Wayne Rogers, vice president of international sales for Rotary Corp., died Saturday, February 13, 2010 at age 64.  Rogers was an active member of the board of directors of the Outdoor Power Equipment Aftermarket Association (OPEAA), and was attending its annual meeting in Bermuda. He was also a member of the Savannah Export Council.

Rogers began his career at Rotary on October 15, 1969, and during his 40 years of service, was involved in many capacities including purchasing, advertising and international sales. »» Read More

Maruyama U.S. recently held a successful training seminar for distributor technical service managers. Technical representatives from 10 distributorships in North America attended the meeting held at the company’s headquarters in Denton, Texas. During the 4-day meeting, the technical service managers participated in a variety of training modules including in-depth training of Maruyama’s patented low-emission certified 2-stroke engine technology, a technical overview of the new Maruyama XD mixing oil formulation, and several pump and spray rig demonstrations. The service managers also had several opportunities to experience equipment disassembly and reassembly of  commercial-grade pumps and 2-stroke engines.

This Spring, Cub Cadet and Mike Rowe, host of Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs, are issuing a “Get Ready to Get Dirty” Challenge, asking people to throw on a pair of work boots, grab a lawn mower and do something to support American troops.  Beginning in late February, Dirty Jobs’ viewers can learn how to get involved with Project Evergreen’s Green Care for Troops, an organization that helps thousands of volunteers provide free lawn and landscaping services to military families while their loved ones serve. Since its 2006 inception, Cub Cadet has been GCFT’s financial underwriter, helping to serve nearly 10,000 military families in just a few short years.   »» Read More

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will decide by late summer whether to allow higher levels of ethanol to be blended into standard transportation gasoline, the head of the agency recently reported. The EPA is considering an industry request for a waiver from federal rules to allow gasoline to contain up to 15% ethanol. EPA administrator Lisa Jackson said the agency is on track to receive final Energy Department testing results by May. “We expect that once we get that additional data…then EPA will be in a position to move toward the final decision on waiver, late summer is the time period,” Jackson told lawmakers at a recent Senate budget hearing. In December, EPA officials said initial tests showed vehicles made after 2001 probably will be able to use gasoline blended with as much as 15% ethanol.

Kioti Tractor, a division of Daedong Industrial Co. Ltd., has recently launched a Facebook Fan Page to communicate corporate, product and general tractor news to their nationwide dealer network, current owners of Kioti tractors, potential owners and tractor enthusiasts.

“We developed this page to provide us with an additional avenue to communicate with our dealers and customers and anyone else who may be interested in Kioti Tractors,” states Ron Parrish, Market Development Manager.  “It also allows us to gauge input posted by our dealers and customers to make sure we continue to provide them with exemplary customer service and the high-end products they have come to expect from our company.” »» Read More

Stens has joined popular social networking sites Twitter and Linked In. Stens plans to use the networking sites to communicate with customers and hopes these sites will be viewed as a direct line to Stens staff. Stens believes this is a step to staying connected with its customers and keeping its finger on the pulse of the industry. »» Read More

Yamaha Motor Co. is planning to move its ATV production, now in Japan, to the U.S.. beginning in 2011. The transition  is scheduled to finalize by 2013. Yamaha intends the move to increase responsiveness to market needs, as the U.S. offers the largest ATV demand.

The Oglebay National Training Center in West Virginia hosted the third year of the National Association of State Park Directors (NASPD) Leadership School.  The program began in 2008 and consists of both distance education and on-site components to educate future leaders of state parks.

The school is a two year training program and more than 74 first and second year participants enrolled this year, up from 67 in 2009. The program is funded in part by gold-level sponsor Stihl Inc., which provides travel funds to offset expenses of attending on-site leadership school events and also sponsors the NASPD annual conference. »» Read More

Kioti Tractor, a division of Daedong Industrial Co. Ltd., recently announced the agenda for their upcoming Annual Dealer Meeting, which will be held at the upscale Sheraton Hotel in Raleigh, North Carolina from February 23-25, 2010.

This three day event will open with a dealer welcome reception on February 23, followed by two days of extensive sales training, product announcements and the opportunity for dealers to provide Kioti management with feedback from their assigned territory. »» Read More

Rotary Corp. has recognized longtime employee L.W. Bush for outstanding leadership and performance. Bush serves as vice president of purchasing.

The Duke Award, named in honor of the company’s late founder, Duke Harvey, was presented to Mr. Bush for consistently displaying both competitive and positive business approaches to enhance the growth of Rotary.