IronCraft, formerly branded Titan Implement, is an attachments manufacturer.

LFM Capital, a private equity firm focused on lower middle market manufacturing and industrial services businesses, has invested in IronCraft.

IronCraft, formerly branded Titan Implement, is a manufacturer of 3-point, skid steer, and mini-excavator attachments. Their products are sold through the company’s dealer network spanning more than 40 states and used for a variety of applications, targeting the lifestyle farmer, landscaping, light construction, and more. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The company plans capital expenditures over the next 24-months at the Athens, Tennessee factory as well as other southeastern, TN locations including a paint booth, laser cutting, robotic welding and more. In addition, other initiatives to support the post-purchase experience include online parts lookup, service manuals, training resources, and adding more product support locations across the country.

“Dealers and customers should expect a personal and simple sales transaction while having access to a broader product group that will be in more locations across the country,” said new IronCraft CEO Pat Kozlowski. “We will also be deploying resources to the dealers in the coming months that will enable them to procure, manage, and track their orders with visibility, which will help them serve their customers through the transaction.  This should provide an easy to buy experience while also making it easier for the dealers to serve their customers.” 

“We are thrilled to add IronCraft to the LFM portfolio," said LFM Managing Director Dan Shockley. "We believe the diversified skid steer and tractor attachments industry will continue to grow in size and scope. The historical growth that IronCraft has experienced is a testament to the organization’s value proposition to its dealers and end users.”

Based in Wilmington, N.C., Stone Garden was founded in 1999 by Nina Brown.

Outdoor Living Supply (“OLS”), a distribution platform for outdoor living products with a focus on hardscapes, has acquired Stone Garden, an independent distributor of natural and cultured stone, landscape and hardscape supplies to the Cape Fear region of North Carolina. This acquisition further strengthens OLS’s presence in the Carolinas and extends its footprint into the coastal market.

Based in Wilmington, North Carolina, Stone Garden was founded in 1999 by Nina Brown. Since its inception, Stone Garden has worked to be an inspiration to homeowners and a valuable resource for contractors. Brown will continue to lead the company’s experienced team of employees, ensuring continuity and consistency for customers and supplier partners.

“We are excited to welcome Nina and her dedicated team to the OLS family of companies. This represents our fifth location in North Carolina and our first location in the fast-growing coastal market,” said Brian Price, CEO of OLS. “Nina has built an outstanding business and shares our commitment to providing an exceptional customer experience. We look forward to growing with Stone Garden for years to come.”

“For over 23 years, Stone Garden has been a trusted partner to our community of residential and commercial customers,” Brown added. “Looking ahead, our partnership with OLS will allow us to continue doing what has made us successful while also creating new growth opportunities for the company, as well as for our employees and business partners. I am thrilled OLS shares our commitment to customer service and to the legacy of our brand.”

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP served as legal advisor to OLS.

For more information, visit www.outdoorlivingsupply.net.

Verde is doing business as Juniper Landscape Company, a San Diego-based company.

Verde Property Services, DBA Juniper Landscape, has acquired substantively all assets of La Mesa based GreenRidge Landscaping.

Juniper Landscape Company, a San Diego-based provider of commercial and residential landscaping maintenance, and design-build services, has served the greater San Diego market for more than 40 years. The acquisition of GreenRidge will allow for the continued expansion of Juniper's landscape maintenance portfolio which now represents the majority of its business.

“Serving similar markets and customers, the acquisition of GreenRidge presents an obvious opportunity as we continue to invest in our own backyards.” said Gabriel Galvez, one of Verde’s principal investors.

Galvez said the company’s acquisition, along with significant organic growth experienced in the last year will result in a nearly 400% growth in maintenance revenues.

Herbert Vollrath Kohler, Jr. passed away on Sept. 3, 2022.

Kohler Co. Executive Chairman Herbert Vollrath Kohler, Jr. passed away on Sept. 3, 2022, in Kohler, Wisconsin. He was 83. His ideas and hands-on leadership transformed the plumbing products manufacturer founded by his grandfather into a global and diverse family of businesses synonymous with unmatched quality, creativity and bold innovation. He put his beloved home state of Wisconsin on the map as a global golf destination culminating with the Ryder Cup in 2021.

Herb Kohler’s personal mission was to create delight. For him, there was no halfway. To warrant the “KOHLER” nameplate, a product had to be more than durable, functional and attractive. It had to be joyful and memorable.

“His zest for life, adventure and impact inspires all of us. We traveled together, celebrated together, and worked together. He was all in, all the time, leaving an indelible mark on how we live our lives today and carry on his legacy,” said his family.

He was admired by many as an accomplished, dynamic leader; independent-minded entrepreneur; courageous innovator; and passionate creative. Herb, more than anyone, lived and breathed Kohler Co.’s mission of providing customers with gracious living each day. He was a big personality who was steadfast in guiding Kohler associates in the relentless pursuit of the company mission, and he took immense joy in witnessing his customers’ delight firsthand.

“If I sell you a bathtub, there has to be something about it that gives you pleasure not only at the time of the transaction. Years later, we want you to think this is one of the best buys of your life,” he once said in an interview. “The same applies with everything we provide – an engine, generator, toilet, table, hotel room, spa service, golf course, you name it. If you think about it five years later and, inwardly or outwardly, it makes you smile and we can do this consistently, then we’re living up to our mission.”

Herb Kohler – who preferred to use his first name but was so respected by Kohler Co. associates who addressed him as “HVK” or “Mr. Kohler” – was born in Chicago on Feb. 20, 1939. His father Herbert V. Kohler, Sr., son of Kohler Co. founder John Michael Kohler, served as Board Chairman and CEO of Kohler Co. from 1940 until his death in 1968. His mother Ruth De Young Kohler was a historian and former women’s editor of the Chicago Tribune.

Herb was educated at the Kohler schools in Kohler, Wis., and at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Conn. As a young man, he spent many summers as a laborer on the Kohler farms and in most of the manufacturing divisions of Kohler Co. After serving with the U.S. Army Reserve, studying at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, and launching a brief acting career at Knox College in Illinois, he completed his education at Yale University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial administration in 1965.

He rejoined Kohler Co. full-time as an R&D technician shortly after graduation. He became a Director of the company in 1967, and when his father died a year later, he became Vice President of Operations. He was named Executive Vice President in 1971, was elected Chairman of the Board and CEO in 1972, and President of the Company in 1974 – at the age of 35. In 2015, he became the company’s Executive Chairman, with son David taking the helm as President and CEO. He served Kohler Co. for 61 years.

The family plans to host a private service. At a date to be determined, Kohler Co. will host a tribute to Herb Kohler for associates, past and present.

Coming soon is a tribute website to learn more about Herb Kohler’s countless contributions, his dynamic life, business impact and well-deserved accolades. Information regarding ways to honor his memory will be detailed on the website.

Selecting the right way to visualize data can be the difference between useless numbers and effective communication.

At the press of a button, modern software is capable of generating hundreds of insights that landscape contractors can use to monitor the health of their businesses.

It could be sales team data like closing percentage, cancellations, or discounts; it could be statistics tracking the call duration account managers have with clients; or it could be metrics on how efficiently the crews are out doing the jobs.

But all those numbers are completely worthless without being able to understand them. That’s why Caitlin Justice, the director of finance at Blades of Green Lawn Care and B.O.G. Pest Control, walked Lawn & Landscape Technology Conference attendees through data visualization best practices. The advice she offered could help a contractor communicate the story numbers tell and let data guide their decision-making process.

“It’s critical to be able to turn (numbers) into meaningful insight,” she said.

CHOOSING YOUR CHART. Though there’s plenty of variations of these charts, Justice offered five basic types of visualizations: line graphs, number/gauge charts, bar charts, maps and heat maps.

Line graphs are mostly used to show how numbers change over a period of time. Justice showed an example comparing Blades of Green’s cancellations year over year. Each colored line represented a different year, and the y-axis represented each month of the year. Visually, Justice could quickly show what years had the highest cancellation rates and when.

Number and gauge charts could help quite simply show how close a team is to its goal (i.e., we’ve sold this much, here’s the end goal). They’re often stylized to look like a gas gauge in a car, showing how much of the variable remains.

Bar charts, like line charts, are also used often to compare multiple variables, though they’re better served in comparing and contrasting data differences rather than a change over a set period (i.e., how many clients have cancelled in just one year and which month, rather than a year-over-year analysis). Maps are great for showing data that deal with geographic numbers (i.e., cancellations by zip codes), and heat maps can show data density (i.e., where on your website people are clicking most).

WORDS OF WISDOM. It’s not all about the numbers; Justice reminded attendees that once you’ve built a graphical analysis of data, it’s about figuring out what the story being told even means. For instance, they were able to effectively prove to their team that cancellations were a big problem. But they were able to solve the problem because they determined the root cause.

“You look at it and go, ‘What is going on?’” Justice said. “This is a great communication tool for our team.”

Justice recommends some basic judgment when deciding how to showcase the numbers. For example, green numbers are often associated with good data, while red numbers will often communicate that the numbers have a negative connotation.

Additionally, she warned attendees that not everything is a key performance indicator – in other words, don’t just send out a bunch of graphs and hope someone knows what to do with the numbers. Provide strong recommendations and divide up the work among your team to let each division handle the data most significant to them.

“You need to make sure that the data that you’re sharing is being shared with those that’s directly affecting those individuals,” Justice said. “If you share too much information, it’s going to be overwhelming.”