Emily Anthony will serve as channel marketing manager and Brian Harvanec has been named a senior product manager.

Kichler Lighting LLC  welcomes Emily Anthony and Brian Harvanec to its landscape lighting team on the heels of the team’s 30th anniversary.

As Channel Marketing Manager for the landscape division, Anthony will be responsible for leading Kichler Lighting’s professional landscape product portfolio by generating strategic brand development activities. She has a proven history of exceptional, strategic brand development for notable companies like Fresh Mark, Barnes & Noble and Shearer’s Foods. The cross-functionality of Anthony’s new role will include driving the marketing direction of the landscape channel and leading all aspects of marketing development.

Harvanec joins the Kichler Lighting landscape team as Senior Product Manager, where he will lead product marketing activities for new product introductions. He will work collaboratively with cross-functional sales and marketing teams to accomplish the continued growth and success of products throughout their lifecycle. Harvanec brings over 20 years of product management and marketing experience to Kichler Lighting, with a deep understanding of customer needs, long-term product roadmaps and innovative design thinking.

“Since Scott Pesta’s promotion to Director of Landscape earlier this year, our landscape lighting team has built such a strong momentum – and a deep passion for our work and our customers,” said Kichler Lighting’s Vice President of Sales Mark Lape. “I am eager to witness how Emily and Brian will use their experience to elevate our landscape lighting line as we bring product innovations and customer-focused solutions to market.”

The partnership will bring electrification to a broader range of OEMs.

Briggs & Stratton is partnering with Canimex Group (Canimex), a manufacturer and international trader in mechanical, hydraulic, electrical and electronic components and products. Canimex Group is made up of seven business units that include its Mechanical and Electrical division, which will leverage Vanguard Lithium-Ion battery power solutions in applications for a variety of industries through this new partnership.

“As more OEMs look toward electrification, we are pleased to add Canimex Group to our list of impressive Battery Technology Partners,” said Chris Davison, senior marketing manager — Electrification at Briggs & Stratton. “Canimex’s manufacturing expertise combined with our cutting-edge battery power technology will help set OEMs up for success as they pursue integrating electrified equipment.”

Based in Drummondville, Québec, Canimex is providing OEMs with engineering and technical support in developing comprehensive and customized solutions and providing design, quality management, packaging, storage, handling, transportation and customs clearance services. Canimex works across a range of industries that include electrification, forestry, construction, agriculture, industrial, mining and snow and ice.

When it comes to selecting and integrating the right components for an optimized electric powertrain, there is a lot for OEMs to consider, which can be challenging and time-consuming. Whether it is for industrial equipment, construction, agricultural machinery or compact urban vehicles, Canimex’s electrification team is there to support OEMs as both a partner and solution provider in finding the right components and power source for electrifying equipment, allowing for easy integration.

“There’s no question that the future is battery power. As more of our customers pursue electrification, we are excited to be partnering with Vanguard to deliver ruggedly designed, powerfully built battery solutions that our customers can trust to deliver a solid performance,” said Dominic Bolduc, technical sales representative at Canimex.

Vanguard Commercial Lithium-Ion Battery Packs offer a fully integrated, complete battery solution. The Lithium-Ion battery pack, battery management system and charger work together to deliver efficient power and performance. Vanguard offers a competitive range of battery power solutions, including 1.5kWh*, 3.8kWh*, 5kWh*, 7kWh* and 10kWh* options. This offers OEMs a fully integrated electric system with the capacity to connect other Vanguard packs in parallel for more power. For more information on products and innovations, visit vanguardpower.com.

Automating forms in sales and beyond has helped save Image Works Landscape Management valuable time.

* Editor's note: James Manske gave his presentation "Utilizing Technology to Increase Profitability" at the Lawn & Landscape Technology Conference in August. 

Time is the one thing every company wants more of.

Mike McCarron, founder of Image Works Landscape Management, notes companies don’t value time until it’s too late and they are losing money.

“We were so worried about trucks and everything else running well that we didn’t realize the back of house wasn’t running well and we were losing a lot of time trying to manage the office part of the business,” he says.

Establishing custom forms can be a benefit as standardization saves time and gets everyone on the same page.

“If you create a form everyone is now using the same language so that’s ease of use,” he says.

McCarron adds that it also helps to manage clients’ expectations because the communication is consistent all the way through the process.

“Information flows very smoothly,” he says.

McCarron notes it took Image Works a few years to perfect the custom forms they are using today. And says it takes time to get the right level of detail into them.

One example of a custom form they are using are hiring forms. Before the forms were in place, McCarron says whoever took the call or was sitting at the office desk when a prospective employee came in took down their information.       

“We probably lost good people because we weren’t ready to capture that information from them quick enough.”

So now there is a dedicated tablet at the front desk where prospective employees can fill out an application right there. McCarron notes that the applications, and really any documentation, needs to be multi-lingual.

“It’s easy for the front office to intake anybody at any time now,” he says. “You also can assess whether someone is good with a tablet right from the start. It’s a quick analysis because all of our techs in the field use tablets.”

Now that it’s all digital it’s also easy to store the applications so they can find potential candidates when needed. And it eliminates any illegible handwriting as well.

On the sales side, custom forms help with consistency.

“We wanted to keep narrowing down the information and make it more and more accurate and consistent,” McCarron says of why they created the forms.

For most companies speed may be the goal when it comes to giving estimates.

“These can be sent out within minutes,” McCarron says. “If you’re quick and efficient the work will sell.”

And that helps Image Works rake in a ton of additional work in the $100-700 range that they were just blowing off before because they didn’t have time to capitalize on it McCarron says.

“Work gets approved so fast now,” he says. “The quicker response time will allow you to sell $40,000-$70,000 more per account manager.”

These forms can also be beneficial during times of high fluctuation in pricing.

When fertilizing prices were skyrocketing, McCarron says they were changing their prices on the forms weekly. But having the custom forms kept everyone aware of these increases.

Image Works noticed that account managers were not upselling — leaving money on the table. So, a new custom form was established specifically for them.

“And it shows clients how a site has progressed since our company has been caring for it,” McCarron adds as all the forms are sent to clients post visit.

McCarron notes it’s also helpful with turnover, as the forms are the same regardless of which account manager is handling a site.

According to McCarron, since implementing these custom forms, Image Works has saved over $14,000 in direct labor savings between the sales department, front office and account managers.

The SRTZ235 and LRTZ235 Articulating Hedge Trimmers are the company’s most versatile and ergonomic trimming options.

RedMax, a manufacturer of commercial-grade outdoor power equipment, introduces two new articulating hedge trimmers: the SRTZ235 and LRTZ235. These trimmers, distinguished by their short- and long-reach configurations, are the lightest trimmers for their blade size on the market and include a longer blade length than previous models to easily trim hard-to-reach areas.

At 24 inches, the trimmers’ blade length allows lawn maintenance professionals to cut more in one pass and extends so the operator can reach hedges and shrubs without requiring a ladder or bending down, helping get the job done quickly. Operators can select from one of the trimmers’ ten locking positions to change the angle of the blade, which improves maneuverability around bushes, shrubs or other vegetation.

“Pro users who run the SRTZ235 and LRTZ235 will find the trimmers are lightweight, extremely versatile and offer large fuel capacity for more runtime in between refueling,” said Jack Easterly, product manager at RedMax. “Durability, as well as speed and ease of use, helps us elevate RedMax trimmers above the competition and improve the user experience for our customers.”

The 21.6 fl. oz fuel capacity of the SRTZ235 and LRTZ235 trimmers enables long running time, while the commercial-built gearbox allows users to quickly switch between cutting angles with a single pull-down motion. Easily accessible grease fittings make lubrication and maintenance a breeze.

Extended-reach trimmers are increasingly popular amongst professionals, as the blades are located further away from the operator. SRTZ235 and LRTZ235 trimmers offer that added peace of mind, as well as performance and versatility. Additionally, the trimmer’s articulating head can fold all the way to 0-degrees for easier transport when moving from one job to the next.

Learn more about the RedMax SRTZ235 and LRTZ235 articulating hedge trimmers and the entire commercial lineup at RedMax.com.

The new postmark deadline is Oct. 3, 2022.

The deadline for the Richard Foster Award has been extended to Oct 3, 2022.

The Richard Foster Award is available to outstanding students planning careers in the landscape, lawncare or horticulture business.

To be eligible for an academic scholarship, you must be enrolled at a recognized two-or four-year college or university working toward a degree in horticulture, turfgrass management, agronomy, environmental science or other field related to a segment of the green industry.

To view requirements, click here.