Vermeer Corp. has purchased a minority equity investment in MultiOne, a leading manufacturer of compact articulated loaders.

This investment comes a year after Vermeer entered a distribution agreement with MultiOne to supply Vermeer-branded loaders to be sold, serviced and supported exclusively through Vermeer dealers across North America and the Caribbean.

Building on the early success of last year’s agreement, distribution of Vermeer-branded loaders produced by MultiOne will now expand to Vermeer dealers worldwide beginning this year. MultiOne will also continue to provide blue MultiOne-branded loaders through its existing distribution partners outside North America.

MultiOne will continue under the leadership of Fiorenza Carraro and Stefano Zanini, with global holdings company, Lifco, taking on majority ownership. Its main operations and manufacturing will remain headquartered in Vicenza, Italy.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and The Davey Tree Expert Co. have teamed up for a new multiyear agreement highlighted by an impactful community initiative to help make Northeast Ohio greener.

Through the NBA leaguewide “Trees for Threes” program, the two Northeast Ohio-based organizations have made a mutual pledge to plant one tree in their home region for every three-pointer made during the upcoming 2021-22 season.

Davey Tree employees, Cavs executives and Legends, as well as other dignitaries and community leaders, will gather in the coming months for the inaugural tree planting event. The exact location of the event, as well as additional details regarding how the trees will be distributed will be announced later.

More than 2,100 trees have been planted in Northeast Ohio by the Cavaliers and their associated partners, including Davey Tree, since the “Trees for Threes” program started in 2015. This number will continue to grow exponentially this season and over the span of the new multiyear partnership between the Cavs and Davey.

“Davey Tree’s employees know that trees make a difference, in our lives, in our neighborhoods and in our world, and we are so pleased to be part of this initiative that brings more trees to areas in Northeast Ohio,” said Sandra Reid, vice president of corporate communications and strategic planning administration at Davey Tree. “This season we are hoping that the Cavs make lots of threes, so we can plant lots of trees.”

FieldRoutes, a cloud-based and mobile SaaS provider for field service businesses, was recognized on both the Inc. 5000, which ranks the nation’s fastest-growing private companies and Forbes Magazine’s annual ranking of America’s Best Startup Employers.

FieldRoutes, formerly PestRoutes and Lobster Marketing, ranked number 1,273 on the prestigious Inc. 5000 list and was acknowledged for the second year in a row by Forbes Magazine, earning a placement at 336 on their annual ranking of the nation’s best startup employers.

“Achieving recognition from such widely respected publications is a major accomplishment for our growing organization,” said William Chaney, CEO of FieldRoutes. “Our continued growth is no small feat and wouldn’t be possible without the loyalty and support of our customers who are achieving impressive business growth, as well as the tireless dedication of our entire staff. In the past year, we’ve made significant investments in our organization. Specifically, we’ve been fortunate to welcome many talented new employees, primarily in our development team, who continue to be instrumental in creating innovative new technology solutions to help field service companies grow faster and scale effectively.”

FieldRoutes has experienced a 377 percent three-year growth, which has allowed the company to invest in its technology and people, and in September 2021, officially expand its offering to support the lawn care market. In fact, during this same time last year, the company announced employee growth of more than 50 percent. Throughout 2020 and into 2021, despite the hardships so many faced during the extraordinary situation brought on by COVID-19, the company continued to expand its team by over 4 percent and is actively hiring for positions across the organization.

ManageMowed, a commercial landscape management franchise, signed new franchise agreements in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and St. Louis, Mo.

ManageMowed Rancho Cucamonga will serve businesses and properties across San Bernardino County, Calif., and plans to launch its services in early November. ManageMowed in St. Charles County will operate under the local ownership of Trip and Christine Lobrano, servicing businesses and properties in O’Fallon, St Peters, Cottleville, Wentzville and more, and will also launch services this fall.

This will mark the first time for ManageMowed established a presence in California and Missouri. The brand currently has operations in Colorado, Oregon, Texas, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Washington and is well-positioned for breakthrough growth as it sets its sights on awarding 30 new territories by the end of 2021.

Isuzu Commercial Truck of America began production of its highly anticipated 2022 F-Series trucks has begun.

The new F-Series is powered by the proven Cummins B6.7 diesel engine and offers models in both Class 6 and — new for Isuzu — Class 7.

The F-Series trucks are the first product to come to market from the Isuzu Cummins Powertrain Partnership between Isuzu Motors Limited and Cummins Inc. These F-Series trucks are being assembled in Charlotte, Mich.

Yanmar Compact Equipment added four new dealers and a total of 15 new locations to its network.

Joining as new dealers are Mid Country Machinery with one location in Syracuse, N.Y.; Woburn, Mass.-based Woodco Machinery with three locations in Massachusetts and one in Rhode Island; Livonia, Mich.-based Alta Equipment Co. with three locations in Michigan and three in South Florida; and Quality Equipment and Parts with one location in Lake City, Fla. An existing dealer partner, Carrollton, Texas-based ROMCO Equipment Co., also added three new locations in Texas.

The new dealers will offer Yanmar’s lines of powerful, dependable and efficient mini excavators, tracked carriers and wheel loaders. The new dealers will also offer the company’s articulated wheel loaders, featuring premium power and versatility in a compact, nimble package, allowing for easy navigation in tighter spaces. Powered by powerful, yet fuel-efficient, Tier 4 Final diesel engines, they lift and move heavy loads with ease. Additionally, Yanmar Compact Equipment dealers feature the company’s tracked carrier lineup.

ASV Holdings grew its dealer network with four new dealers and 16 new dealer locations.

Joining as new dealer partners are Mid Country Machinery with one location in Syracuse, N.Y.; Woburn, Mass.-based Woodco Machinery with three locations in Massachusetts and one in Rhode Island; Livonia, Mich.-based Alta Equipment Co. with six locations in Michigan and three in South Florida; and Quality Equipment and Parts with one location in Lake City, Fla. Existing dealer partner ROMCO Equipment Co. also added one new location in Texas.

The dealers will offer ASV’s full line of Posi-Track compact track loaders, which allow customers the ability to do more in more places thanks to best-in-class rated operating capacities, cooling systems and hydraulic efficiency. The dealers will offer the recently-launched MAX-Series compact track loaders and skid-steers, including the RT-65, VT-70 High Output, RT-75 and RT-75 Heavy-Duty.

LandCare hosted more than 120 management shareholders from across the company, along with their significant others, in San Diego this past September.

The event was the first of its kind for LandCare, the nationwide commercial landscape firm operating in 23 states. The celebration was designed to honor the hard work of team members across the organization to rebuild the company after LandCare refocused and rebranded under new leadership in 2015. The company had previously struggled as a roll up of various companies and cultures.

Since purchasing the company, LandCare has expanded to four additional states in the Midwest; introduced the Women’s Initiative Network to support the advancement of women in the company; created the Tangerine Employee Relief Fund, an internally funded assistance program; launched the LandCare Education Assistance Fund, providing scholarships to first-generation college attendees who are children of employees; and, has committed to ongoing companywide professional and personal employee development programs.

Kawasaki Engines will open a new production facility in Boonville, Mo.

The announcement was made by officials of Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp., U.S.A. (KMM) during a grand opening ceremony held at the facility, where they were joined by additional Kawasaki leadership, representatives from the governor’s office and other local government offices as well. The Boonville plant represents the company’s second location in Missouri, joining the Maryville operations which were established in 1989.

This will add to the total statewide staff of nearly 1,200 based at the Maryville plant, which produces 18 different engine models ranging from 14.5 hp to 38.5 hp. Slated to begin production in summer 2022, the Boonville facility is currently being retrofitted and will initially include approximately 250 employees.

OTR International acquired Hoosier Wheel.

Hoosier Wheel, located in Evansville, Ind., is a manufacturer of standard and custom wheel assemblies for off-the-road applications, including lawn and garden, agriculture and material handling. The company offers a complete line of pneumatic and semi-pneumatic wheels, including both steel and plastic construction and a diverse offering of tire treads and sizes.

The acquisition enhances OTR’s current portfolio of innovative, off-the-road mobility solutions supplied to well-known OEMs and the aftermarket, covering over 1,700 tire models and 300 distinct tread patterns, plus a wide range of rims and wheels. It also creates opportunities in the aftermarket and overseas, while expanding OTR’s U.S. manufacturing footprint in support of localization initiatives pursued by key customers. OTR International is majority owned by an affiliate of private investment firm Owner Resource Group.