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T ough times never last, but tough companies do. That's evident from the challenges Toro faced from the start. In Toro's first 30 years, the company's leaders navigated through the Great Depression and two world wars by staying true to the company's core ethics and values — and those principles have driven the company's longevity and success ever since. Here are some of the surprisingly simple strategies that have worked for Toro over its first 100 years. Intense focus on solving customer problems Hard-sell tactics have never been part of Toro's culture; it has always been about finding out what the customer needs, meeting those needs and providing exemplary service. In fact, Toro got its start in the golf industry by listening and solving problems. Our first two prototypes (a fairway roller in 1918 and a fairway mower in 1919) came out of requests from golf clubs in Minneapolis. The staff at each club collaborated with Toro on a number of early products, offering input and helping to test equipment. Taking care of the customer after the sale Toro co-founder and first president John Samuel Clapper thought that any manufacturer of a complicated piece of machin- ery should care more about that product after the sale than before. For the last century, Toro has done that in three key ways: 1. Standing behind the product. Toro assigned its first manufacturer service representative in the golf business in 1926. Mungo "Scotty" Reid McLaren was charged with traveling the country to visit every golf course that had purchased Toro equipment at least once a year. At each stop, he inspected the equipment with the crew, helped them fix any problems, and provided much appreciated training. That tradition of customer service continues today. 2. Standing behind our distributor partners. Scotty McLaren not only supported our customers, he also vis- ited all of our distributors and trained them. To this day, we stand behind all of our distributors with ongoing training, exceptional parts fill rates, sales and technical support, warranty coverage and many other tools to help them provide the level of service our customers have come to know and trust. 3. Staying close to what's important to the customer. Toro's third president, Ken Goit, once said, "The success of this company is no secret. It has been due to two simple things: building a good product and treating customers honestly and fairly." This fundamental approach has allowed Toro to reach our 100th year, and it's also how the company hopes to approach the future. Every new product, feature and improvement we develop is driven by the need to make life easier and more productive for the people we serve. Providing expertise in sales and service and unparalleled local support The importance of local support permeates the fabric of The Toro Company and can be traced back to Clapper's foresight and belief that Toro should have a network to provide the local, expert service golf courses needed. The Toro Company set up its first distributor in 1922 and had 17 distributors by the end of 1925, providing a big competitive advantage as it relates to serving golf courses around the country. Our distributor network, to this day, continues to play a vital role in our business, delivering local sup- Anniversary Series Special Toro Celebrating 100 Years Lessons in building a company that lasts 32 Landscape and Irrigation August 2014 www.landscapeirrigation.com Original Toro Standard Golf Machine 1929 distributor meeting