The Mark Awards ceremony presented a chance for us to honor those professionals who exhibit pride in everything they do, from selling Exmark mowers to running Exmark red when mowing lawns. Here at Exmark, we have pride too. The Mark Awards gave a chance for some of our employees to show it when they created the actual trophies at our Beatrice plant.

The trophies were made in-house using some of the most advanced technology in our manufacturing plant. Brian York, an Engineering Process Improvement Specialist who’s been with Exmark for over nine years, explained that the trophies were designed using CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software. After design, a number of different machines were used to produce the various parts of the award:

• The base was created using our 3D prototype printer through a process called “rapid prototyping.” It’s the same process used to create prototype parts in which we test form, fit and function on the mowers.
• The red circle and “X” were manufactured using our in-house laser cutter.
• The nameplate printer etched the names of the winners.
• The white decal on the “X” was cut using our prototype vinyl cutter.

How do you think the Mark Awards trophies turned out? Want to know more on how the awards were made? Let us know with question or comment below.

We recently welcomed the winners of the inaugural Mark Awards to our headquarters in Beatrice for a celebration of their achievement.

“The Exmark community told us who’s the best and who deserves industry recognition,” said Rick Olson, General Manager at Exmark Manufacturing. “At Exmark, we’re about more than just mowers and this was our opportunity to give back and provide additional support to the people that support our brand.”

The winners included:

• Zak Matouka of The Yard Men Snow & Lawn Services , winner of the Best Lawn Care or Landscaping Company
• Steve and Teri Gegner, owners of D&J Equipment, winner of Dealer of the Year
• Carlos Davila, runner-up for Crew Member of the Year

We flew in our winners and their guests for a once-in-a-lifetime Exmark experience, giving them behind-the-scenes access to our production facilities to see how our durable, efficient commercial-grade mowers are manufactured from raw steel to the finished product.

“I learned a lot about how they made the machines,” said Carlos Davila, runner-up for Crew Member of the Year. “I’d recommend them to any company and any dealer. They’re really good machines.”
Our winners also got to sit down with our executive leadership team and learn about the people behind the mowers. The winners and the Exmark team swapped industry stories, discussed challenges faced in the New Year and each side’s plans for the future.

The winners’ Exmark experience culminated with an awards ceremony with each winner receiving a diecast replica of the Lazer Z and their Mark Award, which was crafted in our Beatrice plant by Exmark employees.

This year’s prizes also included:

• Best Lawn Care or Landscaping Company – New Exmark Lazer Z mower and $1,000
• Dealer of the Year – $5,000
• Crew Member of the Year – A trip for two to Hawaii and $1,000

We were proud to advance the business of these deserving winners. “I started off with two walk-behind mowers, so winning the Lazer Z put me a step above most of the competition in my area. Now I can pick up larger accounts and move forward with my business,” said Zak Matouka.

We enjoyed hosting our winners and thank everyone who participated in the Mark Awards. Leave your well wishes for the winners in a comment below.

With dozens of landscape enthusiasts nominated and over 100,000 votes cast, the time has come to announce the winners of the inaugural Mark Awards. These awards recognize our industry’s best in three categories – Dealer of the Year, Best Lawn Care / Landscaping Company and Crew Member of the Year. All of the winners will receive a prize and a trip and personal tour of our plant in Beatrice. Additionally, the grand prize winners will receive a custom trophy created by our Beatrice plant employees.

CREW MEMBER OF THE YEAR
Eden Guerra of The Woodlands, Texas, was named Crew Member of the Year. Eden was awarded a trip for two to Hawaii plus $1,000. Described as a man with the highest levels of integrity, Eden inspires his team day in and day out to be craftsmen and to take pride in their work.

Carlos Davila of East Orange, NJ won second prize and $2,000. Third prize and $1,000 was awarded to Mark Stegmeier of Stow, OH.

LAWN CARE/LANDSCAPING COMPANY OF THE YEAR

The Yard Men in Warren, WI, received the Best Lawn Care/Landscaping Company of the Year Mark Award with nearly 30,000 votes from his peers. Zak Matouke and his crew have gone from five customers to more than 150 in just three years. The Yard Men’s customers rave about the dependable and high-quality work Zak and his teams deliver. The Yard Men will receive a new Exmark Lazer Z® plus $1,000.

Second prize and $2,000 were awarded to Magnolia Landscape LLC, of Virginia Beach, VA. Third prize and $1,000 went to Xtreme Lawn Pros in Fort Myers, FL.

DEALER OF THE YEAR

D&J Equipment of Longwood, FL earned Dealer of the Year and received $5,000. Customers know and respect D&J’s commitment to service—both at the time of purchase and if in need of repair. Customers are pleasantly surprised to receive their product and/or parts needed within a day of ordering, a turnaround time that is uncommon.

Erb Equipment Co. Inc., of Fenton, MO won second prize and $2,000. Third prize and $1,000 was awarded to Sarlo Mowers LLC, of Bonita Springs, FL.

Congratulations to all the winners, we look forward to seeing you in Beatrice. Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations, voted and who helped make the inaugural year of the Mark Awards a success.

What did you think of the Mark Awards? Let us know and congratulate our Mark Award winners with a comment below!

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.

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.

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.

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!