Case Construction Equipment and Tidewater Equipment supported Team Rubicon in a public service project and equipment training exercise at Camp Martha Johnson, a Girl Scouts camp in Lizella, Ga.

The training provided Team Rubicon heavy equipment operators/volunteers with stick time and resulted in the complete demolition and removal of four obsolete structures on the site, as well as the cleanup and removal of past storm debris. Equipment provided included a Case CX130D excavator and TR270 compact track loader.

“As a nonprofit organization, these property improvements would not have been possible without the work of Team Rubicon and the generous equipment donations from Tidewater and Case,” said Ronald Holliday, property director, Camp Martha Johnson. “This work has improved access and safety at the camp, and will improve the experience of thousands of campers here for years to come.”

For the fourth consecutive year, the Equipment Dealers Association (EDA) awarded its Gold Level Award to Briggs & Stratton Corp. for its Ferris commercial mower products.

This year, 2,516 individual dealer contacts from around the U.S. and 10 Canadian provinces participated in EDA’s detailed dealer-manufacturer relations survey. Every year, dealers are asked to rate manufacturers on a scale of one to seven, one being extremely dissatisfied and seven being extremely satisfied.

Some of the key categories dealers were asked to score include product quality, parts availability, product technical support, manufacturer response to dealer needs/concerns, warranty payments, product availability, marketing and advertisement, support and return privileges and overall satisfaction.

Jeffrey Scott will host Driven to Win: Racing with Jeffrey Scott — a unique landscape industry networking experience at the BMW Performance Center in Greer, S.C. The event takes place Sept. 26-28.

“Anyone can become a better driver with a few adjustments in technique, e.g., taking a better line into the corners and running all out with confidence on the straightaway,” Scott said. “The same goes for your business. Learn to do both in this ultra-unique experience, and make friends.”

Attendees will learn how to use speed to their advantage and remove the false limits they place on themselves and their business; how to slow down in order to go fast; how to increase their speed by learning to look further down the road and around the curves; and how to exploit the competition on and off the track to help their team increase its competitive edge.

Driven to Win attendees will experience:

• • Private fine dining an evening before the event with networking;
  • A day of competing at the track in brand new BMW M2, M4 and M5s with dinner afterwards; and
  • A half-day of deep discussions applying the lessons from the track to your business and life.

NaturaLawn of America offered high school seniors and college undergraduates across the country the opportunity to enter an essay contest for a chance to win scholarship money towards their higher education.

Applications for the scholarship were accepted from March to May 2019. Students were encouraged to submit a personal essay, as well as up to three recommendations to be eligible for consideration. The award, named The Dan Collins Scholarship Award, was established in 2017 in memory of former franchise owner, Dan Collins, who passed away from cancer in 2005.

This year, NaturaLawn awarded three students with scholarship monies. The winners were awarded $4,000 for first, $1,000 for second and $500 for third place.

The first-place award recipient was Cole Cerulli of Maryland. Cole Madsen of Iowa was selected as the second-place recipient. Alex Noble of North Carolina was the third-place recipient.

General Power Equipment, a distributor for Echo for more than 25 years, recently notified its dealer network of its decision to discontinue distribution of Echo, Shindaiwa and Echo Bearcat products.

Echo has appointed Golden Eagle Distributing Corporation to serve the independent dealer network previously handled by General Power. Effective Oct. 1, Golden Eagle will begin distribution to the territory being exited by General Power.

Golden Eagle Distributing Corporation is the largest distributor of Echo and Shindaiwa brand outdoor power equipment in the U.S. and is wholly owned by Echo, with distribution facilities located in Rocklin, Calif., and Wauconda, Ill.

As of July 24, David J. Frank Landscape Contracting has gone 1,460 consecutive days with no lost time due to accidents.

“The proactive safety culture we have fostered over the years has led to this remarkable four-year streak, which is the longest in our history,” said David R. Frank, president. “I am proud of our team members’ vigilance and impressed by their continuous commitment in making safety our No. 1 priority.”

In addition to open internal communication and transparency regarding incidents, ongoing company practices for the company’s nearly 300 employees include weekly safety meetings, company training accreditation courses and workshops, OSHA-10 training and certification programs, training sessions on new equipment and procedures and safety recognition and rewards.

Six John Deere dealerships received awards recognizing their exceptional sales of commercial ZTrak and QuikTrakTM mowers. All six dealerships, Ag-Pro, SunSouth, Quality Equipment, TriGreen Equipment, James River Equipment and Everglades Equipment Group were honored by the manufacturer to applaud their continued hard work and commitment.

“We are beyond pleased to celebrate these dealers and their tireless commitment to not only John Deere, but to the customers that they serve each and every day,” said James Dutton, John Deere’s product marketing manager, commercial mowing equipment. “It’s important for us to express our gratitude and appreciation for those who serve professional landscape contractors and ensure that they are provided with the quality, top-of-line service required to keep them fully functioning.”

Slingshot, a customer engagement platform for home services providers, announced it has closed a $2.4 million seed round led by RET Ventures.

Slingshot provides home services providers, such as pest control and lawn care companies, with a turnkey, 24/7, omnichannel call center solution that engages leads, increases close rates and improves the overall customer experience.

This funding will help the company expand into new home services verticals, scale its operations and make strategic investments in R&D, according to the company.

iQ Power Tools, manufacturer of power tools with integrated dust collection systems, will be partnering with the American Lung Association to raise awareness of the dangers of silica dust through a new educational initiative, “Understanding Silicosis.”

Silicosis is a lung disease caused by breathing in tiny bits of silica, which is part sand, rock and mineral ores such as quartz.

The new partnership with the American Lung Association features two key components:

1. Creation of an educational video and individual video clips highlighting the danger of silicosis for those in the construction industry, which will be shared on social media and the Association’s website.

2. Activation of a companywide Employee Giving Campaign to fully engage iQ Power Tools employees in the mission of the American Lung Association to further demonstrate the commitment of its employees to lung health.