack blowers in mid-2012 and a walk-behind mower in 2013.

For more information: www.coreoutdoorpower.com

Toro's Z Master Commercial 2000 Series Mowers

The pitch: The Toro Z Master Commercial 2000 Series zero-turn mowers offer a solution for part-time landscape professionals and acreage owners.

• The mower mixes features from Toro's consumer TITAN MX and Z Master Commercial 3000 Series.
• The mowers are available in 48-in., 52-in., and 60-in. widths with 7/10-gauge steel and a bull-nose bumper.
• The integrated hydrostatic transmission features commercial hydraulic components, eliminating hoses.
• The 22-in. and 23-in. drive tires deliver traction and control.

For more information: www.toro.com