Photo: CarharttCarhartt recently announced it will launch its Carhartt Company Gear program on Jan. 16. With the new Carhartt Company Gear service model, the company says its 130-year-old brand will provide a wide range of businesses with its familiar, rugged, durable products.
Along with its most popular styles, Carhartt says businesses across various trades and sectors will also have access to the new Rugged Professionals Series, which they say will give uniformed associates a sharp, professional appearance.
“With the launch of Carhartt Company Gear, our brand now offers one of the most comprehensive and innovative workwear solutions in the marketplace,” says Andi Donovan, senior vice president of Carhartt Company Gear. “The reorganization of our service program will allow Carhartt to accommodate customers’ workwear demands whether they need pants for a crew of 20 or need to outfit an entire operation. So far, the reaction from the market has been very positive.”
To service customers in search of customized workwear programs, Carhartt says it set out to expand its well-known consumer collection of industrial products to fit the uniform needs of businesses.
With the launch of Carhartt Company Gear, the company says the brand also introduced its Rugged Professionals Series. The company says this product collection comes in nine styles and features rugged flex and stain breaker technologies, along with wrinkle resistance and superior colorfastness to maintain a professional look after dozens of washes.
The Rugged Professionals Series includes button-up shirts, work pants and shorts and a baseball cap, and Carhartt says it will be available in a complete array of sizes to accommodate both men and women.
The company says the Carhartt Company Gear will also include products under every category of industry and specialty from standard uniforms to more specific clothing requirements, such as flame resistant and high visibility gear designed to comply with federal and state employee safety standards.
Natural Paving USA introduces new firepits
Photo: Natural Paver USANatural Paving USA recently revealed their newest offering: firepits. The company says these natural stone firepits are pre-made, hand-cut and come in simple-to-assemble kits.
The company says they are a perfect complement to any outdoor living area and blend perfectly with the company’s natural stone pavers. These firepits are available in the colors lakeland and promenade, measure 36 ½” across and inside diameter and stand 17” tall.
FLOMEC introduces ultrasonic flowmeter
The FLOMEC team at Great Plains Industries, Inc., recently introduced the FLOMEC QS200 insertion ultrasonic flowmeter for commercial irrigation applications. The company says the QS200 provides an accurate reading of liquid flow rate and accumulated flow.
“The irrigation market has shifted to the need to measure flow, especially in low flow situations like drip irrigation,” says Kevin Symens, director of sales at GPI. “The QS200 was designed to do just that.”
The company adds that it measures flow rates five times lower than current flow sensors on the market, as low as 0.22 GPM and is compatible with most common name brand irrigation controllers. Additionally, FLOMEC says it offers LED indication of power and flow activity and retrofits into data industrial PVC tees.
“Current flow sensors in the industry cannot read low flows required in many irrigation applications,” says Edwin Fetzer, QS200 lead engineer. “Even at their lowest detectable flows, the accuracy is extremely poor, basically making them flow switches. This dramatically limits the ability of finding leaking valves or other irrigation system leaks.”
Green & Growin’ 19 kicking off soon
Green & Growin’ 19 will kick off on Monday, Jan. 14, in Greensboro, North Carolina. The event has been around for more than a decade and includes some of the biggest names in the green industry.
Attendees are able to share trends, new products, inspiration and services with professionals from the plant nursery, irrigation, landscape and horticulture industry from across the nation. In 2018, it was reported that the event attracted more than 4,500 participants from 38 states plus Canada and Australia.
The educational portion of the event takes place at the Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons Hotel Jan. 14-16. Attendees can choose from more than fifty classes that provide CEU credit toward state and national accreditations and licensure in eight disciplines. Specialty classes and certifications are offered both Monday and Tuesday featuring a range of CEU credit classes interspersed over both days.
Attendees can choose from a range of educational programs providing continuing education credits. Attendees will see those required for a Pesticide or Landscape Contractor License along with programs such as “Planting Pollinators for Well-being,” “Drones for Landscapers and Nurseries” and “Art and Horticulture Collide: The World of Living Walls.”
On Tuesday, Bryce Lane, famed horticulturist and host of two-time Emmy award winning show, “In the Garden with Bryce Lane,” will be a popular highlight speaking on “In Pursuit of Excellence: Cultivating Leadership in Your Organization.”
Ron Rosenberg, nationally recognized expert on marketing and customer service, presents “Outrageous Marketing: How to Dominate Your Market Niche!” and promises a highly entertaining program.
The Marketplace exhibition, Jan. 17-18, at the Greensboro Coliseum, runs from 7:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. each day. Attendees will enjoy 167,000 square feet of exhibit space complete with greenery and plants. They can place orders, see new products, assess services and meet industry professionals. The 2018 event attracted more than 400 exhibitors in plant, shrub, tree and turf businesses. To register for Green & Growin’ 19, click here.
ARA releases new strategic plan
The American Rental Association (ARA) has released a new industry-wide strategic plan that they say will drive program initiatives over the next three years. ARA says this is the first revision to its strategic plan in more than a decade.
“As the industry continues to grow and change, so do the needs of the members we serve,” says Tony Conant, ARA CEO. “After nearly two years of research and compiling data, the five key areas where the association can make a significant impact have been identified for inclusion in the strategic plan.”
ARA says the result is a simple, straightforward plan that communicates with clarity the purpose, focus areas and values that will drive ARA into the future:
- Education: Position ARA as the primary source for education and training in the equipment and event rental industry.
- Industry workforce: Raise awareness of careers in rental and ensure a qualified and sustainable workforce for rental business owners.
- Technology: Encourage rental business owners to effectively use technology to increase operational performance.
- Market intelligence: Provide industry metrics, forecasting resources and market intelligence tools for the industry.
- Consumer awareness:Promote the value proposition of equipment and event rental so that consumers think of rental first.
“ARA’s volunteer leadership changes each year and without a multi-year strategy, the direction of the association and its priorities could change frequently,” says ARA president Kevin Hoffman. “This consistent plan allows staff to advance the priorities set by the membership through board representation. I’m extremely pleased with the outcome and to have worked with bright and talented individuals to establish a plan that will carry the association forward.”
“Operationally, the association is doing very well,” says Conant. “The ARA Show continues to be a success, membership is growing and our publications division leads the market. However, these are five major focus areas in which the association can make a significant impact toward the long-term success of the equipment and event rental industry.”
Landscape and irrigation contractors given 2018 Mighty Oak award
Eight irrigation and lawn and landscape companies across the U.S. and Canada were awarded the Jeffrey Scott 2018 Mighty Oak, which is based on their performance as a business leader and outstanding achievements made by their companies.
These awards were announced at Scott’s recent Leader’s Edge peer group meetings held across the USA and Canada, and criteria for this award are as follows:
- Serving as a positive example to others in the profession.
- Working with the highest levels of integrity, ethics and accountability.
- Achieving significant growth benchmarks.
- Contributing to the advancement of the landscape industry.
- Engaging in continual personal and professional development.
Honorees are chosen from the international participants in the Leader’s Edge peer groups for landscape business owners run by Scott.
The 2018 winners are as follows:
- Richard Wynia and his firm Landart in Ontario, Canada.
- Chris Cotoia and his firm Executive Landscaping in Dennis, Massachusetts.
- Trevor Lively and his firm BlueJay Irrigation in Ontario, Canada.
- Dave Wright and his Wright Landscape Services in Ontario, Canada.
- Darin Brockelbank and his firm Metrogreenscape in Charlotte, North Carolina.
- Martin Silverman and his firm Martin John Company in Libertyville, Illinois.
- Pam Dooley and her firm Plants Creative Landscapes in Decatur, Georgia.
- Tim Stevens and his firm F&B Landscaping in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
