GreenMech rationalise dealer coverage in the South

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GreenMech rationalise dealer coverage in the South: GreenMech Ltd have announced a rationalisation of their dealer network in the South and South East, which will see an expansion in coverage area for existing dealer GA Groundcare Ltd, with effect from 1st January 2021.

Operating from their purpose-built depot in Poulshot, Wiltshire, GA Groundcare Ltd will become exclusive to the GreenMech franchise, offering supply and support across the full pedestrian, road-tow and tracked chipper portfolio – together with stocking a comprehensive range of GreenMech replacement parts. Having originally been appointed in 2017 for the counties of Berkshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, the success of the partnership sees their territory extended to cover Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

GreenMech rationalise dealer coverage in the South

GreenMech rationalise dealer coverage in the South

Commenting on the expanded area, GA Groundcare Ltd Director Ashley Stevens said, “With over 9 years of experience working with the GreenMech product line, I am delighted to be offered the opportunity to develop this further across a broader territory. We will be increasing our sales and aftermarket resources to ensure we can deliver advice and support to customers, both existing and new.”

GreenMech Sales Director Martin Lucas added, “Having seen how well GA Groundcare Ltd have performed with our range, we are confident that they will make a success of raising the level of both sales and aftermarket support in this key territory.”

All existing warranties relating to GreenMech chippers, sold by Hunt Forest Group and Burden Bros Agri, will continue to be supported by GA Groundcare Ltd.

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Good news to soothe a troubled country!

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Good news to soothe a troubled country!: The lawn is the most ubiquitous feature of the British garden. But the survival of the domestic lawn has never looked more threatened. The needs of that lawn have been conspicuously absent at the horticultural top-table – until now.

The newly-launched Lawn Association intends to address this, being the UK’s first and only expert-led organization dedicated equally to the needs of professionals, enthusiasts and even reluctant gardeners.

Good news to soothe a troubled country!

Good news to soothe a troubled country!

Why is this needed? For a long time the underdog in the horticultural world, the domestic lawn is now a symbol of the fight to preserve essential parts of our biodiversity and living, green environment. It’s in our own interests, as David-Hedges-Gower, the association’s Chairman explains:

“We need grass. And we need lawns. Health and science research now routinely cites the lawn as an essential garden component contributing to a healthy environment, biodiversity and lifestyle.  So, after decades of some excoriation and a lifetime of poor lawn care practice, it’s now really important to help everybody – professional and enthusiasts, even reluctant gardeners – to enjoy and maintain healthy lawns.”

Stakeholders: The future of the British lawn sits jointly with three stakeholders – lawn and other horticultural professionals, gardeners, and the influential media. And the Lawn Association is the only authoritative organization to develop integrated support for all three.

How do you choose a lawn care provider?  How do you learn the best modern lawn care practice?  How do you know which are the best sustainable and organic ways of looking after your lawn?  Where do you find reliable information for your audience?

These and more are the questions the Lawn Association will address through its educational programmes, product development and accurate information.

Free membership is available to all gardeners. This will help to maintain and grow enthusiasm for simple but good lawn care, and, by knowing how to assess products and services, they can more confidently play their part in preserving and improving our country’s lawns.

“Lawn professionals, landscapers and garden designers – ecologists, biologists, and environmentalists – keen (and not so keen) gardeners – even the lawn care manufacturing industry – we ALL want the same thing! We want to reverse the decline of the British garden lawn and to enjoy happier, healthier outdoor spaces. We all have a stake in it – and with the Lawn Association’s help, we can make a real difference!”

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Rooted in local communities

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Rooted in local communities: Leading Scottish quarrying and construction materials company, Tillicoultry Quarries, supports the development of local environmental development project at Gifford Community Woodland.

With a dedication to local communities since its inception in 1931, family business Tillicoultry Quarries has a long history of community engagement and support for local causes, from charitable donations and individual sponsorship to boosting local employability, using locally sourced labour, materials and goods or encouraging its employees to make positive contributions to the community.

Rooted in local communities

Rooted in local communities

Project Manager at Gifford Community Woodland, Neville Kilkenny, recently contacted Director of Tillicoultry Quarries, Wallace Menzies, with the hope of securing materials to improve the drainage and improve accessibility to the woodland, which is just three miles away from its Longyester Quarry.

Neville explained,

“The Community Woodland at Gifford has become an important resource to the local and broader community for both health and well-being, as well as in terms of it being a fantastic example of a native broad leaf woodland in Scotland.

“Having worked on the project for the last few years, it has been a wonderful experience in terms of bringing together and engaging the local community around this ancient forest. The footfall within the woodland and on East Lothian’s path network has significantly increased since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic as many of our community use it as the main destination for daily recreational walks and outdoor exercise.

“Though it is a fantastic and hugely valuable asset, one of our central paths – an old railway line which is a key link between our woodland and other core path routes – has poor drainage which is causing accessibility challenges for some of our older and less able visitors. We’ve also had challenges with drainage from this area causing localised flooding.

“With Longyester Quarry on our doorstep, enabling us to minimise our environmental impact, and having been a customer of Tillicoultry Quarries myself, I hoped to secure some much-needed local business support to reprofile and maintain the drainage ditches using perforated pipework backfilled with 100 tonnes of gravel. They didn’t disappoint and we were delighted when they said yes.”

Wallace Menzies said,

“As a family business, Tillicoultry Quarries prides itself on giving back to local people, businesses and communities. It’s an important part of who we are as a company, as we know our successes are firmly rooted in the local communities which we work and live in.

“Given the environmental importance of the work being done at Gifford Community Woodland, it’s positive impacts on the local community – especially throughout Covid-19 – and with its proximity to our Longyester Quarry, we were only too pleased to offer our support. We wish Neville and the local community in East Lothian, the very best of luck in their endeavours with the woodland and look forward to seeing the project develop and add value to the local area for many years to come”

Neville went on,

“It’s fantastic to be supported to help solve this crucial drainage issue which is impacting our local communities. Without the support of our dedicated volunteers and local businesses like Tillicoultry Quarries, we wouldn’t be able to achieve what we have done so far at Gifford Community Woodland. We’re really happy with the support we’ve received, and it will have such a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of many in our community. We are delighted to be able to complete this part of the project with the support of Tillicoultry Quarries.”

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Outstanding service brings Jacobsen to Thorpeness

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Outstanding service brings Jacobsen to Thorpeness: Outstanding after sales and back-up service from two Jacobsen dealers were the clinching factors behind Thorpeness Golf Club and Hotel purchasing a new Jacobsen fleet.

Course Manager, Wallace Wilson, has been plying his trade on the Suffolk coast for eight months having previously been in charge at Milngavie Golf Club in Scotland where he worked closely with Jacobsen dealer, Fairways.

Outstanding service brings Jacobsen to Thorpeness

Outstanding service brings Jacobsen to Thorpeness

An ageing fleet which required a lot of maintenance was due to be replaced at Thorpeness, and Wallace’s experience with Fairways and the reliability of the mowers meant Jacobsen was the preferred option.

“Back-up service is off the charts in terms of importance for us,” Wallace explains. “It makes a huge difference to what we’re doing. We’re under pressure all the time, especially early mornings, to get stuff done and we need to have that confidence that’s going to take place.

“Reliability and back-up from Fairways was absolutely impeccable, I can’t say that enough, I’ve said that to everyone down here, and it was such a big factor. Ernest Doe so far has been fantastic with us through the lockdown period, and they helped us out with loads of bits and pieces before the deal was done. So I’m grateful to them for that and that really shaped where we were looking towards.

“The machines also proved themselves to be really capable of what we want to be doing, so it was certainly a big factor and looking towards that here and what Ernest Doe have come up with is a really good package.

“In terms of features, Jacobsen greens-wise for the GP400 in-particular is renowned in terms of quality of cut, so that is obviously a massive factor for us when we’re looking at anything. And having used the GPs before I’ve had great reliability overall, certainly over a five-year period, so that really shaped where we were looking to go with the GPs. In terms of the TR330, it was a newer machine to me, so once we’d had a look at that and demoed it, again it was perfectly suitable for what we are using it for here. The guys absolutely love using that, and it’s one of the most comfortable machines they’ve used.

“Both those points, the quality of cut and comfort of the machine are majorly important, and sometimes people overlook the comfort side. But the guys are sitting there from early freezing cold mornings quite often right throughout the day. So they need to be comfortable, and they work a lot better when they’re comfortable. Again, the ease of set-up in terms of the cutting units is really simple and efficient. You hardly have to set them really, they stay on cut so well, and the quality of cut you get, particularly from the GP400 is second to none in my opinion.”

Thorpeness are one of many clubs who have opted for set monthly payments that include servicing and maintenance from Ernest Doe since the COVID-19 pandemic began to affect businesses in the United Kingdom. By having fixed costs, clubs are avoiding any unexpected payments throughout the year and can operate their course maintenance with confidence.

For more information on the Jacobsen range of machines, visit www.jacobsenbuilt.com or contact your local dealer.

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Soil Connect hires Jonathan Alvarado

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Soil Connect hires Jonathan Alvarado: Soil Connect, the first and only institutionally backed digital platform focused on the multi-billion dollar soil and aggregates industry, today announced that it has hired Jonathan Alvarado as Chief Growth Officer.

In this role, Mr. Alvarado is responsible for overseeing Soil Connect’s customer acquisition and retention strategies. He is also charged with raising brand awareness among professionals in the construction, building and excavation industries.

Soil Connect hires Jonathan Alvarado

Soil Connect hires Jonathan Alvarado

Cliff Fetner, Founder and CEO of Soil Connect, said, “Jonathan has a proven track record of advancing the role disruptive technologies are playing in solving inefficiencies in the antiquated construction industry, and his insights will be invaluable as Soil Connect seeks to transform the transportation and management of soil and aggregates. What’s more, he has established relationships with a strong network of construction professionals and understands what it takes for a startup to become profitable quickly. As a result, he was the ideal candidate for this role and we are excited for him to join our growing team.”

Mr. Alvarado joins Soil Connect from construction trucking services app TRUX, where he served as National Vice President of Sales. During his tenure, he built and managed hyper-growth sales engines that grew the platform’s sales by over 6,000 percent, helping to achieve profitability in less than three years. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, he created and managed a highly efficient inside sales force that allowed TRUX to beat its year-over-year sales numbers even amid the marketplace turmoil. Prior to TRUX, Mr. Alvarado worked in sales and business development at StoneMakers Corporation. Over the course of his career, he has helped companies generate over $360 million in new revenue across the United States and Canada.

Mr. Alvarado stated, “As someone with a background in construction technology, I have a strong understanding of which platforms are truly disrupting the industry for the better, and Soil Connect stands apart from them all. While other construction technology apps focus solely on logistics or dispatching, Soil Connect is the only platform designed specifically for helping contractors on their job sites, saving them significant time and money on almost every project. The company has tremendous potential, and I could not be more excited to leverage my experience to help scale the business.”

Mr. Alvarado is the latest strategic hire made by Soil Connect, which is redefining the way construction professionals source, transact and transport dirt and aggregates. In the last few months, the company has made a number of hires to advance its strategic priorities, including most recently Berkay Sebat, who serves as the platform’s Head of Mobile reporting to CTO Steve Eakin.

Construction professionals interested in transacting on Soil Connect can create a profile by visiting www.soilconnect.com.

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