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LI ECHO ANNOUNCES NEW PRESIDENT Effective Jan. 1, 2014, Tim Dorsey became the second American president of Echo In- corporated, a subsidiary of Yamabiko Cor- poration of Japan. He replaced retiring President Dan Obringer. Dorsey has worked at Echo for 18 years in a variety of positions, including the past seven years as vice president of systems and logistics. As a member of the executive team, Dorsey has played a key role in the company's growth and profitability. "The transition in leadership to Tim will be seamless," said Obringer. "We have a great executive team, and Tim has been a key member for the last seven years. Our business has grown tremendously, and I expect this momentum to continue and Echo to grow and prosper under Tim's leadership." Obringer, who has served as president for the past five years, will remain in an ad- visory capacity for the next year. Dorsey and his family live in Cary, Ill. He is a graduate of DePaul University. HARDSCAPE NORTH AMERICA INSTALLER CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS ANNOUNCED The 2013 Hardscape North America (HNA) Installer Championship, at the HNA trade show tested and recognized the skill, dedication and passion of hard- scape contractors from Canada, Australia and the United States. Each of the eight competing teams was challenged on their understanding of industry best practices and guidelines, safety, quality and crafts- manship in a race against the clock. This championship determined the best of the best in the hardscape industry. The competition had three rounds dur- ing which each team was required to use the provided clay pavers, concrete pavers and wall blocks. During the preliminary rounds, each team had one hour to construct an 8' x 10' patio that included a soldier course and an L-shaped seat wall, according to a detailed drawing. During the semi-finals, each team had one hour to construct an 8' x 8' patio area that included a seat wall and an inlay of their own design. During the final round, each team was given 90 minutes to construct a patio based on their own creative design using all three materials provided. To help teams get started, at the begin- ning of each round the compacted gravel base was provided. The 2013 Hardscape North America Installer Champion was Decorative Paving Company, Loveland, Ohio. Team members included Jake Taylor, Troy Love and Ryan Taylor (alternate). The Decorative Paving Company received $1,000, an iQ360 14- inch masonry saw with fully-integrated dust collection plus accessories (valued at $5,348), a trophy, recognition in various media, and bragging rights for a full year. The 2013 Hardscape North America Installer Runner Up was Cooper Pavers, Mannington, N.J. Team members included Bobby Cooper, Adam Cooper and Pat Mc- Crindle (alternate). The Cooper Pavers team received $400, an iQ360 14-inch ma- sonry saw with fully-integrated dust col- lection plus accessories, and recognition in various media. POLARIS ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH ARIENS Polaris Industries Inc. announced a strate- gic partnership with Ariens Company, a Brillion, Wis.-based manufacturer of out- door power equipment. Ariens is a family- owned manufacturer of snow blowers, lawn mowers and other outdoor power equipment. In the 80 years since its found- ing, Ariens has driven exceptional growth across its product lines, sold under Ariens, Gravely and other brands. Both companies will benefit from this arrangement, grow- ing through exposure to adjacent markets while fostering innovation through shared technology and R&D investments. "By partnering with Ariens, we bring together two leading and highly respected companies that are well positioned for growth," said Scott Wine, chairman and CEO, Polaris. "This partnership will enable Polaris to grow beyond our core power- sports market, as we will reach new cus- tomers with innovative, relevant new products. We are looking forward to work- ing with Ariens for many years to come." The partnership includes supplying Ariens with a highly differentiated work vehicle. Branded Gravely, the vehicle will have differ- ent performance and styling characteristics to meet the requirements of Gravely's work-fo- cused end users. And with both Polaris and Ariens investing in research and development of new technology, this partnership enables the companies to leverage information, tech- nology and R&D investments, making inno- vation more efficient. Additionally, it provides both companies access to expanded dealer channel opportu- nities. Both companies service complemen- tary customer bases through well-developed dealer networks, and this partnership will create new sales opportunities for select dealerships in both networks. "This partnership will create an even stronger dealer network by bringing to- gether the related categories of outdoor power sports and outdoor power equip- ment," said Dan Ariens, president and CEO, Ariens Company. "Dealers for the two companies share a lot of commonality, including the understanding of how to serve and service the customers in this out- door space. With Polaris' position as the global powersports leader, we are looking forward to collaborating on projects that drive results for both companies." Beyond market leadership, Polaris and Ariens also share similarities in their busi- ness cultures. Both have long histories rooted in the Midwest and have grown sig- nificantly with a disciplined focus on lean manufacturing processes, innovative prod- ucts and passionate employees. BARRY PEDLER PROMOTED TO VICE PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL SALES, FOR HUNTER INDUSTRIES Hunter Industries announced that Barry Pedler, who oversees Hunter Industries' in- ternational sales efforts, has been promoted to vice president, international sales. "We are pleased to announce this well- deserved promotion for Barry Pedler," said Greg Hunter, president of Hunter Indus- tries. "Mr. Pedler and his team lead the in- dustry in producing world-class customer service and sales results. His participation as a vice president will help Hunter stay focused on our international growth oppor- tunities." Pedler has been with Hunter Industries since 1994, holding several international sales and marketing roles covering many di- verse regions. www.landscapeirrigation.com Landscape and Irrigation 5