Polaris’ ‘Ultimate RANGER Experience Winners

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Polaris’ ‘Ultimate RANGER Experience Winners: The winners of the ‘Ultimate RANGER® Experience’ competition were announced on Monday 16th July on the Polaris website at www.ranger20thanniversary.com.

Polaris launched a competition in May to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their best-selling utility vehicle, the RANGER®. Entrants were given the chance to win an ‘Ultimate RANGER® Experience’, by uploading a picture and caption showing their own personal RANGER® experience. The competition was a great success with over 320 entries being submitted throughout May and June from 36 participating countries across Europe, Middle East and Africa, to be selected for one of the two European experiences, with the RANGER® at the heart. The top 3 finalists were selected from each country before being reviewed by a panel of judges, including a representative from Polaris Industrial Design in the USA, to select the winners. The judges were looking for authenticity, inspiration and enthusiasm for the brand.

Polaris’ ‘Ultimate RANGER Experience Winners

Rodrigo Lourenco, Vice President and General Manager of Polaris Off-Road Vehicles EMEA, said: “I’m sure the judges had a very difficult decision when picking the winners, as many of the entries show a real passion for our brand, with amazing stories from every country and uses for the RANGER® that we had never seen before. Thank you to everyone who took part and made this competition a success – the perfect way to celebrate the RANGER® 20th Anniversary this year.”

The two winners have been announced:

Peter from the UK, who is part of the NHS North West emergency response services, with his entry showing a Polaris RANGER® 6×6 being used to assist the team where conditions are treacherous and do not allow conventional ambulance access.

Judges said “It is truly inspiring to know the RANGER® can, and is, being used to save lives by the North West Ambulance Service – what a wonderful way to showcase how versatile the RANGER® is.”

Peter will be sent to the Greece, to explore the Greek island of Naxos in a RANGER®. They will take a trip around the mountain villages, tour the ancient ruins and soak up on the sun on the long stretches of beach. They will also be a chance to take the RANGER® on a drive to Kasto, a hilltop castle dating back to the 13th century.

Manya from Belgium, who submitted a photo of their custom-built RANGER® 570 in Northern Spain’s Picos de Europa National Park. Located in the mountains, the national park is known for rocky terrain, beautiful scenery, and its resident Cantabrian Brown Bears. It makes sense then, that Manya built an aluminium trunk cover to prevent any bears taking food and materials from the RANGER® whilst visiting.

Judges said “Another perfect example of how our RANGER® can be adapted to suit any adventure and master any environment, even if that does involve hungry bears!”

Manya will enjoy a trip to Iceland, where she will enjoy the stunning landscape of the Icelandic mountains and see how the iconic RANGER® is customised and used by owners of lodges in the mountains to access their remote cabins.

Twenty years ago, Polaris introduced the very first RANGER® vehicle. Since then, the RANGER® has become known as one of the most dependable side-by-side and is the No.1 selling utility vehicle worldwide. With industry-leading capabilities in some of the most relentless conditions imaginable, its’ legacy continues to grow stronger year on year. Fueled by consistent innovation, the Polaris RANGER® range has been designed to be the hardest-working, smoothest-riding SXS ever built.

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Carbon Gold Achieves Business Certification

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Carbon Gold Achieves Business Certification: Carbon Gold, the Bristol-based supplier of enriched biochar to the turf, arb and grower markets in the UK and Europe, has achieved B Corp status.

The certification, which is a global standard used to measure a for-profit company’s social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency, is described as being to business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee.

Carbon Gold Achieves Business Certification

The accreditation means Carbon Gold has successfully surpassed the rigorous standards set by the non-profit B Lab to become certified as a conscientious business that operates sustainably in its markets, cares for its employees, and has a positive impact on the world.

Craig Sams, Executive Chairman at Carbon Gold, says, “Carbon Gold has always been about making a difference.  Whether that’s helping trees flourish in the face of pests and diseases, boosting commercial growers’ yields to help them meet growing demand and stay profitable, or sequestering carbon permanently in soil to combat climate change.  It’s important that, as a business, we reflect those positive commercial goals.”

“I think in the corporate world, if you were to think of companies as people, you wouldn’t want to be friends with a lot of them.  From the beginning, we’ve always said we would not operate like that.  We want our team to enjoy working for us and we want our customers and commercial partners to enjoy being part of our stakeholder group.”

Kate Sandle, Community Manager at B Lab UK, says, “As a movement of companies who believe business can be a force for good, we are delighted to welcome Carbon Gold to the B Corp community.  We need more businessmen like Craig Sams to champion the health of our planet.  The addition of Carbon Gold to our diverse community is important to continue driving the change we seek across all sectors.”

B-Corp status is the latest in a suite of accreditations for Carbon Gold which is also FSC certified, approved by the Soil Association for use in organic food production, approved for use in biodynamic systems through the globally recognised Demeter standard, and corporate members of LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming).

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Tributes Paid To Simon Tullett

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Tributes Paid To Simon Tullett: It’s sad to report that Simon Tullett, founder of STM Co Ltd of Warwickshire – a supplier of SCAG equipment, and a well-known member of the industry, died in hospital recently.

He had health problems for a couple of years and was awaiting heart surgery, but sadly succumbed to kidney failure.

Tributes Paid To Simon Tullett

Simon’s family have thanked the hospital where Simon was patient after it helped with arrangements for a wedding blessing to take place at his bedside for the marriage of his daughter Olivia so that he could give her away. It is a testament to the man that, despite his weak condition, he still managed to come out with “and I’m not having her back, either”.

Simon had always been involved in the outdoor machinery industry and spent a number years in Sales with Tony Turner at Turner International, then worked for Agria before taking the decision to set up on his own.

A successful trial venture with SCAG machinery led to a thirty year association, still thriving today under the ownership of the Dominic Mason, who originally came to the company as a young lad working on Saturday mornings, subsequently to be trained by Simon in Sales.

He made a mark in the industry and is greatly respected for the company he developed and his involvement in the groundcare industry.

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STIHL To Showcase New Chainsaws

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STIHL To Showcase New Chainsaws: STIHL will be exhibiting its latest developments in professional chainsaws and forestry equipment at this year’s APF Exhibition, where visitors will have the opportunity to see the products in action at the manufacturers demo area based on the woodland demo circuit.

In addition to its own demo area, STIHL will have a large range of of high performance tools for professionals on display within the main arena on the static circuit, including the latest MSA 161 T cordless top-handled chainsaw and the lightweight MS 462 C-M petrol chainsaw.  STIHL will also be giving visitors a look at the new MS 500i – the world’s first lightweight petrol chainsaw with electronically controlled fuel injection.

STIHL To Showcase New Chainsaws

Rounding off its offering, professionals will also be able to discover more about STIHL’s range of PPE including the new VENT & X-VENT helmets and range of breathable and weather resistant ADVANCE chainsaw clothing.

Ahead of this year’s Stihl TIMBERSPORTS® World Championship at The Echo Arena in Liverpool in October, guests will be able to see the extreme sport in action as some of Europe’s top lumberjacks will take to the TIMBERSPORTS® Roadshow stage to compete in the six events.

Simon Hewitt, Head of Marketing at STIHL GB, said: “It’s a pleasure to be present at APF this year, and the exhibition is a great opportunity to showcase our ever expanding range of high quality tools for professionals.  Having a demo area on site is the perfect way to demonstrate the capability of our products, and we look forward to welcoming visitors to find out more about STIHL.”

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Las Brisas Invests In The Future

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Las Brisas Invests In The Future: Real Club de Golf Las Brisas, based in Marbella in Spain is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2018, as well as its first full golf course maintenance equipment fleet deal with John Deere and local dealer Agronimer.

Arranged through David Fernandez, the head of Agronimer’s golf division, the new fleet has been acquired in a five-year John Deere Financial agreement worth one million euros, and is supported by full PowerGard maintenance cover. Machinery includes tees, fairway, greens and rough mowers, both compact and larger utility tractors, Gator utility vehicles, sprayers and bunker rakes. The latest E-Cut hybrid electric models now make up 100 per cent of the club’s ride-on greens and fairway mower fleet.

Las Brisas Invests In The Future

Originally created by Robert Trent Jones Sr and more recently redesigned by Kyle Phillips, the 18-hole course is currently ranked #6 in Spain and #37 in continental Europe’s top 100 courses for 2018. It is notable for its raised greens, numerous bunkers and water hazards, as well as the botanical garden style landscaping that features many rare species of plants and trees from all over the world.

Las Brisas general manager Paul Muñoz and course manager Rafael González-Carrascosa head up a team of 24 greenkeeping and workshop staff. They have overseen an ambitious five-year multi-million euro project to redesign and renovate the course, which was necessary because the original design had begun to show its age.

“We felt that a complete remodelling of the golf course was required, but we needed to get the members to agree the necessary investment,” says Paul Muñoz. “A first phase was approved to renovate some aspects of the front nine back in 2012, and it was then that the project gained credibility and members felt that further investment was necessary.

“The final phase of works on the back nine holes was completed in 2015 but then had to be redone after severe flooding in 2016 caused widespread damage, and the course had to be closed for three months. However, once the membership saw what could be achieved they very quickly moved to have the whole course upgraded, and the final three holes were finished last summer.

“Everything has been addressed, from improving the grasses, bunkers, tees and greens to the drainage and irrigation system, as well as relocating several holes to create a better flow of play – even down to redesigning and rerouting the cart paths to make the initial visitor experience more pleasant.

“As a disciple of Robert Trent Jones Sr, Kyle Phillips fully understands his design philosophy, so he was the natural choice of architect for the new design, which is now cleaner, more open and natural. He has maintained the essence of the old course, but brought it more up to date, so it’s a better experience for the golfer. When you play the course now it feels like it’s been here for years, and you realise what a great job he’s done.”

Rafael González-Carrascosa adds: “This new agreement with John Deere and Agronimer includes not only the purchase of all the equipment necessary to keep our course in perfect condition, but also continuous training programmes for the operators and mechanics, customised parts management and tournament support when required.

“One of the key factors in choosing John Deere was that we only had to deal with one supplier, one brand and one dealer offering the right finance deal, so it made things easier all round. The John Deere range is comprehensive and offers good quality engineering as well as reliable dealer service and support.

“We’re very happy with the hybrid electric mowers, particularly the 8000E fairway machines, which were chosen for their quality of cut and light weight. The Gators and tractors are really good machines too, so we’re confident we’ve made an excellent choice. Most importantly, the members are really happy with the improvements we’ve made and the way the course now plays.”

For more information, visit: www.JohnDeere.co.uk

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