Landscape and Irrigation is read by decision makers throughout the landscape and irrigation markets — including contractors, landscape architects, professional grounds managers, and irrigation and water mgmt companies and reaches the entire spetrum.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/698730
www.landscapeirrigation.com Landscape and Irrigation July/August 2016 21 Our outlook remains positive due to the strengthening economy, a fresh and innovative Billy Goat product lineup, and outstanding channel partners. — Pierre Pereira, director of sales, North America, Billy Goat Industries We're optimistic for a strong year — not only for mower sales, but for contractor revenues, as well. — Mike Simmon, communications specialist, The Grasshopper Company 2016 has been a good year for us, and we expect to finish strong. We are gaining brand recognition and a reputation for reliability and cut quality. — Karl Bjorkman, director of sales and marketing, Altoz The beginning of the year has been positive for us, a trend that we anticipate will continue throughout 2016. — Nick Minas, product manager, John Deere Commercial Mowing Spring started out quickly and is maintaining a consistent level. With La Niña on the board causing drier condition across most of the U.S. this summer, we see fall seeding season being heavier than normal. — Bob Petrungaro, director of sales – North America, Earthway Products, Inc. For Bob-Cat, our overall mower sales are stronger than previous years, and 2016 continues to have a positive outlook for the remainder of the year. Bob-Cat has many opportunities with newer products to get into some market areas where we were not involved — especially our new QuickCat stand-on mower family, which had a phenomenal first year. Our new industry-leading Mow with Confidence warranty on our commercial zero-turn ProCat/ Predator-Pro models, as well as our walk-behind models, will support our sales and outlook. For Ryan, we're having a strong year as well, highlighted by the launch of our new Lawnaire ZTS stand-on aerator. It's a machine that benefits landscapers and superintendents alike, and it's receiving a lot of great feedback in the industry so far. That combined with our existing products, and we expect to have a great year. For Steiner, we're focusing on the versatility of our Steiner 440 tractor. We're exploring new markets and new opportunities to show what it can do. — Ron Scheffler, product manager - Bob-Cat Mowers, and Anne Marie Sanicola, product manager - Ryan and Steiner 2016 is moving along quite well for the Bobcat Company and the entire compact equipment industry. The outlook for the remainder of the year appears to be positive for the company and the more than 550 Bobcat compact equipment dealers in the United States and Canada. — Christopher Girodat, marketing manager, Bobcat Company We received great response during Fencetech and The Rental Show, and believe that indicates strong sales for the remainder of the year. Much of that interest revolves around the versatility of applications that contractors can take on quickly and safely with a well-built earth drill and some key attachments and blades. We're ready to meet this growing demand thanks to our expanded production line, so we're confident it will be a strong year. — Mike Hale, Little Beaver sales and marketing manager It's been a good year so far thanks to the great results we've seen across categories. With this momentum and our robust product lineup, we have a very positive outlook for the rest of the year. — Pete Love, director of sales at Husqvarna 2016 has been a year of opportunity, with growth in many areas. Texas, Oklahoma and western Canada have been hard hit in the oil and gas industry, but other areas are experiencing excellent economic growth. Now that manufacturers have introduced their new Tier 4 Final-compliant models, and that dealer stock of older Tier 3 or Tier 4i models is being reduced, equipment buyers in the landscape and irrigation industry are in an excellent position to obtain new T4 Final models, with numerous technological advancements over their predecessors, at very competitive prices. — George Chaney, sales manager, skid-steer & compact track loaders, JCB The continued theme is slow and steady improvement. There is no particular boom we can point to, but indicators continue to improve: Housing starts are holding steady, down in April by 1.7 percent compared to April 2015, but up considerably over April 2014. The total value of residential construction from April 2015 to April 2016 has increased by 7.7 percent, which is a good sign for the landscaping industry as the higher-valued developments typically desire a greater investment in landscaping services, both hardscape and planting/decorative. U.S. home prices and new-home sales are also at post-recession highs. As supply and demand narrows, home sellers will be looking to make a greater first impression when prospective buyers approach their property, and that starts with landscaping. Similarly, if you look at non-residential markets such as lodging, office and commercial development, there are noticeable year-over-year improvements in construction value: 24.6, 20.3 and 6.8 percent, respectively. Landscaping services are key for these markets. It's a good time for landscapers, as people and businesses are investing in their properties. And as the demand for improved landscape and outdoor living increases, landscapers are more actively investing in their equipment fleets more aggressively than the past few years. All of this creates a perfect storm that is driving many landscapers to invest in their businesses now. We expect these trends to continue throughout the remainder of 2016, although all of these factors could be affected rather suddenly from volatility in other markets (oil and gas and related Continued on page 36