Industry roundup: Belgard announces regional availability of the new lamina tandem

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Updated Mar 14, 2018
Photo: BelgardPhoto: Belgard

Belgard recently announced the availability of its latest product, the lamina tandem freestanding and retaining wall, in select regions.

Belgard says the lamina tandem provides the look and feel of natural stacked stone with the versatility of installation options from the tandem wall platform:

  • The stacked stone unit features a natural chiseled texture.
  • The unique z-shape allows for a seamless connection between units.
  • Allows for the creation of beautiful freestanding walls, retaining walls and outdoor entertaining features with lamina tandem.
  • Original texture and color choices bring out the best in both residential and commercial projects.

The product is available now in the following states:

  • Alabama
  • Arkansas
  • Georgia
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Michigan
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Nebraska
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Virginia (southern part of state only)
  • Wisconsin

SiteOne expands service offerings with new Agronomic Sales Center

SiteOne Landscape Supply announced the opening of its Agronomic Sales Center for the Atlanta area during a ribbon cutting ceremony in Doraville, Georgia.

Photo: SiteOnePhoto: SiteOne

The 30,000-square-foot facility will enable SiteOne to stock up to 880 tons of bagged agronomic material to better serve the area’s customers. The company says this facility also provides SiteOne’s customers access to a wider assortment of agronomic and control products from top industry brands.

“When looking at our agronomic business, we saw an opportunity to deliver a higher level of service to those customers who needed truckloads of product with regularity,” said Doug Black, chairman and CEO of SiteOne. “Our goal is to deliver a world-class customer experience to every one of our customers, whether they buy one bag of fertilizer or a truckload. The addition of these agronomic sales centers will allow us to better meet the demands of our larger agronomic customers with unmatched product availability, service and expertise.”

John Gertz, vice president of category management at SiteOne leads the company’s agronomic business.

“Companies who operate at that level need a supplier who can consistently meet their high demand for resources,” Gertz said. “We believe that combining the sales center with our agronomic expertise puts us in the best position to consistently deliver excellent service and quality products to customers working in a high-demand market.”

The sales center officially began operations in late February in advance of the ribbon cutting ceremony. The facility replaces a previous SiteOne store location at 2425 Weaver Way and is open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and available to take orders, discuss needs and provide estimates.

Ditch Witch honors Robbin Womack as top salesperson worldwide

Ditch Witch recently recognized Robbin Womack of Ditch Witch of Houston with the 2017 Lowell Highfill Award, which the company says is the most prestigious award for salespeople worldwide.

Photo: Ditch WitchPhoto: Ditch Witch

The award is presented annually to the top individual salesperson in the global Ditch Witch organization for his/her superior product knowledge and performance in promoting and marketing Ditch Witch products, jobsite solutions and services.

Womack began his career with Ditch Witch of Houston dealership as a service manager in 1977, and in this role, the company says he demonstrated a keen aptitude for direct customer interaction.

The company says Womack is dedicated to building strong customer relationships and makes it a point to solve each customer’s unique challenges.

“Robbin is synonymous with Ditch Witch of Houston,” said Darren Craig, Ditch Witch of Houston vice president. “It is hard to think of one without the other. He is to Ditch Witch customers what a Swiss Army knife is to a camper. He is resourceful. He gets the job done. And, just when you think you know every way in which he can be a resource, he demonstrates yet another one.”

2018 HNA regional Installer Championships kick off

The first two of seven regional championships leading up to the final 2018 Hardscape North America (HNA) Installer Championship are set to begin March 14. The locations include the National Collegiate Landscape Competition (NCLC) in Graham, North Carolina, and the Northeast Hardscape Expo in Providence, Rhode Island.logo for hardscape north america

Launched in 2016, HNA says the regional championships have been so successful that they have expanded to include seven locations around the country, and regional winners will have the opportunity to compete for the title of champion later this year.

Regional competitions include:

  • National Collegiate Landscape Competition in Graham, North Carolina – March 14-17
  • New England Region, Providence, Rhode Island – March 14-15
  • Southwest Region, Chandler, Arizona – April 28
  • Northwest Region, Lacey, Washington – early August
  • Mid-Atlantic Region, Sparta, New Jersey – early August
  • Central Region, Fort Worth, Texas – August 24
  • Southeast Region, Buford, Georgia – August 25

The Installer Championship finals will take place at HNA, Oct. 17-19 in Louisville, Kentucky. HNA will provide six of the winning teams from the regional championships roundtrip transportation to Louisville, individual accommodations at a downtown Louisville hotel (Tues-Thurs), complimentary trade show admission to HNA and complimentary registration for the HNA Installer Championship.

The 2017 Hardscape North America Installer Champion, CG Paving, of Fort Worth, Texas, will also receive complimentary travel, hotel accommodations, trade show admission and entrance to the national competition from HNA to return and defend their championship title.

Preliminary rounds will take place Wednesday, Oct. 17 and Thursday, Oct. 18 in the Outdoor Demo Area at Hardscape North America in Louisville, and the final Championship round to determine the 2018 National Champion will take place at 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 19.

Teams may participate in the HNA Installer Championship without competing in a regional championship if space is available. Registration opens in May and the fee is $150 per team before the early bird date of Sept 6, or $200 after. Once the trade show has concluded, each competing team will be refunded $150 of their registration fee.

Bayer recognizes Musser Award winners

Environmental Science, a business unit of the Crop Science division of Bayer, recognized four Bayer scientists who received the Musser International Turfgrass Foundation Award of Excellence.

Unknown 2The 2018 inductee, Patrick Burgess, Ph.D., joins three Bayer scientists as fellow recipients of the Musser Award: James Rutledge, Ph.D., (2010), Robert Golembiewski, Ph.D., (1997) and Zachary Reicher, Ph.D. (1992). Bayer says this award is presented annually to an outstanding doctoral student of turfgrass science who science who has made significant and innovative contributions to turfgrass science research.

“To continue the legacy of professor Musser alongside my peers and colleagues who have received this award in previous years is an honor,” said Burgess. “I’m grateful to continue my passion for turfgrass science at Bayer, where I’m focused on new product and concept development for our customers and the industry as a whole.”

“We are honored to have four recipients of the prestigious Musser Award at Bayer,” said Mark Schneid, head of Environmental Science North America. “Through their ongoing research and dedication to innovation, each of these individuals has played a critical role in on our mission of leveraging scientific innovation to build a better life, not only for our customers but also for all enjoy and benefit from healthy green spaces.”

Since its inception in 1989, Bayer says the Musser International Turfgrass Foundation Award of Excellence has recognized four current Bayer employees for their significant contributions through their doctoral research:

  • Patrick Burgess, Ph.D., Northeast Field Development Representative, was honored in 2018 for his work at Rutgers University. His dissertation was focused on “Physiological and biochemical factors associated with drought tolerance of creeping bentgrass.”
  • James Rutledge, Ph.D., Product Development Manager for Herbicides, was honored in 2010 for his graduate work at Purdue University, while drafting his dissertation on “Physiology and growth response of roughstalk bluegrass and creeping bentgrass to high temperature stress.”
  • Robert Golembiewski, Ph.D., Bayer Green Solutions Team Specialist, was honored in 1997 for his graduate work at Ohio State University. His dissertation was titled “Identification and characterization of creeping bentgrass using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA.”
  • Zachary Reicher, Ph.D., Bayer Green Solutions Team Specialist, was honored in 1992 for his graduate work at Purdue University, and his dissertation focused on “Non-target effects of fungicides on creeping bentgrass.”

Ewing announces partnership with Rain Bird Golf

Ewing Irrigation and Landscape Supply says it is further expanding its Rain Bird Golf partnership with new service and fulfillment areas in eight states.logo for ewing

As of March 1, Ewing says it will be the exclusive Rain Bird Golf distributor in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Additionally, Ewing is the Rain Bird Golf fulfillment partner in Delaware, Virginia and Maryland. The company says it has immediate plans to create an on-site presence throughout the northeast to serve Rain Bird Golf courses.

“With more than 100 collective years of experience, Ewing’s golf team is looking forward to introducing to golf courses in the northeast the excellent service, robust inventory and expansive industry expertise Ewing is known for,” said Douglas W. York, Ewing’s president and chief executive officer.

Earthquake offers five-year warranty on outdoor power equipment

In May, lawn and garden, landscape, hardware and home improvement professionals will have the chance to see products from 2,500 manufacturers at the National Hardware Show.

earthquake power equipment logo“Typical warranties for outdoor power equipment are one to three years,” said Kirk Hyatt, manufacturing engineer manager, Earthquake, the lawn and garden division of Ardisam, Inc. “We stand behind our products with a five-year warranty. The Earthquake warranty gives retailers a competitive advantage because it gives their customers solid confidence in purchasing Earthquake products.”

Ardisam, Inc. says Earthquake products are under a five-year limited warranty to be free from defects in the material, workmanship or both. For products with Viper engines, the company says the five-year warranty also applies to the engines mounted on the products. Products with Kohler, Briggs & Stratton and Honda engines follow their respective warranties for the engines while their chassis and other parts are covered by the five-year Earthquake warranty, according to the company.

Earthquake says it will exhibit its outdoor power equipment at the National Hardware Show on May 8-10 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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