EPA Ruling Excludes Small Engines for E15 Blend

On Wednesday, October 13, the Environmental Protection Agency approved the use of E15 blended fuels in 2007 and newer automotive models. The agency has not yet included older models or small engines in the ruling. The current ethanol/gas blend allowed in outdoor power equipment and other small engines is 10%. Many members of our industry are concerned that the E15 fuel will find its way into small engines over time.

What are your thoughts on how the OPE industry will be affected by this? Do you think the industry may someday be included in a future EPA approval of E15 fuel blends?

Stens Employee Appreciation Lunch

On Thursday, July 22, Stens' employees joined together to celebrate the closing of our 2009-10 fiscal year. They enjoyed an afternoon of grilling, volleyball, cornhole and card games. We want to thank our employees for their hard work and our customers for their loyalty in making this year a true success. To see our photo album, click here.

What You Need to Know About Ethanol Fuel

Be cautious of the problems that can be caused by using ethanol fuel in your gas-powered outdoor power equipment. As ethanol fuel becomes increasingly more prominent in our industry, it is important that the risks it creates be addressed and understood. Take a look at the attached Ethanol 101 informational piece to read about some of the most common issues.

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint with a Healthy Lawn

OPEI has made notable efforts in studying the effects of a healthy lawn on the environment and its ability to lower your overall carbon footprint. Grass possesses the ability to capture water run-off, dust and carbon. In fact, a properly maintained lawn can sequester a large amount of carbon, up to four times the amount produced by today’s lawn equipment. This has tremendous ability to reduce your carbon footprint and increase your positive effect on the environment as a whole. Equally important to properly cutting your lawn and leaving the clippings behind to increase carbon absorption, you must optimize your watering system by using the right plants for your location. Various turf grasses and ornamentals are better suited for different climate zones, so choose accordingly. This will allow you the most efficient water usage. To further increase turf’s ability to absorb carbon and battle other harmful elements, the following tips can be a good starting point.

• Mow your lawn at higher cutting heights.
• Keep your lawn mowers in good shape - perform routine tune-ups and maintenance.
• Use sharp lawn mower blades, otherwise there is risk of turf disease and damage.
• Water your lawn in the morning. This reduces the sun’s ability to absorb the moisture intended for the roots.

For more information, OPEI’s study is available here.

TurfMutt Educates the Public on Turf's Ability to Reduce Carbon in the Air

Who better to front the yard-saving campaign than man’s best friend, a member of a species who is closest to the grass itself? TurfMutt is the mascot of OPEI’s quest to educate the public about the benefits of a healthy lawn on the environment. Lucky is on a mission to publicize the ability of turf to dramatically reduce carbon traces. From dust to water run-off, healthy lawns help treat the elements that ail the environment. Check out the TurfMutt blog here.

Creativity at Work!

Stoller Lawn & Garden, a Stens dealer located in Orrville, OH, built this giant snowman with the help of an Ariens snowthrow. What a fun way to get in the spirit of the season!

See Stens' Booth at the 2010 Golf Industry Show

Matt Werner, our National Sales Manager, discusses our specialty golf product offering at the 2010 Golf Industry Show in San Diego, California. Within our 40 years of helping business run better, we've expanded our product line to fit over 200,000 applications in the outdoor power equipment industry. Check out our video.

Day one of the Orgill Hardware Spring Market

How to Avoid a Slow Winter Season for Outdoor Equipment Dealerships

The outdoor power equipment industry is at the mercy of nature’s whim. Rather than succumbing to the highs and lows of customer traffic brought on by weather changes, proactively seek ways to make your dealership immune to the cycles of business.

Chances are your dealership has record sales in the spring and summer months, but experience a drop in customer transactions in the winter. Avoid this common rut and turn your dealership into a profitable business year round. By following a few steps, you’ll be that much closer to earning exceptional sales numbers and consistent customer traffic, regardless of what month it is.

1. Broaden your horizons. By expanding your product line and offering more services to your customers, you’ll be able to satisfy more needs of your customers. Also look for seasonal services or products to offer at various points throughout the year. Consider adding winter service specials, such as snow equipment service sales, or fall promotions on fall equipment preparation.
2. Peak and non-peak seasonal sales. By running a sale on the services or products needed by your customers at certain times of the year, you’re communicating your understanding of their needs and positioning your dealership as an expert who can meet those needs. They will appreciate your insight and that appreciation will reciprocate in the form of loyalty and increased spending. Further, if you promote your services during the slow months that pertain to off-season tasks, such as fall clean-up or winter equipment preparation, your customers will be more open to new service suggestions or clean-up products because of that loyalty and trust you built.
3. Employees are an asset. Although seasonal layoffs are often inevitable for outdoor power equipment dealerships, all businesses need a competent staff to deliver on promises to your customers. To keep your reputation as an expert in the green industry, you need staff members who are properly trained and adequately experienced to back up that reputation.
4. Diversify your market reach. Examine related markets to your dealership. When you identify a market whose needs are not being met, position your business as a source for the products or services they need. Look for various customer groups you may not be dealing with, such as golf courses, university groundskeepers, municipalities, equipment rental shops and so on. By meeting the needs of more niche markets, you are expanding your ability to earn more sales and recruit new customers.
5. Take care of your customers. If you do experience slow seasons, say during the winter, take this as an opportunity to build and maintain relationships with your customers. By learning their needs and why they need particular services or products, you are establishing the groundwork for a prosperous customer-dealership relationship.
Take some time to lay a ground-plan for building a business empire. By detailing a step-by-step action plan, outlining each season’s tasks and successfully implementing your plan, your outdoor power equipment dealership will be a year round profit building business.

Snow Season is here.

The snow season is off to a great start. How has it affected your business?