Project EverGreen reveals Green Space contest winner

CLEVELAND — Maxine O. Bush Elementary in Phoenix, Arizona, recently won the “Our Winning Green Space” contest. As a result, they earned an Exmark Lazer Z X-Series 60-inch riding mower and 30-inch walk-behind mower that will help maintain the school district’s athletic fields and grounds helping to create safer playing fields, as well as an athletic field make-over.

The mower package — donated by Exmark and delivered to the school grounds by the local Horizon distributor — are commercial grade mowers that the school will keep, even beyond the renovation.

Leslie Saulsby, principal at Maxine O. Bush, said the school’s athletic and recreation fields were barely usable and presented a safety issue due to an aging and damaged irrigation system, drainage and seeding that resulted in uneven playing surface with that was dotted with bald spots, rocks and weeds.

“On any given day, I have two to three dozen students playing soccer on what amounts to sand and rocks without goals. We go through ice packs and band aids at an alarming pace. The condition of our fields is a major reason we are losing students to inferior charter schools.”

The “Our Winning Green Space” contest is sponsored by Project EverGreen in partnership with Exmark Manufacturing, the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) and The Foundation for Safer Athletic Fields for Everyone (SAFE). The field make-over will be completed in 2022.

Briggs & Stratton LLC (B&S) has informed Husqvarna Group that B&S will only deliver a small portion of the engines for ride-on mowers that Husqvarna Group had ordered in advance of the 2022 season, mainly for North America, according to a news release from Husqvarna.

The company alleges that at this late stage, Husqvarna Group’s ability to secure an alternative supply of engines for the 2022 season is extremely limited. Therefore, to protect its customers and operations, Husqvarna Group yesterday filed a lawsuit in South Carolina to compel B&S to deliver all engines covered by its orders.

In a worst-case scenario, the lack of engine supply could result in a substantial loss of top line sales, mainly in 2022 with limited impact in Q4 2021. Given the early stage of these proceedings, and range of possible outcomes, it is too early to estimate the likely net EBIT impact of this supply dispute, the release said.

“Because this is an ongoing legal matter, we cannot comment on this filing. We continue to conduct business as usual,” a Briggs and Stratton representative said.

Unlimited Lawn Care has acquired Georgia-based Four Season Services. This acquisition reinforces Unlimited Lawn Care’s presence in Georgia, a traditional stronghold for the company.

Unlimited Lawn Care has been providing a complete range of lawn care services including mosquito defense, tree and shrub care and professional lawn services in Georgia for over two decades. The company offers lawn care services to both residential and commercial properties.

Unlimited Lawn Care’s growth and expansion strategy have led to the acquisition of Four Seasons Services, a company that specializes in fertilization and weed control. This company has been a consistent player in the industry since its creation in 1991.

“We are excited to add the resources of a reputable company like Four Season Services to our expertise,” said Scott Whitehead, the CEO of Unlimited Lawn Care. “We have a long-standing reputation for excellence in both our personnel and the quality of services we deliver.”

CHICAGO — ECHO launched a new cordless platform, the ECHO eFORCE 56V Battery System.

The ECHO eFORCE 56V Battery System will be available in early 2022 and includes 10 units, two batteries and two chargers. Each of ECHO’s key categories are included in the new lineup, including ECHO’s Pro Attachment Series with two powerheads that will run up to 15 or 16 attachments.

“As battery powered growth continues to soar, we wanted to give customers a superior option,” said John Powers, director of product management. “With a full lineup of 10 new units spanning the range of users from high-end homeowners up to professional landscapers and arborists, the 56V e-Force platform delivers the performance that users have come to expect from the ECHO brand."

Since 2017 alone, ECHO has launched 109 new products, including 20 in 2020. The ECHO eFORCE 56V cordless lineup includes the following units:

CHAINSAWS:

• 12-inch Top-Handle Chainsaw
• 18-inch Rear-Handle Chainsaw

STRING TRIMMERS

• 16-inch String Trimmer
• 17-inch String Trimmer

PRO ATTACHMENT SERIES TRIMMERS:

• 16-inch Pro Attachment Series Trimmer, compatible with 14 PAS attachments
• 17-inch Pro Attachment Series Trimmer, compatible with 15 PAS attachments

ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS:

• 21-inch Self-Propelled 3-in-1 Lawn Mower
• 550 CFM Handheld Blower
• 22-inch Hedge Clipper
• 17-inch Brushcutter

CASE Construction Equipment introduces the TV620B compact track loader. The 114-horsepower, 6,200-pound rated operating capacity CTL delivers breakout forces — as well as more standardized features than previously available on any CASE CTL. This includes standard adjustable electro-hydraulic controls, high-flow hydraulics, auto ride control, one-way self-leveling, a hydraulic coupler, an auto-reversing fan, LED lights and a one-year subscription to CASE SiteWatch telematics. It also comes with a new 1.25 cubic yard heavy duty bucket designed specifically for the TV620B.

The new CASE TV620B also features the new CASE SiteConnect Module, remote connectivity and software updates through the SiteManager App (iOS and Android), as well as connectivity to the CASE Uptime Center for collaborative fleet management between CASE, the local CASE dealer and the equipment owner.

“The industry has never seen a CTL like this, and we’re focused on delivering extreme power and performance matched with intuitive technologies that simplify owning and operating,” said George MacIntyre, product manager, CASE Construction Equipment. “The TV620B is built to simplify heavy work such as cold planing, mulching, heavy material handling and loading high-sided trucks. There’s no loader on the market today with this level of standard features and its combination of power, stability and performance — it’s here to take on the big work.”

The TV620B also features a completely redesigned operator interface, 360-degree visibility and an eight-inch LCD multi-function display that serves as the command center for the machine. It also includes a rearview camera visible in a split screen display with machine data.

The CASE TV620B features operating capacity (6,200 pounds), breakout force (12,084 pounds bucket; 12,907 pounds lift) and track length on the ground (74 inches).

MCKINNEY, Texas — PestRoutes, pest control SaaS providers, and Lobster Marketing have rebranded as FieldRoutes. This will enable expansion into new verticals, and as part of this move FieldRoutes has developed several new solutions for lawn care service providers and has unveiled a new company website: fieldroutes.com.

“As two brands and sister companies, PestRoutes and Lobster Marketing shared like-minded values,” said William Chaney, CEO of FieldRoutes. “Together, under one united brand, our mission and values remain, and we are committed to fueling our customers’ growth.

“Over the years, we’ve seen an increasing trend with the pest control customers we serve adding residential lawn care as part of their service offerings. Aligning PestRoutes and Lobster Marketing under one brand allows us to expand, and as such, it was a natural progression for us to expand our capabilities and officially enter the lawn care market,” he added.

Lawn care customers using FieldRoutes’ operations suite, on average, report growing their customer base by up to 44% within their first year using the software. And lawn care customers using FieldRoutes’ sales and marketing suite have seen year-over-year returns on their marketing investment ranging from two-and-a-half to 11 times.

“We learned that to truly serve the lawn care market, we needed to add additional capabilities, which we’ve completed. We expect continued high growth for both existing and new customers thanks to the newly launched functionality built to suit the lawn care market,” said FieldRoutes Chief Product Officer Piyum Samaraweera.

The product line-up now includes FieldRoutes’ operations suite (formerly PestRoutes), FieldRoutes’ sales and marketing suite (formerly Lobster Marketing) and FieldRoutes Payments, a fully integrated payment solution that delivers enhanced payment functionality, such as the account updater which automatically updates lost, stolen, expired or closed customer payment card information.

The software now includes service plan functionality, which allows clients to bundle multiple services into discounted packages — a practice known as “programs” for lawn care businesses and “bundles” for pest control operators — and the ability to charge customers by measurement. It also now includes property estimations and updated routing functionality to take technician skills and certifications into consideration when scheduling a service.

Another enhancement is the ability to route by chemical capacity — which allows clients to optimize routes by the amount of chemicals that can be carried by each vehicle.

“PestRoutes and Lobster Marketing have a long history of helping clients grow quickly and scale their operations. We’re excited to bring that same energy to the lawn care industry and field services as a whole,” Chaney said. “These exciting new features are just the tip of the iceberg as our team continues to craft innovative solutions to meet the needs of field service organizations looking to grow their business and do it more efficiently.”

Nature’s Turf, a lawn care service provider in Metro Atlanta, has added home pest control and termite protection to its service line.

Nature’s Turf was founded in 1977 as a landscape construction company and evolved into a specialized lawn treatment company. It’s operated by brothers Adam and Phil Jackson.

The brothers also acknowledged that other Florida companies helped them realize the consumer is interested in bundling lawn and pest with one company. Additionally, the company has hired industry expert Zack Horne to head the new pest control division.

“We knew finding the right person was critical in having success with pest control and I’m excited to have Zack and his 12-plus years of experience to lead the division,” Adam Jackson said.

“We think that adding Pest Control onto our current lawn care offerings will allow us to continue to see double digit growth going into the coming years,” Phil Jackson said.

All Service provides pest control and termite services to the Gwinnett and North Fulton County areas. The joining of the two companies further expands Massey Services’ presence in the Georgia market. Massey first entered Georgia in 1998 and now has 15 service center locations throughout the state.

Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, Massey Services provides service to over 700,000 customers throughout Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina and Oklahoma.

“We are pleased to welcome the All-Service Termite and Pest Control team members and customers to the Massey Services organization,” Tony Massey said. “All Service is a family-owned organization that has been providing service to customers for more than 50 years. We look forward to carrying on their legacy of total customer satisfaction for years to come.”