Law & Landscape

MOLINE, Ill. —  John Deere announced an expanded relationship with Wacker Neuson, a manufacturer of compact and construction machines, for 0-9-metric-ton excavators, to include North America.

John Deere and Wacker Neuson will collaborate on the development of excavators less than 5-metric-tons, including battery electric excavators, that will be manufactured by Wacker Neuson. Additionally, John Deere will have control of the design, manufacturing and technology innovation, for

MOLINE, Ill. —  John Deere announced an expanded relationship with Wacker Neuson, a manufacturer of compact and construction machines, for 0-9-metric-ton excavators, to include North America.

John Deere and Wacker Neuson will collaborate on the development of excavators less than 5-metric-tons, including battery electric excavators, that will be manufactured by Wacker Neuson. Additionally, John Deere will have control of the design, manufacturing and technology innovation, for the 5-9-metric-ton models, leveraging a solid foundation from Wacker Neuson. 

“Excavators are an integral part of our customers’ jobsites, and we anticipate growing demand to continue,” said Domenic Ruccolo, senior vice president, sales, marketing and product support, global construction equipment, John Deere. “As we look to the future of our excavator line-up, this agreement will allow us greater flexibility as we continue to deliver a robust product portfolio that prioritizes the operator experience.”

Distribution, parts, service and support will continue through the John Deere dealer network.

“We’re excited about the expanded agreement as it supports our goal of bringing productivity-driven features and industry leading technology to customers with greater agility,” said Jerred Pauwels, vice president, excavators, strategy and business development, John Deere. “Through this relationship, we’ll innovate faster, and offer additional features and performance differentiation for our customers.” 

The Wacker Neuson Group is an international group of companies headquartered in Munich, Germany, employing around 6,000 people worldwide. As a manufacturer of light and compact equipment, the group offers its customers a broad portfolio of products and a wide range of services. 

For more information, visit http://www.johndeere.com/.

Entries for the 2022 HNA Awards are now being accepted.

The annual awards program honors outstanding residential and commercial hardscape projects. Entries feature hardscaping designs for walkways, patios, pool decks, outdoor living kitchens and living spaces and driveways as well as commercial plazas and streets.

Award winners will be recognized during the 2022 HNA Awards Ceremony on Oct. 20 during the Hardscape North America trade show at the Kentucky Exposition Center. Winners and honorable mention recipients will be featured on the HNA website and in several industry publications.

Eligible projects include residential and commercial projects in the following categories:

All entries, except the Vintage Installation category, must have been completed between Nov. 1, 2018, and June 30, 2022. Vintage installation entries must have been installed before 2012. Projects are juried by industry experts for their excellence in design, craftsmanship, construction, and compatibility.  The entry deadline is Sept. 2, 2022.

The HNA Awards are produced by the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute and National Concrete Masonry Association (ICPI-NCMA) and endorsed by the Brick Industry Association (BIA) and the Natural Stone Institute (NSI). Sponsors for the HNA Awards include Belgard, iQ Power Tools, Keystone Hardscapes, and Memphis Wood Fire Grills.

Click here to learn more or to enter a project.

SpaceAge Labs has secured seed funding of $1.25 million, led by Silicon Solution Partners (SSP), a VC firm supporting deep tech start-ups, and SEEDS Capital, the investment arm of Enterprise Singapore.

SpaceAge Labs is also supported by NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial arm of the National University of Singapore (NUS), Imagine H2O (a water innovation accelerator) and PUB's Singapore Water Exchange. Planetspark, a wholly owned subsidiary of SGX mainboard listed Excelpoint Technology Ltd. is also a partner working closely with SpaceAge Labs to help accelerate their technology alongside joining the round as an investor.

The start-up will use this seed funding to grow its team, expand internationally, and roll out several pilot projects across Singapore, Australia, and the U.S.

"Growing populations, increased urbanisation, rising labour costs, lack of skilled workers, high safety standards and social distancing stipulations – various factors have been coming together resulting in the strong need for remote monitoring and IoT/AI solutions. This is why we set up SpaceAge Labs – to help governments and corporations improve the way they are managing their widespread assets for improved efficiency, reliability and safety," explained Deepak Pitta, founder and CEO of SpaceAge Labs.

SpaceAge Labs is a deep tech start-up that was incubated at NUS Enterprise Singapore Science Park. It is revolutionising operations and maintenance of remote and distributed assets by collecting asset data using low power, long-range wireless IoT devices, together with advanced AI software to generate valuable insights from this data. This increases the asset's uptime (due to data-driven predictive maintenance), reduces cost (less manpower required) and provides peace of mind (operators gain real-time asset visibility).

While remoteEye can be applied in various sectors, SpaceAge Labs is initially targeting three sectors: water/wastewater; urban greenery/landscaping and facilities management. SpaceAge Labs has IoT deployments with more than 30 customers, including two key Smart Nation pilot projects in Singapore: Firstly, working with National Parks Board (NParks) to digitalize grass-cutting operations to improve contractor efficiencies; and secondly helping the Public Utilities Board (PUB) to monitor for manhole overflow events in Singapore's wastewater network.

The company's flagship product is remoteEye, a complete, sensor-agnostic IoT/AI platform that enables connected operations and maintenance. remoteEye consists of three parts:

1. rEye IoT Nodes – These are low-powered, wireless devices that read and transmit data from industrial sensors located at the assets.
2. Wireless networks – The sensor data is transmitted via low power wide area wireless networks to the cloud. The networks are at low cost (from $1 per month per device), able to transmit over long distances (several kilometres) and consume low power (up to five years of battery life).
3. rEye Data Cloud – Enterprise-grade IoT/AI software that stores, analyses, and visualises this sensor data. This software is secure, easy to use and able to scale easily from managing one asset to thousands of assets. Proprietary AI software and geospatial data analysis provides useful insights and predictions that can be accessed via web or mobile.

To read more, click here.

The June issue of Lawn & Landscape is hot off the press.

You won’t want to miss out o our 2022 Best Places to Work For list, where we interviewed the top five companies to see what sets them apart. You’ll get the best advice not only from LawnSavers Plant Health Care (featured on our cover), but New Castle Lawn & Landscape, Monarch Landscape Management and others!

 Also inside is our annual Tech Report, which is sponsored by Aspire. Read all about tech trends and how several companies are adopting software advancements to improve their business and boost profits.

Additionally, we’ve got a roundup of the latest trimmers and edgers on the market, along with advice guidance on what to consider when selling your business and how to make the most of branding.

To read the issue in its entirety, click here. Or head to our Digital Edition.

The Integra Group, the force behind BOSS, is adding to new members to its team.

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The June issue of Lawn & Landscape is hot off the press.

You won’t want to miss out o our 2022 Best Places to Work For list, where we interviewed the top five companies to see what sets them apart. You’ll get the best advice not only from LawnSavers Plant Health Care (featured on our cover), but New Castle Lawn & Landscape, Monarch Landscape Management and others!

 Also inside is our annual Tech Report, which is sponsored by Aspire. Read all about tech trends and how several companies are

The June issue of Lawn & Landscape is hot off the press.

You won’t want to miss out o our 2022 Best Places to Work For list, where we interviewed the top five companies to see what sets them apart. You’ll get the best advice not only from LawnSavers Plant Health Care (featured on our cover), but New Castle Lawn & Landscape, Monarch Landscape Management and others!

 Also inside is our annual Tech Report, which is sponsored by Aspire. Read all about tech trends and how several companies are adopting software advancements to improve their business and boost profits.

Additionally, we’ve got a roundup of the latest trimmers and edgers on the market, along with advice guidance on what to consider when selling your business and how to make the most of branding.

To read the issue in its entirety, click here. Or head to our Digital Edition.

The Integra Group, the force behind BOSS, is adding to new members to its team.

less

PORTLAND, Ore. – Oregon Tool is celebrating its 75th anniversary by launching the T.R.E.E. Initiative, focusing on four key areas: training, recovery, environment and education. As part of T.R.E.E., the company is continuing their partnership with Tree-Nation to further reforestation, with the goal of planting 75,000 trees in 2022. The company will be hosting its second annual RUN, WALK, BIKE event throughout the year, inviting team members around the world to get moving in

PORTLAND, Ore. – Oregon Tool is celebrating its 75th anniversary by launching the T.R.E.E. Initiative, focusing on four key areas: training, recovery, environment and education. As part of T.R.E.E., the company is continuing their partnership with Tree-Nation to further reforestation, with the goal of planting 75,000 trees in 2022. The company will be hosting its second annual RUN, WALK, BIKE event throughout the year, inviting team members around the world to get moving in support of the health of the planet.

Oregon Tool has grown into a multinational organization with numerous acquisitions and mergers. At 3,000 team members strong, Oregon Tool sells thousands of products in more than 110 countries. Oregon Tool is a manufacturer of saw chain and guide bars for chainsaws, diamond saw chain for concrete and pipe and agricultural tractor attachments, and the leading original equipment manufacturer (OEM) supplier of first-fit and replacement parts.

In 1947, Forester Joe Cox observed the C-shaped jaws of a timber beetle larva deftly chewing through wood. This was the inspiration for his “Cox Chipper Chain,” which he invented in the basement of his home in Portland, Oregon. That same year, Cox started the Oregon Saw Chain Corp. to produce his saw chain – from a basement startup to a global manufacturer.

“Joe Cox sought to improve cutting performance for those in his industry. His innovative and pioneering spirit led him to look to nature for a solution, and what he learned from the timber beetle provided the blueprint for not only his namesake chain, but every saw chain made in the last 75 years,” said Oregon Tool CEO Paul Tonnesen. “Joe’s efforts changed the industry and gave way to our company, and what he did and who he was continues to inspire our Team Members around the world.”

From supply chain issues to rising inflation, there are a myriad of reasons lawn care companies need to raise prices. Luke Hawthorne, the owner of Texas-based Emerald Lawns, doesn’t anticipate this trend changing anytime soon.

“It’s an interesting time to be in the market,” Hawthorne says. “I’m not so worried about myself, but I am worried about how the littler guys are going to navigate the waters with supply line issues, the prices of fertilizer and gas and everything else. I’m concerned about those guys.”

Prior to last season, Hawthorne says his company instituted its highest price increase since it was established in 2006.

“We did a 10% price increase last year,” he says. “In 16 years of business, that was by far our biggest price increase. Before that, I think the biggest one was like 2%. Usually, every two to three years we’ll add a $1 to everybody’s application price. It’s been really minuscule.”

Without any resolution to inflation in sight, Hawthorne says he raised prices again this year and is already planning another increase in 2023.

“Moving forward I was just going to do that annual increase, but that’s not going to cover all the added expenses as the price of fuel, fertilizer and labor have gone way up,” he says.

Like for everyone else, Hawthorne says labor is always a worry.

“A few years ago, we were starting people at $15 or $16 an hour and now it’s up to $19 and it needs to go up from there,” he says. “So, we’re trying to find the money somewhere to make that happen. It’s challenging.”

To keep from having to constantly hire, Hawthorne says culture and employee retention should be top of everyone’s to-do lists.

Emerald Lawns of Austin, Texas, services about 22,000 lawn care customers and is constantly looking to grow. But Owner Luke Hawthorne says that growth is contingent on several factors.

Hawthorne says when he initially started the business in 2006, it was just him and his wife. Nowadays, they have 200 employees and service the Austin, Waco and San Antonio markets.

“We’re a fast-growing company, and I remember when I was first starting out, people would ask me, ‘How big do you want to get?’ and I would say ‘I want to get as big as I possibly can.’ I didn’t even understand how that could be a question,” Hawthorne recalls. “But now I understand. The bigger you get, the more things creep up. Once you get so many people on board, it’s inevitable that things are going to happen.”

Hawthorne says standard HR-related issues has kept him from expanding too fast and really focusing on the inner workings of Emerald Lawns.

But, when it is time to make headway into a new market, Hawthorne says they always look internally for a leader of the newest branch.

“It’s not always about which market is going to make us the most profitable, but it’s really about the people for us. Do we have the right person who’s ready to be a branch manager? Then we’ll find a market to put them in,” he explains. “But we’re growing so fast and expanding and promoting we don’t have anybody in the pipeline just yet.”

There are also a few other things that Hawthorne weighs when reviewing new markets for expansion.

“Growth potential, median income and the water situation all factor in,” he says. “Water’s a big thing and I want to make sure that if I move into an area customers won’t have to cancel their lawn care service because they aren’t allowed to water their lawns.”

Ultimately, Hawthorne says the growth of the town or city is the primary factor.

And having the right people to research that growth is important.

“I have a really good marketing team of three full-time marketers, and they do market analysis and all of that in house,” Hawthorne says.

Weather is just one element of lawn care that will always remain unpredictable. To try and circumvent the effects of drought in his Austin, Texas, market, Luke Hawthorne, owner of Emerald Lawns, added irrigation services to his existing lawn care business.

“It’s not a hugely profitable service line, so I’m hoping to break even, but it’s another added benefit to the customer,” he says. “It’s another layer of customer service and adds to the lawns looking better than their neighbors’. It’s pretty competitive here, so it always boils down to that.”

Despite Austin being a boomtown, Hawthorne says its lack of water has made business more difficult lately.

“Water is a big issue here,” he says. “It’s growing fast. Growth potential is a lot, but the future is a little murky just because we have one prime water source, and we’re very susceptible to droughts here. And they haven’t really done anything to improve the water situation. We have a bunch more people moving in, but the water situation is the same. It’s a little worrisome right now.”

And without being able to rely on steady rain flow, lawns can suffer even if treated. That’s why Hawthorne has made water retention and water conservation a priority.

“We service from San Antonio to Waco, and six years ago we were in the 100-Year Drought,” he says. “And in a lot of our markets, you couldn’t even wash your car in the driveway let alone water your lawn. There were major water restrictions. So, I started to look at what golf courses were doing and how they handled drought and the restrictions.

“We got into the water retention products and also in our top dressing, instead of putting out compost, we also started offering topsoil. There are some parts of town where there’s not much dirt so it’s impossible to keep it properly irrigated. If you offer a top dressing service, it makes the soil better,” Hawthorne adds.

In the three years since Emerald Lawns started offering water retention products and irrigation services, Hawthorne says most of his customers have taken advantage of it for the added benefits to their lawns.

“It’s made us a better company and made us more profitable, because even when we’re not in a drought, these are some things we can include as part of our service line,” he says.

Currently, crews are going out and doing audits on irrigation systems quarterly to adjust to seasonal changes in the weather and to offset any water restrictions. But even with doing this, Hawthorne says there’s still plenty to worry about.

“I can’t budget according to a potential weather pattern or anything,” he says. “I have to go on and keep spending as business as usual, but there’s always this kind of dark cloud that looms over everything.”

While the drought is difficult, Hawthorne says it keeps his team from getting comfortable or just going with the flow. Being able to react quickly and accordingly to change is critical in the lawn care game.

“You budget as if everything is hunky-dory and it’s going to be beautiful weather, and we’ll get enough rain and the lakes will stay up to level, but that’s not always reality,” he says. “And you’ll need to be able to pivot, which is something we’ve always done very well in the past.”

MOORESVILLE, N.C.  - Greenworks Commercial, a provider of battery-operated outdoor power equipment, is announcing the expansion of its 82V line, which made its initial debut at GIE+EXPO last year. With the addition of 26 new product offerings rolling out throughout 2022, the Greenworks family of commercial-grade, battery-powered lawn care equipment continues to grow, providing even more solutions for industry professionals such as stand-on and ride-on zero-turn mowers, and various utility vehicles. Unlike other competitors on the market, Greenworks Commercial offers the most extensive product line-up for professionals with a complete ecosystem of tools that work interchangeably together.

“Greenworks is proud to transform the landscaping industry and provide a full ecosystem of solutions to improve the productivity of work.” said Klaus Hahn, Greenworks president. “With high performing machines for enhanced workflow, top-of-the line materials and innovative technology, Greenworks Commercial is made to be reliable for everyday landscapers.”      

The Greenworks Commercial 82V line consists of products that can withstand the toughest jobs while providing power, performance and runtime without the noise, hassle or harmful emissions of traditional gas counterparts.

Right now, landscapers can get their hands on a wide assortment of the new Greenworks Commercial 82V line including a variety of edgers, trimmers, blowers, chainsaws and power cutters. Additional new products from the 82V expansion will be rolling out in both fall and winter of 2022, including the Greenworks Commercial 30” Walk-Behind Mower and the 24” Dual Stage Snow Blower utilizing a Trubrushless motor that auto-adapts to any condition for best performance every time.

To check out the Greenworks Commercial 82V line visit www.greenworkscommercial.com.

From supply chain issues to rising inflation, there are a myriad of reasons lawn care companies need to raise prices. Luke Hawthorne, the owner of Texas-based Emerald Lawns, doesn’t anticipate this trend changing anytime soon.

“It’s an interesting time to be in the market,” Hawthorne says. “I’m not so worried about myself, but I am worried about how the littler guys are going to navigate the waters with supply line issues, the prices of fertilizer and gas and everything else. I’m concerned

From supply chain issues to rising inflation, there are a myriad of reasons lawn care companies need to raise prices. Luke Hawthorne, the owner of Texas-based Emerald Lawns, doesn’t anticipate this trend changing anytime soon.

“It’s an interesting time to be in the market,” Hawthorne says. “I’m not so worried about myself, but I am worried about how the littler guys are going to navigate the waters with supply line issues, the prices of fertilizer and gas and everything else. I’m concerned about those guys.”

Prior to last season, Hawthorne says his company instituted its highest price increase since it was established in 2006.

“We did a 10% price increase last year,” he says. “In 16 years of business, that was by far our biggest price increase. Before that, I think the biggest one was like 2%. Usually, every two to three years we’ll add a $1 to everybody’s application price. It’s been really minuscule.”

Without any resolution to inflation in sight, Hawthorne says he raised prices again this year and is already planning another increase in 2023.

“Moving forward I was just going to do that annual increase, but that’s not going to cover all the added expenses as the price of fuel, fertilizer and labor have gone way up,” he says.

Like for everyone else, Hawthorne says labor is always a worry.

“A few years ago, we were starting people at $15 or $16 an hour and now it’s up to $19 and it needs to go up from there,” he says. “So, we’re trying to find the money somewhere to make that happen. It’s challenging.”

To keep from having to constantly hire, Hawthorne says culture and employee retention should be top of everyone’s to-do lists.

Emerald Lawns of Austin, Texas, services about 22,000 lawn care customers and is constantly looking to grow. But Owner Luke Hawthorne says that growth is contingent on several factors.

Hawthorne says when he initially started the business in 2006, it was just him and his wife. Nowadays, they have 200 employees and service the Austin, Waco and San Antonio markets.

“We’re a fast-growing company, and I remember when I was first starting out, people would ask me, ‘How big do you want to get?’ and I would say ‘I want to get as big as I possibly can.’ I didn’t even understand how that could be a question,” Hawthorne recalls. “But now I understand. The bigger you get, the more things creep up. Once you get so many people on board, it’s inevitable that things are going to happen.”

Hawthorne says standard HR-related issues has kept him from expanding too fast and really focusing on the inner workings of Emerald Lawns.

But, when it is time to make headway into a new market, Hawthorne says they always look internally for a leader of the newest branch.

“It’s not always about which market is going to make us the most profitable, but it’s really about the people for us. Do we have the right person who’s ready to be a branch manager? Then we’ll find a market to put them in,” he explains. “But we’re growing so fast and expanding and promoting we don’t have anybody in the pipeline just yet.”

There are also a few other things that Hawthorne weighs when reviewing new markets for expansion.

“Growth potential, median income and the water situation all factor in,” he says. “Water’s a big thing and I want to make sure that if I move into an area customers won’t have to cancel their lawn care service because they aren’t allowed to water their lawns.”

Ultimately, Hawthorne says the growth of the town or city is the primary factor.

And having the right people to research that growth is important.

“I have a really good marketing team of three full-time marketers, and they do market analysis and all of that in house,” Hawthorne says.

Weather is just one element of lawn care that will always remain unpredictable. To try and circumvent the effects of drought in his Austin, Texas, market, Luke Hawthorne, owner of Emerald Lawns, added irrigation services to his existing lawn care business.

“It’s not a hugely profitable service line, so I’m hoping to break even, but it’s another added benefit to the customer,” he says. “It’s another layer of customer service and adds to the lawns looking better than their neighbors’. It’s pretty competitive here, so it always boils down to that.”

Despite Austin being a boomtown, Hawthorne says its lack of water has made business more difficult lately.

“Water is a big issue here,” he says. “It’s growing fast. Growth potential is a lot, but the future is a little murky just because we have one prime water source, and we’re very susceptible to droughts here. And they haven’t really done anything to improve the water situation. We have a bunch more people moving in, but the water situation is the same. It’s a little worrisome right now.”

And without being able to rely on steady rain flow, lawns can suffer even if treated. That’s why Hawthorne has made water retention and water conservation a priority.

“We service from San Antonio to Waco, and six years ago we were in the 100-Year Drought,” he says. “And in a lot of our markets, you couldn’t even wash your car in the driveway let alone water your lawn. There were major water restrictions. So, I started to look at what golf courses were doing and how they handled drought and the restrictions.

“We got into the water retention products and also in our top dressing, instead of putting out compost, we also started offering topsoil. There are some parts of town where there’s not much dirt so it’s impossible to keep it properly irrigated. If you offer a top dressing service, it makes the soil better,” Hawthorne adds.

In the three years since Emerald Lawns started offering water retention products and irrigation services, Hawthorne says most of his customers have taken advantage of it for the added benefits to their lawns.

“It’s made us a better company and made us more profitable, because even when we’re not in a drought, these are some things we can include as part of our service line,” he says.

Currently, crews are going out and doing audits on irrigation systems quarterly to adjust to seasonal changes in the weather and to offset any water restrictions. But even with doing this, Hawthorne says there’s still plenty to worry about.

“I can’t budget according to a potential weather pattern or anything,” he says. “I have to go on and keep spending as business as usual, but there’s always this kind of dark cloud that looms over everything.”

While the drought is difficult, Hawthorne says it keeps his team from getting comfortable or just going with the flow. Being able to react quickly and accordingly to change is critical in the lawn care game.

“You budget as if everything is hunky-dory and it’s going to be beautiful weather, and we’ll get enough rain and the lakes will stay up to level, but that’s not always reality,” he says. “And you’ll need to be able to pivot, which is something we’ve always done very well in the past.”

MOORESVILLE, N.C.  - Greenworks Commercial, a provider of battery-operated outdoor power equipment, is announcing the expansion of its 82V line, which made its initial debut at GIE+EXPO last year. With the addition of 26 new product offerings rolling out throughout 2022, the Greenworks family of commercial-grade, battery-powered lawn care equipment continues to grow, providing even more solutions for industry professionals such as stand-on and ride-on zero-turn mowers, and various utility vehicles. Unlike other competitors on the market, Greenworks Commercial offers the most extensive product line-up for professionals with a complete ecosystem of tools that work interchangeably together.

“Greenworks is proud to transform the landscaping industry and provide a full ecosystem of solutions to improve the productivity of work.” said Klaus Hahn, Greenworks president. “With high performing machines for enhanced workflow, top-of-the line materials and innovative technology, Greenworks Commercial is made to be reliable for everyday landscapers.”      

The Greenworks Commercial 82V line consists of products that can withstand the toughest jobs while providing power, performance and runtime without the noise, hassle or harmful emissions of traditional gas counterparts.

Right now, landscapers can get their hands on a wide assortment of the new Greenworks Commercial 82V line including a variety of edgers, trimmers, blowers, chainsaws and power cutters. Additional new products from the 82V expansion will be rolling out in both fall and winter of 2022, including the Greenworks Commercial 30” Walk-Behind Mower and the 24” Dual Stage Snow Blower utilizing a Trubrushless motor that auto-adapts to any condition for best performance every time.

To check out the Greenworks Commercial 82V line visit www.greenworkscommercial.com.

Tracking leads goes beyond knowing what to track. You need to know why that information is important and what it contributes to your long-term growth.

Accurate lead-tracking data can help you:• Determine which marketing channels are driving low-cost, qualified leads• Identify channels that top customers are coming from, and the ones that aren't profitable• Track paid ad spend and calculate CPL in real-time• See if overall lead performance has you on track to hit your annual goal

In our webinar Wednesday, industry experts Katie McCaskill and Frank Andolina will take a look at what the industry “norm” is when it comes to digital marketing spend and will explain what you should be monitoring to appropriately gauge the success of your marketing efforts.

The webinar starts Wednesday, June 8 at 1 p.m. EST. To register for free, click here.

Emerald Lawns of Austin, Texas, services about 22,000 lawn care customers and is constantly looking to grow. But Owner Luke Hawthorne says that growth is contingent on several factors.

Hawthorne says when he initially started the business in 2006, it was just him and his wife. Nowadays, they have 200 employees and service the Austin, Waco and San Antonio markets.

“We’re a fast-growing company, and I remember when I was first starting out, people would ask me, ‘How big do you want to get?’

Emerald Lawns of Austin, Texas, services about 22,000 lawn care customers and is constantly looking to grow. But Owner Luke Hawthorne says that growth is contingent on several factors.

Hawthorne says when he initially started the business in 2006, it was just him and his wife. Nowadays, they have 200 employees and service the Austin, Waco and San Antonio markets.

“We’re a fast-growing company, and I remember when I was first starting out, people would ask me, ‘How big do you want to get?’ and I would say ‘I want to get as big as I possibly can.’ I didn’t even understand how that could be a question,” Hawthorne recalls. “But now I understand. The bigger you get, the more things creep up. Once you get so many people on board, it’s inevitable that things are going to happen.”

Hawthorne says standard HR-related issues has kept him from expanding too fast and really focusing on the inner workings of Emerald Lawns.

But, when it is time to make headway into a new market, Hawthorne says they always look internally for a leader of the newest branch.

“It’s not always about which market is going to make us the most profitable, but it’s really about the people for us. Do we have the right person who’s ready to be a branch manager? Then we’ll find a market to put them in,” he explains. “But we’re growing so fast and expanding and promoting we don’t have anybody in the pipeline just yet.”

There are also a few other things that Hawthorne weighs when reviewing new markets for expansion.

“Growth potential, median income and the water situation all factor in,” he says. “Water’s a big thing and I want to make sure that if I move into an area customers won’t have to cancel their lawn care service because they aren’t allowed to water their lawns.”

Ultimately, Hawthorne says the growth of the town or city is the primary factor.

And having the right people to research that growth is important.

“I have a really good marketing team of three full-time marketers, and they do market analysis and all of that in house,” Hawthorne says.

Weather is just one element of lawn care that will always remain unpredictable. To try and circumvent the effects of drought in his Austin, Texas, market, Luke Hawthorne, owner of Emerald Lawns, added irrigation services to his existing lawn care business.

“It’s not a hugely profitable service line, so I’m hoping to break even, but it’s another added benefit to the customer,” he says. “It’s another layer of customer service and adds to the lawns looking better than their neighbors’. It’s pretty competitive here, so it always boils down to that.”

Despite Austin being a boomtown, Hawthorne says its lack of water has made business more difficult lately.

“Water is a big issue here,” he says. “It’s growing fast. Growth potential is a lot, but the future is a little murky just because we have one prime water source, and we’re very susceptible to droughts here. And they haven’t really done anything to improve the water situation. We have a bunch more people moving in, but the water situation is the same. It’s a little worrisome right now.”

And without being able to rely on steady rain flow, lawns can suffer even if treated. That’s why Hawthorne has made water retention and water conservation a priority.

“We service from San Antonio to Waco, and six years ago we were in the 100-Year Drought,” he says. “And in a lot of our markets, you couldn’t even wash your car in the driveway let alone water your lawn. There were major water restrictions. So, I started to look at what golf courses were doing and how they handled drought and the restrictions.

“We got into the water retention products and also in our top dressing, instead of putting out compost, we also started offering topsoil. There are some parts of town where there’s not much dirt so it’s impossible to keep it properly irrigated. If you offer a top dressing service, it makes the soil better,” Hawthorne adds.

In the three years since Emerald Lawns started offering water retention products and irrigation services, Hawthorne says most of his customers have taken advantage of it for the added benefits to their lawns.

“It’s made us a better company and made us more profitable, because even when we’re not in a drought, these are some things we can include as part of our service line,” he says.

Currently, crews are going out and doing audits on irrigation systems quarterly to adjust to seasonal changes in the weather and to offset any water restrictions. But even with doing this, Hawthorne says there’s still plenty to worry about.

“I can’t budget according to a potential weather pattern or anything,” he says. “I have to go on and keep spending as business as usual, but there’s always this kind of dark cloud that looms over everything.”

While the drought is difficult, Hawthorne says it keeps his team from getting comfortable or just going with the flow. Being able to react quickly and accordingly to change is critical in the lawn care game.

“You budget as if everything is hunky-dory and it’s going to be beautiful weather, and we’ll get enough rain and the lakes will stay up to level, but that’s not always reality,” he says. “And you’ll need to be able to pivot, which is something we’ve always done very well in the past.”

MOORESVILLE, N.C.  - Greenworks Commercial, a provider of battery-operated outdoor power equipment, is announcing the expansion of its 82V line, which made its initial debut at GIE+EXPO last year. With the addition of 26 new product offerings rolling out throughout 2022, the Greenworks family of commercial-grade, battery-powered lawn care equipment continues to grow, providing even more solutions for industry professionals such as stand-on and ride-on zero-turn mowers, and various utility vehicles. Unlike other competitors on the market, Greenworks Commercial offers the most extensive product line-up for professionals with a complete ecosystem of tools that work interchangeably together.

“Greenworks is proud to transform the landscaping industry and provide a full ecosystem of solutions to improve the productivity of work.” said Klaus Hahn, Greenworks president. “With high performing machines for enhanced workflow, top-of-the line materials and innovative technology, Greenworks Commercial is made to be reliable for everyday landscapers.”      

The Greenworks Commercial 82V line consists of products that can withstand the toughest jobs while providing power, performance and runtime without the noise, hassle or harmful emissions of traditional gas counterparts.

Right now, landscapers can get their hands on a wide assortment of the new Greenworks Commercial 82V line including a variety of edgers, trimmers, blowers, chainsaws and power cutters. Additional new products from the 82V expansion will be rolling out in both fall and winter of 2022, including the Greenworks Commercial 30” Walk-Behind Mower and the 24” Dual Stage Snow Blower utilizing a Trubrushless motor that auto-adapts to any condition for best performance every time.

To check out the Greenworks Commercial 82V line visit www.greenworkscommercial.com.

Tracking leads goes beyond knowing what to track. You need to know why that information is important and what it contributes to your long-term growth.

Accurate lead-tracking data can help you:• Determine which marketing channels are driving low-cost, qualified leads• Identify channels that top customers are coming from, and the ones that aren't profitable• Track paid ad spend and calculate CPL in real-time• See if overall lead performance has you on track to hit your annual goal

In our webinar Wednesday, industry experts Katie McCaskill and Frank Andolina will take a look at what the industry “norm” is when it comes to digital marketing spend and will explain what you should be monitoring to appropriately gauge the success of your marketing efforts.

The webinar starts Wednesday, June 8 at 1 p.m. EST. To register for free, click here.

SEATTLE — SirionLabs has announced STIHL as its newest client. The multi-year engagement begins immediately and will focus on STIHL’s standardization, digitization and optimization goals, with an eye toward future scalability. SirionLabs’ end-to-end contract management solution will help STIHL harmonize their processes while getting a single source of truth from their data across multiple contracts.

With operations in 41 markets and a network of more than 54,000 dealers, family-owned STIHL was looking for a contract lifecycle management system to meet the needs of the 4,000 employees – nearly 20% of the organization – who would work with the system. Therefore, STIHL was looking to create flexible processes to comply with local laws while also working with a standardized data model.

“Our collaboration with SirionLabs is geared towards integrating our contract system with all the business modules. During the first phase, we will focus on building three blueprints for the different levels of complexities we see in our global organization. These blueprints can be applied easily, quickly and with very limited customizations to our regional markets. We look forward to a great association with SirionLabs,” said Hannes Krauss, project lead of STIHL’s legal department.

Additionally, STIHL wanted the contract management system to support ONE STIHL, a company-wide initiative to harmonize all business processes from an end-to-end perspective covering their entire system landscape to prepare STIHL for the future.

“While SAP S4/Hana is the backbone of our IT landscape, CLM is the frontend, acting as connector between different worlds,” said Phillip Keupp, IT expert and Co-Project Lead for STIHL in the purchasing excellence department. “SirionLabs was a clear choice in our CLM decision owing to its unique approach to not only streamline processes but also analyze data, providing us the flexibility and agility to react to market challenges and leverage savings opportunities, while keeping us consistent across all contracts.”

Over the past few years, there has been a greater demand for STIHL products due to increased investments in home and garden do-it-yourself (DIY) projects, power tools needed for wildfire fighting, and more. Utilizing SirionLabs is seen as a key component for success as STIHL expands production, leading to a greater need for contract efficiency, regulatory compliance, and data transparency.

SirionLabs’ smarter contracting solution, SirionOne, provides the data competency, contract transparency, and process efficiency throughout the whole contract lifecycle that helps STIHL extract the maximum value from their contracts. SirionOne instantaneously highlights the most essential parts of thousands of contracts, saving STIHL time and money, apart from providing lots of business intelligence.

“The myriad challenges confronting a global industry leader require a contract management platform that is flexible, robust, and scalable. With the right contract management solution, companies can get real-time intelligence, streamline their operations, collaborate with business functions, and create stronger, more compliant contracts that help them succeed,” said Ajay Agrawal, founder and CEO of SirionLabs. “We’re pleased to be a part of STIHL’s growth and look forward to witnessing how our system helps it realize its ambitious ONE CLM initiative.”

MOORESVILLE, N.C.  - Greenworks Commercial, a provider of battery-operated outdoor power equipment, is announcing the expansion of its 82V line, which made its initial debut at GIE+EXPO last year. With the addition of 26 new product offerings rolling out throughout 2022, the Greenworks family of commercial-grade, battery-powered lawn care equipment continues to grow, providing even more solutions for industry professionals such as stand-on and ride-on zero-turn mowers, and various utility

MOORESVILLE, N.C.  - Greenworks Commercial, a provider of battery-operated outdoor power equipment, is announcing the expansion of its 82V line, which made its initial debut at GIE+EXPO last year. With the addition of 26 new product offerings rolling out throughout 2022, the Greenworks family of commercial-grade, battery-powered lawn care equipment continues to grow, providing even more solutions for industry professionals such as stand-on and ride-on zero-turn mowers, and various utility vehicles. Unlike other competitors on the market, Greenworks Commercial offers the most extensive product line-up for professionals with a complete ecosystem of tools that work interchangeably together.

“Greenworks is proud to transform the landscaping industry and provide a full ecosystem of solutions to improve the productivity of work.” said Klaus Hahn, Greenworks president. “With high performing machines for enhanced workflow, top-of-the line materials and innovative technology, Greenworks Commercial is made to be reliable for everyday landscapers.”      

The Greenworks Commercial 82V line consists of products that can withstand the toughest jobs while providing power, performance and runtime without the noise, hassle or harmful emissions of traditional gas counterparts.

Right now, landscapers can get their hands on a wide assortment of the new Greenworks Commercial 82V line including a variety of edgers, trimmers, blowers, chainsaws and power cutters. Additional new products from the 82V expansion will be rolling out in both fall and winter of 2022, including the Greenworks Commercial 30” Walk-Behind Mower and the 24” Dual Stage Snow Blower utilizing a Trubrushless motor that auto-adapts to any condition for best performance every time.

To check out the Greenworks Commercial 82V line visit www.greenworkscommercial.com.

Tracking leads goes beyond knowing what to track. You need to know why that information is important and what it contributes to your long-term growth.

Accurate lead-tracking data can help you:• Determine which marketing channels are driving low-cost, qualified leads• Identify channels that top customers are coming from, and the ones that aren't profitable• Track paid ad spend and calculate CPL in real-time• See if overall lead performance has you on track to hit your annual goal

In our webinar Wednesday, industry experts Katie McCaskill and Frank Andolina will take a look at what the industry “norm” is when it comes to digital marketing spend and will explain what you should be monitoring to appropriately gauge the success of your marketing efforts.

The webinar starts Wednesday, June 8 at 1 p.m. EST. To register for free, click here.

SEATTLE — SirionLabs has announced STIHL as its newest client. The multi-year engagement begins immediately and will focus on STIHL’s standardization, digitization and optimization goals, with an eye toward future scalability. SirionLabs’ end-to-end contract management solution will help STIHL harmonize their processes while getting a single source of truth from their data across multiple contracts.

With operations in 41 markets and a network of more than 54,000 dealers, family-owned STIHL was looking for a contract lifecycle management system to meet the needs of the 4,000 employees – nearly 20% of the organization – who would work with the system. Therefore, STIHL was looking to create flexible processes to comply with local laws while also working with a standardized data model.

“Our collaboration with SirionLabs is geared towards integrating our contract system with all the business modules. During the first phase, we will focus on building three blueprints for the different levels of complexities we see in our global organization. These blueprints can be applied easily, quickly and with very limited customizations to our regional markets. We look forward to a great association with SirionLabs,” said Hannes Krauss, project lead of STIHL’s legal department.

Additionally, STIHL wanted the contract management system to support ONE STIHL, a company-wide initiative to harmonize all business processes from an end-to-end perspective covering their entire system landscape to prepare STIHL for the future.

“While SAP S4/Hana is the backbone of our IT landscape, CLM is the frontend, acting as connector between different worlds,” said Phillip Keupp, IT expert and Co-Project Lead for STIHL in the purchasing excellence department. “SirionLabs was a clear choice in our CLM decision owing to its unique approach to not only streamline processes but also analyze data, providing us the flexibility and agility to react to market challenges and leverage savings opportunities, while keeping us consistent across all contracts.”

Over the past few years, there has been a greater demand for STIHL products due to increased investments in home and garden do-it-yourself (DIY) projects, power tools needed for wildfire fighting, and more. Utilizing SirionLabs is seen as a key component for success as STIHL expands production, leading to a greater need for contract efficiency, regulatory compliance, and data transparency.

SirionLabs’ smarter contracting solution, SirionOne, provides the data competency, contract transparency, and process efficiency throughout the whole contract lifecycle that helps STIHL extract the maximum value from their contracts. SirionOne instantaneously highlights the most essential parts of thousands of contracts, saving STIHL time and money, apart from providing lots of business intelligence.

“The myriad challenges confronting a global industry leader require a contract management platform that is flexible, robust, and scalable. With the right contract management solution, companies can get real-time intelligence, streamline their operations, collaborate with business functions, and create stronger, more compliant contracts that help them succeed,” said Ajay Agrawal, founder and CEO of SirionLabs. “We’re pleased to be a part of STIHL’s growth and look forward to witnessing how our system helps it realize its ambitious ONE CLM initiative.”

The Horticultural Research Institute's tHRIve series continues in 2022 with a full lineup of online sessions led by industry experts and researchers.

HRI began hosting webinars in 2020 with the goal of providing online learning across various green industry research topics to help the industry. All tHRIve webinars are free and part of HRI's mission to connect the industry to research-backed insights and innovation. Find select recordings of previous webinars and details for the new series on the HRI website.

Here's the new webinar lineup:

June 23: Biology and Management of Volutella Blight caused by Pseudonectria buxi

Aug. 23: Building a Better Monarch Butterfly Garden

Sept. 7: How do weather and climate impact boxwood blight? 

Oct. 4: Controlling Nostoc, a slippery hazard for nursery workers

Nov. 3: Smart Plants—Magical Interactions Between Flowers and Their Pollinators

Handwrytten, a Phoenix-based technology firm, has solved has invented robots to do the writing of handwritten notes at scale, and companies can now subscribe and send a set number of handwritten notes per month with credits that rollover if any notes go unused.

There are four subscription levels available, and subscriptions renew every 30 days with credits carrying over from month to month. Subscription options start at the Silver level, which included 10 cards per month, custom handwriting and signature at $35 per month (which is a 10% discount). More active users can level up to the Gold, Platinum or Diamond subscriptions which include 25, 50 or 100 cards per month respectively.

Handwrytten’s robots help businesses achieve greater open rates, response rates and ROI than printed or email messages. Handwritten notes have response rates 7-21 times greater than printed mail and can be used in nearly every messaging situation.

“People understand the power of the personal note, but nobody has the time to sit down and actually pick up a pen and write one. This is why we built a platform to automate the process from end to end,” said David Wachs, founder and CEO of Handwrytten. “By leveraging cutting edge robotic technology, we are able to automate what is seemingly impossible to automate. These notes have been proven to drive incredible and lasting results for our clients.”

The handwriting on Handwrytten notes is indistinguishable from real human handwriting. There are 30 handwriting styles to choose from, or users can upload their own handwriting and signature for a truly personalized style (available with a one-time fee). Users can select from more than 100 card designs or design their own online.

Using the Handwrytten service can be fully automated. Contact lists can be uploaded to send hundreds of notes at once. Thanking customers, remembering birthdays, anniversaries and other special events with a thoughtful and personal message has never been easier. Handwrytten can be integrated with Salesforce, Zapier, Integromat and other services via its API.

For more information, visit handwrytten.com or download the Handwyrtten app for iPhone and Android.

Tracking leads goes beyond knowing what to track. You need to know why that information is important and what it contributes to your long-term growth.

Accurate lead-tracking data can help you:• Determine which marketing channels are driving low-cost, qualified leads• Identify channels that top customers are coming from, and the ones that aren't profitable• Track paid ad spend and calculate CPL in real-time• See if overall lead performance has you on track to hit your annual

Tracking leads goes beyond knowing what to track. You need to know why that information is important and what it contributes to your long-term growth.

Accurate lead-tracking data can help you:• Determine which marketing channels are driving low-cost, qualified leads• Identify channels that top customers are coming from, and the ones that aren't profitable• Track paid ad spend and calculate CPL in real-time• See if overall lead performance has you on track to hit your annual goal

In our webinar Wednesday, industry experts Katie McCaskill and Frank Andolina will take a look at what the industry “norm” is when it comes to digital marketing spend and will explain what you should be monitoring to appropriately gauge the success of your marketing efforts.

The webinar starts Wednesday, June 8 at 1 p.m. EST. To register for free, click here.

SEATTLE — SirionLabs has announced STIHL as its newest client. The multi-year engagement begins immediately and will focus on STIHL’s standardization, digitization and optimization goals, with an eye toward future scalability. SirionLabs’ end-to-end contract management solution will help STIHL harmonize their processes while getting a single source of truth from their data across multiple contracts.

With operations in 41 markets and a network of more than 54,000 dealers, family-owned STIHL was looking for a contract lifecycle management system to meet the needs of the 4,000 employees – nearly 20% of the organization – who would work with the system. Therefore, STIHL was looking to create flexible processes to comply with local laws while also working with a standardized data model.

“Our collaboration with SirionLabs is geared towards integrating our contract system with all the business modules. During the first phase, we will focus on building three blueprints for the different levels of complexities we see in our global organization. These blueprints can be applied easily, quickly and with very limited customizations to our regional markets. We look forward to a great association with SirionLabs,” said Hannes Krauss, project lead of STIHL’s legal department.

Additionally, STIHL wanted the contract management system to support ONE STIHL, a company-wide initiative to harmonize all business processes from an end-to-end perspective covering their entire system landscape to prepare STIHL for the future.

“While SAP S4/Hana is the backbone of our IT landscape, CLM is the frontend, acting as connector between different worlds,” said Phillip Keupp, IT expert and Co-Project Lead for STIHL in the purchasing excellence department. “SirionLabs was a clear choice in our CLM decision owing to its unique approach to not only streamline processes but also analyze data, providing us the flexibility and agility to react to market challenges and leverage savings opportunities, while keeping us consistent across all contracts.”

Over the past few years, there has been a greater demand for STIHL products due to increased investments in home and garden do-it-yourself (DIY) projects, power tools needed for wildfire fighting, and more. Utilizing SirionLabs is seen as a key component for success as STIHL expands production, leading to a greater need for contract efficiency, regulatory compliance, and data transparency.

SirionLabs’ smarter contracting solution, SirionOne, provides the data competency, contract transparency, and process efficiency throughout the whole contract lifecycle that helps STIHL extract the maximum value from their contracts. SirionOne instantaneously highlights the most essential parts of thousands of contracts, saving STIHL time and money, apart from providing lots of business intelligence.

“The myriad challenges confronting a global industry leader require a contract management platform that is flexible, robust, and scalable. With the right contract management solution, companies can get real-time intelligence, streamline their operations, collaborate with business functions, and create stronger, more compliant contracts that help them succeed,” said Ajay Agrawal, founder and CEO of SirionLabs. “We’re pleased to be a part of STIHL’s growth and look forward to witnessing how our system helps it realize its ambitious ONE CLM initiative.”

The Horticultural Research Institute's tHRIve series continues in 2022 with a full lineup of online sessions led by industry experts and researchers.

HRI began hosting webinars in 2020 with the goal of providing online learning across various green industry research topics to help the industry. All tHRIve webinars are free and part of HRI's mission to connect the industry to research-backed insights and innovation. Find select recordings of previous webinars and details for the new series on the HRI website.

Here's the new webinar lineup:

June 23: Biology and Management of Volutella Blight caused by Pseudonectria buxi

Aug. 23: Building a Better Monarch Butterfly Garden

Sept. 7: How do weather and climate impact boxwood blight? 

Oct. 4: Controlling Nostoc, a slippery hazard for nursery workers

Nov. 3: Smart Plants—Magical Interactions Between Flowers and Their Pollinators

Handwrytten, a Phoenix-based technology firm, has solved has invented robots to do the writing of handwritten notes at scale, and companies can now subscribe and send a set number of handwritten notes per month with credits that rollover if any notes go unused.

There are four subscription levels available, and subscriptions renew every 30 days with credits carrying over from month to month. Subscription options start at the Silver level, which included 10 cards per month, custom handwriting and signature at $35 per month (which is a 10% discount). More active users can level up to the Gold, Platinum or Diamond subscriptions which include 25, 50 or 100 cards per month respectively.

Handwrytten’s robots help businesses achieve greater open rates, response rates and ROI than printed or email messages. Handwritten notes have response rates 7-21 times greater than printed mail and can be used in nearly every messaging situation.

“People understand the power of the personal note, but nobody has the time to sit down and actually pick up a pen and write one. This is why we built a platform to automate the process from end to end,” said David Wachs, founder and CEO of Handwrytten. “By leveraging cutting edge robotic technology, we are able to automate what is seemingly impossible to automate. These notes have been proven to drive incredible and lasting results for our clients.”

The handwriting on Handwrytten notes is indistinguishable from real human handwriting. There are 30 handwriting styles to choose from, or users can upload their own handwriting and signature for a truly personalized style (available with a one-time fee). Users can select from more than 100 card designs or design their own online.

Using the Handwrytten service can be fully automated. Contact lists can be uploaded to send hundreds of notes at once. Thanking customers, remembering birthdays, anniversaries and other special events with a thoughtful and personal message has never been easier. Handwrytten can be integrated with Salesforce, Zapier, Integromat and other services via its API.

For more information, visit handwrytten.com or download the Handwyrtten app for iPhone and Android.

WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Matt Jesson, president and CEO, of Green Lawn Fertilizing / Green Pest Solutions has named Josh Willey as Chief Operating Officer.

In his new role, Willey will oversee all lawn and pest operations, facilities, human resources and sales – while owning the company’s profit and loss. He will also continue to shape and manage the company’s leadership development program which he started in 2019. Willey brings his natural people skills and high aptitude into his new COO roll, which will help achieve the company’s aggressive growth goals.

Jesson announced the promotion during the mid-year managers meeting. “I am so proud and thankful for all of Josh’s accomplishments over the last five years. I am looking forward to where his outstanding leadership will bring us over the next five years and beyond,” he said.

Willey started at Green Lawn Fertilizing / Green Pest Solutions in June of 2017 as Director of Business Development. He was promoted to Sr. VP of Operations after only five months with the company. Since Josh has joined Green Lawn Fertilizing / Green Pest Solutions the company has more than doubled in size from just under $13 million to over $30 million in revenue. Under Josh’s leadership the company’s growth has accelerated with YoY growth rates exceeding 20% the last three years.

Willey recently completed the General Management Program at Harvard Business School. During his time in the program, he competed in the GMP’s strategy finals and was selected as one of three winners out of over 110 fellow HBS students.

Willey brings over 20 years’ experience in the green industry, starting as a technician before moving into sales, and then management. He currently lives in Malvern with his wife, Tracey, and five kids.

The Horticultural Research Institute's tHRIve series continues in 2022 with a full lineup of online sessions led by industry experts and researchers.

HRI began hosting webinars in 2020 with the goal of providing online learning across various green industry research topics to help the industry. All tHRIve webinars are free and part of HRI's mission to connect the industry to research-backed insights and innovation. Find select recordings of previous webinars and details for the new series on the HRI

The Horticultural Research Institute's tHRIve series continues in 2022 with a full lineup of online sessions led by industry experts and researchers.

HRI began hosting webinars in 2020 with the goal of providing online learning across various green industry research topics to help the industry. All tHRIve webinars are free and part of HRI's mission to connect the industry to research-backed insights and innovation. Find select recordings of previous webinars and details for the new series on the HRI website.

Here's the new webinar lineup:

June 23: Biology and Management of Volutella Blight caused by Pseudonectria buxi

Aug. 23: Building a Better Monarch Butterfly Garden

Sept. 7: How do weather and climate impact boxwood blight? 

Oct. 4: Controlling Nostoc, a slippery hazard for nursery workers

Nov. 3: Smart Plants—Magical Interactions Between Flowers and Their Pollinators

Handwrytten, a Phoenix-based technology firm, has solved has invented robots to do the writing of handwritten notes at scale, and companies can now subscribe and send a set number of handwritten notes per month with credits that rollover if any notes go unused.

There are four subscription levels available, and subscriptions renew every 30 days with credits carrying over from month to month. Subscription options start at the Silver level, which included 10 cards per month, custom handwriting and signature at $35 per month (which is a 10% discount). More active users can level up to the Gold, Platinum or Diamond subscriptions which include 25, 50 or 100 cards per month respectively.

Handwrytten’s robots help businesses achieve greater open rates, response rates and ROI than printed or email messages. Handwritten notes have response rates 7-21 times greater than printed mail and can be used in nearly every messaging situation.

“People understand the power of the personal note, but nobody has the time to sit down and actually pick up a pen and write one. This is why we built a platform to automate the process from end to end,” said David Wachs, founder and CEO of Handwrytten. “By leveraging cutting edge robotic technology, we are able to automate what is seemingly impossible to automate. These notes have been proven to drive incredible and lasting results for our clients.”

The handwriting on Handwrytten notes is indistinguishable from real human handwriting. There are 30 handwriting styles to choose from, or users can upload their own handwriting and signature for a truly personalized style (available with a one-time fee). Users can select from more than 100 card designs or design their own online.

Using the Handwrytten service can be fully automated. Contact lists can be uploaded to send hundreds of notes at once. Thanking customers, remembering birthdays, anniversaries and other special events with a thoughtful and personal message has never been easier. Handwrytten can be integrated with Salesforce, Zapier, Integromat and other services via its API.

For more information, visit handwrytten.com or download the Handwyrtten app for iPhone and Android.

WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Matt Jesson, president and CEO, of Green Lawn Fertilizing / Green Pest Solutions has named Josh Willey as Chief Operating Officer.

In his new role, Willey will oversee all lawn and pest operations, facilities, human resources and sales – while owning the company’s profit and loss. He will also continue to shape and manage the company’s leadership development program which he started in 2019. Willey brings his natural people skills and high aptitude into his new COO roll, which will help achieve the company’s aggressive growth goals.

Jesson announced the promotion during the mid-year managers meeting. “I am so proud and thankful for all of Josh’s accomplishments over the last five years. I am looking forward to where his outstanding leadership will bring us over the next five years and beyond,” he said.

Willey started at Green Lawn Fertilizing / Green Pest Solutions in June of 2017 as Director of Business Development. He was promoted to Sr. VP of Operations after only five months with the company. Since Josh has joined Green Lawn Fertilizing / Green Pest Solutions the company has more than doubled in size from just under $13 million to over $30 million in revenue. Under Josh’s leadership the company’s growth has accelerated with YoY growth rates exceeding 20% the last three years.

Willey recently completed the General Management Program at Harvard Business School. During his time in the program, he competed in the GMP’s strategy finals and was selected as one of three winners out of over 110 fellow HBS students.

Willey brings over 20 years’ experience in the green industry, starting as a technician before moving into sales, and then management. He currently lives in Malvern with his wife, Tracey, and five kids.

PHOENIX—Ewing Irrigation & Landscape Supply opened a new location in Elkridge, Maryland, on June 1, 2022, at 6363 S Hanover Rd. Elkridge, MD 21075.

Located near Baltimore, this new Ewing store is the company’s second location in the state of Maryland. Ewing Gaithersburg, Md., was opened in 2018.

Ewing Elkridge is currently stocking a variety of irrigation, fertilizer and chemicals products, as well as landscape lighting, hardscapes and landscaping tools.

In addition to products, Ewing offers irrigation and landscaping contractors, golf course superintendents, sports fields managers resources and business tools to help them achieve success.

“At Ewing we want to be a valued partner to our customers,” said Cory Metler, Ewing’s Northeast regional manager. “That’s why we offer things like our contractor rewards program, the ProAdvantage Program, have invested in our online services, and why we work hard to get our customers the products they need from trusted vendors even in challenging times like we’re facing right now.”

“Opening Ewing Elkridge highlights our dedication to our customers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region,” said Phil Kerchner, Ewing Eastern territory president. “As we strengthen our footprint in the region, customers in Maryland will now have greater access to a supplier with strong corporate abilities and connections, but one that also understands the local market conditions and nuances to best serve your business needs.”

For more information on Ewing’s new location, contact Ewing Elkridge at 410-417-8910. You can also visit EwingIrrigation.com.

The Davey Tree Expert Company has promoted Jennifer Behrend to director of human resources administration. 

“Jennifer has played a key role in numerous company initiatives, most recently including the addition of our Paid Parental Leave Policy and our multi-year SuccessFactors implementation,” said Anna Davis, vice president of human resources. “She has proven to be an indispensable asset to Davey, consistently demonstrating exceptional work ethic and leadership and continuing to go above and beyond expectations, all while supporting her team and our employees with empathy, selflessness and positivity.”

Behrend joined Davey in 2014 as an employee records specialist. She later held the roles of compliance specialist, benefit specialist, benefits team lead, supervisor of HR compliance, senior supervisor employee records & HR compliance, and manager of human resources administration. She graduated from Kent State University with a bachelor's degree in biology.