(News) Supplier news

Supplier News

BASF’s Insignia fungicide received registration from the California Environmental Protection Agency. Insignia provides golf course superintendents control of more than 15 turfgrass diseases and suppression of dollar spot. The active ingredient in the fungicide is pyraclostrobin.

Shane Wright, golf course superintendent at BallenIsles Country Club in Palm Beach Garden, Fla., won the Revolver Sweepstakes, sponsored by Bayer Environmental Science. Wright received 200,000 Accolades points to use toward a selection of rewards prizes. The Revolver Sweepstakes was open to Southern superintendents who purchased Revolver herbicide. The offer included double Accolades points for the first Revolver purchase, in addition to one entry into the sweepstakes for every case purchased through March 31, 2004. Bayer’s Accolades program allows users to earn points toward rewards by purchasing products.

Briggs & Stratton Corp. signed a definitive agreement to acquire Simplicity Manufacturing for $227.5 million. Simplicity is a designer, manufacturer and marketer of a range of outdoor power equipment.  Simplicity’s products are distributed through independent dealers under the brand names Simplicity, Snapper, Ferris and Giant-Vac. Briggs & Stratton expects the acquisition will be accretive to diluted earnings by 35 cents to 45 cents per share in fiscal 2005 based on preliminary purchase price allocations. The transaction is expected to close at the beginning of Briggs & Stratton’s fiscal 2005 first quarter, at which time Simplicity will become part of the Briggs & Stratton Power Products Group.

All divisions of Dakota Peat & Equipment are under the same roof. The move to co-locate the divisions, along with a corresponding expansion of the design and manufacturing capabilities of Dakota Equipment, is intended to position the company for future growth and to further the company’s effort to provide the best possible service to customers. Expansion of the manufacturing portion of the facility, which has been increased by almost 50 percent to more than 125,000 square feet, provides space for the production of several new lines of equipment.

DuPont’s Surlyn Reflections body panels will be used as part of the Precedent golf car made by Club Car. The body panels provide maximum strength and flexibility, while the molded-in color offers a high gloss, automotive finish and UV protection, which enables the golf car to withstand dents, collisions and weather.

Lakeland, Fla.-based Golf Ventures, a maintenance supply company for the golf course industry, expanded their territory with Jacobsen Equipment Products to include 13 new counties in Florida.

GPS Industries partnered with broadband wireless provider Epproach Communications to provide its Inforemer GPS-based golf management system to high-end golf and resort communities on Hilton Head Island. EC is implementing a high-speed wireless network for Internet access.

The North Carolina Department of Labor has given special recognition to Jacobsen for two million hours of operation with no disabling injuries. Other awards presented to Jacobsen by the N.C. Department of Labor included, two Certificates of Special Recognition and the Certificate of Safety Achievement Gold Award.

Mark Michaud, superintendent at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., which hosted the 2004 U.S. Open, outfitted his crew with equipment from John Deere Golf & Turf One Source. John Deere supplied equipment for the U.S. Open, providing everything from mowers and bunker rakes to utility vehicles and portable power equipment. John Deere will provide tournament equipment support for all upcoming PGA Tour events.

Lesco opened its 25th new service center in 2004 in late May in Novi, Mich.

Players Turf International expanded its business operations for its synthetic turf products for golf greens, tees, fringes and fairways. The company established two operations centers in the Southeast and added 14 employees since late 2003, including two senior designer/installers. Players Turf also plans to add six additional project installers in the Southeast U.S.

Redexim Charterhouse has made available two rebuild kits for its line of Verti-Drain deep-tine aeration units and most older units. The minor overhaul kit includes the instructions and necessary parts to rebuild the drawrods and tine heads. The major overhaul kit includes the minor overhaul kit plus parts to rebuild the crank and bearing supports and instructions.

SePro Corp. purchased certain assets of Griffin’s Turf, Nursery, Ornamental and Aquatics business. SePro is a specialty environmental and life sciences company located in Carmel, Ind. The acquisition includes Avast! and Avast! SRP aquatic herbicides, Komeen aquatic herbicide/algaecide, K-Tea and K-Pool aquatic algaecides, Junction fungicide/bactericide, Pentathlon fungicide, Spin Out plant growth regulator, Camelot ornamental fungicide and rights to Vendex miticide and Kocide 2000 TNO fungicide. The financial details of the transaction weren’t disclosed. Griffin is a wholly owned affiliate of DuPont.

Syngenta Professional Products and Pursell Technologies made a donation to the Clearview Legacy Foundation. The contribution of almost $45,000 is for the preservation, renovation and maintenance of Ohio’s (East Canton) Clearview Golf Course, the only golf facility in the world designed, built, owned and operated by an African-American, William Powell.

A team of Jacobsen engineers is the recipient of the Textron Corp. chairman’s award for their design and development of an electric mower used to cut golf greens. The mower is designed to be quieter and more environmentally friendly than traditional mowers. Harry Quinn Derby, Carlos Bellot and Andrew Modzik work in the Wilmar manufacturing facility in the Charlotte, N.C. headquarters for the Jacobsen lawn and turf business.

The Toro Co. celebrated its 90th anniversary with Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty around the theme, “innovation days.” The company put together demonstrations and displays to showcase its nine decades of innovation. Toro will continue to increase its investment in engineering, research and development. Last year, the company invested 2.8 percent of its sales, totaling $41.5 million, in ER&D. This year, the company increased its spending to 3.1 percent of sales, totaling $50 million.