We understand that building and maintaining relationships is a key part of your business. It plays a major role in our business. Of course, connecting with new customers, staying connected with current customers and expanding your network is an important step to growing your business. That’s why we’re excited to roll out a new dimension to our community site, Exmarkpride.com, called Public Profiles.

Public Profiles is a feature that allows Exmark dealers and landscape/lawn care company owners to set up their own web page to tout company services and reach new customers. If you’re a dealer or landscape company, just log into your Exmarkpride.com account, click on “My Account” and start editing your public profile. Whether it’s adding photos, listing your services or updating your contact information – this page is yours to help build your network and extend your Web presence.

So what are you waiting for? Complete your public profile on www.exmarkpride.com. We’ll see you over there.

Are there any features you want to see on the site? Leave a comment below.

Announcing our first ever May Days Sales Event. If you were looking for a time to buy a new Exmark mower, here’s your chance. For a limited time, we’re offering no interest and no payments for 6 months, or 0% APR financing for 36 months*.

Check out these great deals on our best-selling commercial and resident mowers including:

• Lazer Z X-Series
• Quest
• Vantage
• Navigator
• Turf Tracer
• Commercial 21

Hurry to your Emark dealer from May 12th – 22nd for the May Days Sales Event. For a full list of details on this and all our current promotions, click here or visit your local dealer.

Will you be taking advantage of our first ever May Day Sales Event? Let us know with a comment below.

* No payment required. No interest accrues until the end of the 6-month ‘No interest’ term at which time it accrues at 3.99% for 36 months.

This month, we’re featuring customer service manager and all-around nice guy, David Martin. David is one of the reasons why Exmark is known for unbeatable customer service.

David Martin: Customer Service Manager

Before Exmark, David had very little experience with lawnmowers. When he first started, like everyone else at Exmark, he dedicated himself to learning everything there is to know about the machines. Inside and out. So he spent his first few months working two jobs: fulfilling his regular customer service duties during the day and joining second shift on the factory floor after hours.  There he learned about the different parts and pieces of the mowers and how they fit together to make superior products.

When he’s not diving into his work, David is diving into the ocean.  He’s been on dives in the Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica, Cozumel and Honduras, just to name a few. His scariest and most thrilling moment happened in Belize. An 8-foot shark swimming a foot away from him. He could see every line on its body. Every gill. The shark swam away as quickly as it appeared. It left David both frightened and awed by its powerful presence.

Have a comment or question for David? Leave it below.

We’re constantly thinking of new ways to make Exmarkpride.com better. More engaging. More useful. More fun. You may have noticed a couple of things up we have up and and running that fit the bill.

Contest Hall of Fame:

Missed last month’s contest winner? Or the winner from three months ago? Head to the Hall of Fame and check out winners of contests past. If you want to join them in eternal glory and feel like scoring some cool gear or a gift card, then enter one of the monthly contests.

Digital freebies:

Don’t those two words sound good together? Check out all of the free screen savers that’ll X up your computer. If anybody asks tell them, “Sorry, for Exmark crew members only.”

The Mark Awards:

We announced the Mark Awards a few short weeks ago, and nominations are in full swing! Head over to Exmarkpride.com and recognize the dealers, lawn care companies and landscaping professionals who are leaving their mark on your business and your landscape.

In a few months, expect to see even more features on the site, including public profiles to help you get your name out there. So what are you waiting for? Check out all the new features on www.exmarkpride.com today.

Are there any features you want to see on the site? Leave a comment below.

Sometimes batteries get ignored during mowing season until the day your mower refuses to start.

Here are a few things you can do to show your battery a little love and help keep it going throughout the season:

• Check your battery’s fluids at least once a month. If you live in an area where summers are scorchers, check fluids weekly. If they’re low, only use distilled water.
• If your battery can’t seem to hold a charge, try removing it from the machine and putting it on a trickle charger for a couple of days. It can refresh the battery.
• Make sure your electrical system isn’t overcharging the battery. If your mower’s fuses are blowing and there’s no good explanation for it, it’s a sign your electrical system needs to be checked. Your Exmark dealer can run a fairly quick test to see if the system is working properly

This post by David Martin, customer service manager at Exmark.

The Mark Award

Introducing the Mark Awards, the industry’s first awards recognizing dealers, lawn care companies and landscaping professionals who leave their mark on our business and our landscape.

We’re excited to announce that nominations are now open!  We’re looking for people and companies who share our passion for the industry and dedication to providing the very best to their customers. And, of course, carrying, owning or using Exmark products is part of what makes them stand out. Anyone can submit a nomination. You can even submit yourself – if you fit the bill.

And of course, we’re offering up some great prizes for the winners:

Dealer of the Year

• Grand prize winner will receive $5,000 cash
• First runner-up will receive $2,000 cash
• Second runner-up will receive $1,000 cash

Best Landscaping/Lawn Care Company

• Grand prize winner will receive an Exmark Lazer Z and $1,000 cash (for gas, car washes or refreshments after a hard day’s work!)
• First runner-up will receive $2,000 cash
• Second runner-up will receive $1,000 cash

Crew Member of the Year

• Grand prize winner will receive a trip for two to Hawaii (during your off-season, of course!) – includes airfare, hotel and $1,000 cash
• First runner-up will receive $2,000 cash
• Second runner-up to receive $1,000 cash

In addition to those prizes, the grand prize winner in each category (and one of their lucky guests) will receive an Exmark Manufacturing plant tour at the Beatrice, Nebraska plant.

So what are you waiting for? Head over to exmarkpride.com now and check out the Mark Awards for you chance to win!

Want even more details? Click here.

Contest Rules
No Purchase Necessary To Nominate Or Win. Begins 9AM CST on 3/28/11 and ends 5PM CST on 5/31/11. Nominators must be legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., 13 or older. Nominees must fall into 1 of the following 3 categories to be eligible; 1) Dealer of the Year category: A dealer/dealership in the U.S. that carries Exmark products as of the start date of the Contest, 2) Best in Class Lawn Care & Landscape Company category: A company in the U.S. that focuses on lawn care or landscaping and uses Exmark products as of the start date of the Contest, or 3) Crew Member of the Year category: An employee (18 years of age or older) at a company in the U.S. that owns, uses, or carries Exmark products as of the start date of the Contest. Void where prohibited. By participating, participants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the judges and/or Sponsor, which are binding and final on matters relating to this Contest. Subject to Official Rules, available here. Sponsor: Exmark Manufacturing Company, Inc.

Exmark fans, meet Steve Finkner. He’s one of our talented engineers who helps make Exmark mowers the very best.

Steve Finkner: Sr. Engineering Manager

Steve’s been around long enough to see his department grow from 4 to 40+ people. But the growth hasn’t had a negative effect on their culture. As a matter of fact, everyone here is just as committed to creating a better product as the very first engineer hired. Steve can vouch for that. He credits it to having Exmark’s core values and beliefs passed down to every new employee walking through the door. This approach happens in every department. That’s why, when speaking to Exmark employees, you quickly notice they’re all on the same page.

Outside Exmark, Steve practices what he engineers by helping his kids run their own landscaping business. They’re out there on hot summer days working hard and finding great satisfaction in giving their clients a great-looking lawn. That kind of experience comes in handy when Steve’s working on a new mower or improving an existing model. He knows first hand what it takes to make a pro’s job and life that much easier.

What do you think of Steve’s handiwork? Leave a comment below.

If you’ve ever wondered who’s behind the industry’s top-notch cutting platforms, we’d like to introduce you to Garry Busboom. He was one of the masterminds behind the original Lazer Z and the redesign of the Exmark deck, including the patented Flow Control Baffles.

We sat down with Garry and picked his brain about cutting platforms. Here’s what he had to say:

Exmark: What are the different elements that can affect the cut quality?

Garry: The list can seem limitless … cutting fast or slow, high or low …  spring, summer, fall, morning, noon or night and types of grass — just to name a few.

Anything environmental…from morning dew to rain or shine, no matter how slight, can have a big impact on the results.

E: How do environmental conditions affect the cutting platform?

G: Any variation in the environmental conditions affects the physical properties of the grass and in turn may have a significant impact on how the mower deck performs. Our goal is to design a deck that will perform at an exceptional level in as many conditions as possible  to be able to provide a product to our landscape pro’s that meets or exceeds his expectations.

E: What were you doing before joining Exmark?

G: I used to design combines and had great fun doing it, so working with mowers seemed like a natural next step. You think about a lawnmower, it’s just a mini combine.

E: If you were a mower, what mower would you be?

G: An LZX29KA606 because I believe it’s the most versatile and productive machine we offer.

E: What does the future hold for Exmark cutting platforms?

G: We’re constantly working to improve the performance of our cutting platforms …it’s always a journey, not a destination.  Our job is to give the landscape pro the best tool for his job and continuously seek for better ways of doing things–that vision and mission will never change.

Have a question for Garry, have a comment or want to share what kind of mower you would be? Leave us a comment below.

Landscape professionals have often said there’s a lot to love about Exmark mowers.  But there’s only one feature that has inspired something of a movement. It might even border on a cult following.  The ECS controls. Yep, landscape pros are crazy about our exclusive controls.

For those who aren’t familiar with ECS controls, here’s the lowdown on this popular feature:

Ergonomics play a major role in the controls’ design. With ECS, the arms are in a more neutral position so the operator’s joints are in a natural state. With his elbows resting at his side and his arms extended out in front of him, the operator can walk up to an ECS unit and start using it without having to adjust the way he’s standing. This means he’ll experience less strain and hand fatigue. Simply put, using ECS won’t be a pain in the neck. Or hands. Or shoulders.

If you’re used to the old handles, you’ll notice that ECS handles are positioned closer together, keeping hands out of harm’s way and accidents from happening.

Comfort and safety are only a couple of reasons why the ECS controls have caused quite a buzz in the landscaping world. But to truly get it, you’re just going to have to try them out for yourself.

What do you think of ECS controls? Leave your thoughts in a comment below.

Last November we launched exmarkpride.com and found a community of Exmark enthusiasts. We also put out a special incentive for members who joined the crew before December 31st: a brand new Lazer Z.

This month we’re excited to announce Josh Levien as our winner. Josh, now the proud owner of a Lazer Z X-Series unit, has strong ties to Exmark. Taking his first ride on a Turf Ranger at the impressionable age of 13, Josh comes from a family of lawn care pros. His dad, Carl Levien, opened Carl’s Mower & Saw when Josh was 12. Josh now works as the store’s Parts Manager alongside his mom, three younger brothers and wife.

The strong family ties are just one of the things Josh loves about working at Carl’s. He also enjoys working with his customers and getting to, “supply people with the best outdoor power equipment in the industry.”

When he’s not at work, Josh spends his time working in the yard, long boarding and playing softball. He’s also looking forward to trading in his walk-behind for that new Lazer Z, giving him more time to spend with his wife and three children.

Congratulations Josh. We’re glad to have you on the crew.

For your chance to be our next winner, sign-up at exmarkpride.com and enter this month’s contest!