What Do You Compute?
With only 12.9 percent of today's green industry professionals not using a computer in their business, computer technology is becoming a daily element in landscape contractors' jobs and these machines are serving a wide range of functions.
In a survey of Lawn & Landscape readers, accounting and billing functions took the No. 1 spot in 1998, with 77.5 percent of those surveyed stating this as their purpose for computer use. At a fairly close second is word processing (64.0 percent), with estimating coming in third at 44.9 percent.
Internet use is one computer function for 41.6 percent of respondents, while landscape design use was noted by 35.7 percent. Inventory and scheduling/routing finished at 27.2 percent and 25.8 percent, respectively, and purchasing was the least reported purpose with 15.2 percent.
PLCAA Celebrates 20 Years
MARIETTA, Ga. – Culminating in its annual Lawn & Landscape Conference, which will be held in conjunction with the Green Industry Expo, Nov. 12-16, in Baltimore, Md., the Professional Lawn Care Association of America will celebrate 20 years as a green industry organization.
"After 20 years, PLCAA has remained an organization dedicated to serving its membership of lawn and landscape companies, supplier companies and grounds managers," said Tom Delaney, PLCAA executive vice president. "We've always tried to raise the bar of professionalism in our industry and stand up for fair and balanced legislation affecting our members and the industry at large. We earned the reputation of being the 'voice of the industry' by participating in the Lawn Care Hearings earlier this decade, and we're proud of that."
The association, which Delaney reported had its best financial year of the decade in 1998, is also planning on fine-tuning its diversity plan to better serve its members as it begins its second 20 years.
"Our members are all a part of the green industry but are not the same – some are start-up businesses, some are long-term, established companies, some are full-service operations and so on," he said. "We are offering more and more programs to meet the diverse needs of our membership."
On Nov. 13, during its November conference, PLCAA will celebrate its 20th anniversary at its annual meeting and dinner banquet.
AgrEvo To Award VW Bug
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – There will be one more bug in the world this summer after AgrEvo awards a 1999 Volkswagen Beetle to one lawn care or landscape contractor through its "DeltaGard Win a Bug" Sweepstakes. The contest is open to all licensed lawn care operators and landscape contractors in the continental U.S. and is designed to illustrate the company's "long-term commitment to insecticides that are highly effective, yet use extremely low doses," according to the pesticide supplier. Entry forms – no product purchase is required – are available at www.agrevo-green.com.
Lebanon Acquires PennMulch
LEBANON, Penn. – As a result of the acquisition of PennTurf Products and New York Pellet Products, Lebanon Seaboard became the main marketer of PennMulch, the seed establishment mulch developed and patented by Pennsylvania State University and marketed by PennTurf Products.
PennMulch is made from recycled newsprint and absorbent polymers. The polymer/cellulose pellets expand to cover seed beds when watered to retain moisture where it is needed – at the seed level. The mulch is also fertilizer-enhanced to provide a complete feeding to help ensure full germination and seedling nourishment.
Housing Starts Drop Again
WASHINGTON, D.C – Despite still being ahead of the pace of last year, new home sales fell in January for the second consecutive month and raised questions at the U.S. Commerce Department about whether the booming housing market has reached its peak.
Sales dropped 5 percent in January after a 3.6 percent fall off in December, and mortgage rates have begun edging up in recent months to the point where 30-year mortgage rates have climbed back over 7 percent.
New homes sales were still 8.3 percent higher for January 1999 than for January 1998, and the drop off and sales was felt throughout most of the country.
The Midwest watched sales plunge 24.9 percent in January, with 7.2 percent and 3.7 percent declines in the Northeast and South, respectively. Only the West showed gains in January, climbing 8 percent.
Doesburg Acquires Thornton Landscape
MAINEVILLE, Ohio - Rick Doesburg, a 30-year employee of Thornton Landscape, acquired the design/build portion of Thornton Gardens.
Doesburg began as a salesman at the company in 1969, and was president of Thornton Landscape until becoming vice president of sales and marketing with the creation of Thornton Gardens in 1992.
Thornton Gardens' $1.4 million of maintenance contracts were sold to Rick Steinau's Greenlon Lawn Care Services of Cincinnati, a 27-year-old lawn care, landscape and pest control company.
"This is the best of all worlds for us – keeping our name and reputation alive and having our friend continue the business," noted Gary Thornton, former CEO.
Strategic Alliance Creates Biopesticides
PITTSBURGH, Penn. – A strategic alliance formed between Plant Health Care and Ecogen will allow PHC to introduce, promote and sell four new biopesticide products into the commercial turfgrass, landscape, lawn care, arboricul-ture, greenhouse, nursery, floriculture, home lawn and garden markets.
Under the terms of the agreement, PHC will package and sell AQ10 biofungicide along with Cruiser, Crymax and Lepinox biological insecticides under its own label.
AQ10 is a selective fungal hyperparasite used to control powdery mildew. Cruiser contains beneficial insecticidal nematodes that control Japanese beetles and other white grubs, billbugs and sod webworms. Crymax and Lepinox are advanced Bacillus thuringiensis bioinsecticides that protect ornamental, fruit and nut trees, bedding plants and turfgrass from caterpillar/worm pests.
In Business
D. Foley Landscape, Walpole, Mass., acquired Gable Horticulture Service, also of Walpole, Mass ... Century Rain Aid expanded its Midwest presence by opening three branches in Wichita, Kan., Plainfield, Ill., and Plymouth, Minn. The company also announced the purchase of the turf irrigation division of Koonz Sprinkler Supply, which has seven locations throughout New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania ... Case Corp. and Sumitomo Construction Machinery Co. completed details of a global alliance to manufacture and market hydraulic crawler excavators ... U.S. marketing rights for the use of FMC Corp. herbicides sulfentrazone and carfentrazone-ethyl in PBI/Gordon's Trimec herbicides have been assigned exclusively to PBI/Gordon for professional turf and ornamental and industrial vegetation management ... Stoutenborough Products, Cabool, Mo., merged with The Garick Corp, Cleveland, Ohio.
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