The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has again recognized The Toro Co. with a 2020 WaterSense Excellence Award for promoting WaterSense and water efficiency in 2019.

WaterSense recently recognized a total of 28 utilities, manufacturers, builders and other organizations that are making it possible for consumers and businesses to save billions of gallons of water each year as part of its Partner of the Year Awards.

WaterSense, a voluntary partnership program sponsored by the EPA, is both a label for water-efficient products and a resource for helping consumers learn ways to save water. WaterSense-labeled products, homes and programs helped consumers and businesses save 871 billion gallons of water in 2019.

WaterSense Award winners demonstrate their commitment to saving this precious resource by producing, building and promoting labeled products and homes that are independently certified to use less water. In addition, WaterSense offers certification programs for water-smart irrigation professionals.

WaterSense honored The Toro Co. as Manufacturer Partner of the Year in 2016 and an Excellence Award winner in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Toro has been selected as a 2020 Excellence Award winner for showcasing its WaterSense-labeled products at 35 home expos and trade shows, reaching several thousand homeowners and industry professionals.

Toro conducted several training sessions in a variety of locations to educate attendees on water management trends, share best practices, demonstrate WaterSense labeled irrigation products and provide hands-on product experience. Toro once again sponsored the Irrigation Association’s E3 Program that provides scholarships to professional irrigation students; the program awarded students a record number of scholarships last year. The Toro Co. also continued its sponsorship and production of the weekly Water Zone radio program focused on outdoor water efficiency best practices and products.

The Davey Tree Expert Co. is the ninth largest employee-owned company in the U.S., according to a report from the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO).

The NCEO 2020 Employee Ownership 100 list shows Davey has maintained its position among the top 10 largest employee-owned firms since first being ranked at No. 9 in 2019.

Companies are ranked on the list according to the number of the employees; Davey now employs nearly 10,500 people across North America. The NCEO’s 2019 Employee Ownership 100 list includes the nation’s largest companies that are majority owned by an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) or other broad-based employee ownership plan.

Founded in 1880, Davey has been proud to be employee-owned since 1979 when employees successfully bought the company from the family of its founder John Davey.

To be ranked on the list, companies must be at least 50 percent owned by an ESOP or other qualified plan or by one or more other types of plans in which at least 50 percent of the full-time employees are eligible to participate, according to the NCEO. Collectively, the top 100 employee-owned companies on the 2020 list employ more than 610,000 people.

Kenworth was honored as a 2020 top workplace for women in the transportation industry by the Women in Trucking Association (WIT). It marks the third consecutive year that Kenworth has received special recognition from the organization.

Nominated companies for the special recognition possess a corporate culture that supports gender diversity; provides flexibility in hours and work requirements; offers competitive compensation and quality benefits, such as paid maternity leave; includes training, continuing education and development; and fosters career advancement opportunities.

Kenworth also fosters support for women through The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), a national engineering organization geared toward the development, advancement and support of women engineers. In addition to this Kenworth effort, the PACCAR Women’s Association was created last year to help provide resources and prepare women for leadership opportunities within the company.

Canadian Business and Maclean’s came out with its 2020 Growth List, ranking LMN as the 106th fastest growing software company. LMN earned its position on the list at 106 out of over 400 Canadian businesses recognized this year

The annual Growth List ranks Canadian businesses across different industries on five-year revenue growth.

LMN’s proprietary cloud-based platform is used by more than 85,000 users every day across Canada and the U.S.

Exmark is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its Lazer Z commercial zero-turn riding mower. First introduced in the fall of 1995, the Lazer Z was Exmark’s first mid-mount zero-turn mower model.

Today, the Lazer Z family has grown to include four series and numerous models for 2021, each available in a range of cut widths and configurations. Exmark offers gasoline- and diesel-powered Lazer Z models, with decks capable of cutting up to 96-inches per pass.

Vectorworks will open submissions for its fifth Vectorworks Design Scholarship on Dec. 1. The Vectorworks Design Scholarship invites undergraduate and graduate students in major disciplines related to architecture, landscape architecture, landscape, entertainment and interior design to submit either new or old projects.

Students will be able to submit their best work for a chance to win up to $10,000 USD and gain professional recognition. Winners will also acquire free Vectorworks design software for their school’s lab and free virtual workshop training.

Those who wish to enter are encouraged to start thinking of their submissions now. Visit vectorworks.net/scholarship to learn more and to enter your email address to be notified of when entries open.

Metalcraft of Mayville is proud to celebrate 100 Years of Heritage during the year 2020. Metalcraft of Mayville can trace its heritage to the Peerless Traveling Goods Company, which was founded in Mayville in 1920. Peerless would manufacture various types of luggage products until the company ceased operations and was sold in 1958.

Metalcraft continued its tradition of metal fabrication for a variety of industries but also entered the commercial lawnmower industry with its purchase of Scag Power Equipment in 1986, whose products had been built under contract by Metalcraft since Scag’s beginnings in 1983. The Scag brand would quickly become a top choice of lawn care professionals, and continues to reinforce its position today as an award-winning industry leader.

Today, Metalcraft still calls Mayville its home, but now also has factories in West Bend and Beaver Dam. In recent years, the company has further expanded, acquiring an automation division consisting of FJR Manufacturing (West Bend) and Gamache Systems (New Berlin). Metalcraft most recently also acquired Versatran (Watertown), a manufacturer of the “Retriever” line of heavy-duty truck beds for equipment transportation. The total employee count at all six facilities currently stands at more than 850.