What the Green Industry Needs

The John Deere customer fly-in event held January 24-25 at Deere's facility in Cary, NC, was a wonderful opportunity to spend some time with the folks at Deere, not to mention some of the dozens and dozens of landscape contractors and equipment dealers from around the country who attended the event. The factory tour was especially enlightening. Not so much for me; I really enjoyed it but have been on factory tours before. But what was really enjoyable was seeing some of these landscape contractors who had no idea how much went into designing and manufacturing a lawn mower. These contractors now have a new appreciation for these "commodities" (as some like to call them) that help them mow properties and earn a living. The fact of the matter is, a commercial-grade zero turn lawn mower is hardly a commodity. There are many differences, albeit sometimes subtle, from one brand to the next. There are also differences between the types of dealers who sell and service these machines. The John Deere customer fly-in presented a great opportunity for both landscape contractors and their dealers to assemble around a table and talk about their individual challenges, and how they can help each other overcome them. That's when the Green Industry is at its best. ~ Gregg Wartgow