Exmark Manufacturing Lending a Helping Hand

BEATRICE -- February 14 -- Founded in 1983, Exmark Manufacturing was one of a handful of companies that helped establish Beatrice as the ‘the lawn mower capital of the world.’

With more than 400 employees during peak production periods, Exmark is one of Gage County’s largest employers. It is also one of Gage County’s largest donators. Finance Director Patty Kaufman said the employees of Exmark want the company to be known as a place the community can turn for a helping hand.

“We want Beatrice to be able to count on us for community service. ” Kaufman said. “People can count on us for donations and those types of things. We want to be a good corporate citizen in Beatrice, Neb.”

Exmark has been giving back to the county for years, but it was the company’s 25-year anniversary in 2008 that sparked an increased passion for giving among Exmark employees.

“When our anniversary came along we put together a committee to celebrate our 25 years,” Kaufman said. “That was the start of our community giving committee. We got together and said ‘What could we do? We could have this big party, we could do fireworks.’ Someone came up with the idea of giving back and doing something really cool that the community will remember.”

That idea materialized in the form of Roszell Exmark Park. Located in the Glenover area of Beatrice, the park features basketball and tetherball courts, a playground area, a water fountain and a shelter with picnic tables.

“At the time, the park was out of code,” Kaufman explained. “It had a lot of very worn playground equipment. We tore a bunch of that out and put a bunch of new playground equipment in. We did a complete renovation of the entire area.”

Since that initial project, Exmark has donated funds to renovate a number of parks and playgrounds across Gage County.

“We did a renovation of Charles Park that included benches, Kaufman said. “We donated irrigation and all of the period lighting. In the Wymore Athletic Park we did a renovation to make that handicap accessible and built a retaining wall. They had some issues with the deterioration of a hill. Prairie Playground is the playground at the YMCA. We donated $25,000 to that in the first year of their fundraising. We really kick started their fundraising, and now they’ve been able to raise well over $100,000 for the renovation of that park.”

Exmark was a major contributor to the House of Orange, donating $50,000 to the new athletic complex. The company is also Gage County’s largest contributor to United Way.

“We actually provide them with over half of their total budget,” Kaufman explained. “We were able to give them $72,000 this year. That is phenomenal not only because we place such an emphasis on it, but that money is our employees’ money. It’s not just Exmark writing that check, that is our employees giving of themselves to the community.”

In addition to these large projects and contributions, Exmark also serves a number of smaller fundraisers and organizations, including food drives, ball teams, the Beatrice Mary Family YMCA and the Gage County Fair.

“We place a lot of emphasis on (the fair) because it’s probably the largest event of the year in Gage County,” Kaufman said. “One of the things we started doing years ago was to produce a T-shirt. Our graphic designer here does a design, and we give those away free to every 4-H and FFA member. We also have employees out there every morning picking up trash at the fair. We have people setting up the stage, doing judging or setting up State Fair Square. We’re really involved with that, and we encourage all our employees to be involved.”

Kaufman said much of Exmark’s passion for giving comes from its parent company, Toro.

“That’s really where we get our spirit of giving,” Kaufman explained. “It’s really embedded in their corporation. They’re actually celebrating 100 years this year. They provide us with several programs that we’re able to give to our community.”

Exmark’s latest community service project was the construction of a healing garden at Beatrice Community Hospital. Kaufman said the garden is beneficial for patients, visitors and hospital staff.

“We went to (the hospital) with this idea because we saw some things in the news how green space and beautiful outdoor spaces with flowers and butterflies and birds can really enhance a person’s stay at the hospital,” Kaufman said. “This space has benches and a gazebo. There are two water features with a bubbler and a huge rock where water comes over to create soothing sounds.”

Toro has a number of incentives put in place to encourage community service. One of those incentives is Dollars for Doers, a program where Toro will donate money in exchange for volunteer hours.

“This is a great Toro program where if an employee gives 30 volunteer hours to an organization, then Toro will write a $300 check to that organization,” Kaufman explained. “We have checks going out to volunteer fire departments, area schools and the Beatrice Backpack Program.

Kaufman said Exmark’s sense of community service is truly driven by its employees, whom have a great passion for giving back to their communities.

“There’s so much pride of our employees in these projects. We see this continuing for many years to come.”

Austin Buckner      www.beatricedailysun.com 

Worldlawn Power Purchases Encore

March 18 -- Encore Manufacturing in Beatrice reached a deal to sell all its assets to Worldlawn Power Equipment Inc., a Chinese firm which currently operates out of Industry, Calif.

The company will be moving its operation from California to Beatrice, a move that could eventually bring 40 jobs to Beatrice.

Encore founder Dick Tegtmeier said he’s been negotiating with Worldlawn since December of 2008.

“Because of the banking institutions, the general economy and some other things that are out of control caused us to be short-handed on money, so we had to sell it,” Tegtmeier said.

Tegtmeier said Worldlawn wanted to enhance its commercial line of lawn mowers and was interested in buying Encore. Worldlawn produces and markets various sizes of walk-behind and zero-turn radius mowers along with a line of two stage snow throwers.

Tegtmeier said he had to dismiss all employees at Encore, including himself, and said Worldlawn will begin to hire back as needed. Tegtmeier said the company plans to keep the Encore name but incorporate Worldlawn’s brand into it.

Tegtmeier co-founded Exmark Manufacturing with three others in 1982. In 1988, he opened his own mower company, Encore Manufacturing.

To start Encore, Tegtmeier made a triangle from Beatrice to Milwaukee and then to New York to try and sell stock in the company.

Tegtmeier said selling Encore was a difficult decision, but he had no choice. Because of his loyal employees, Tegtmeier said he wouldn’t sell Encore to anyone unless they kept it in Beatrice.

“It’s a thing that had to be done because of the finances,” Tegtmeier said. “Otherwise it’s kind of a sad state. I had some very, very loyal employees. I certainly hated to see them lose their jobs, thus my criteria was it had to stay here. I had about 42 people interested in buying and then once I announced it had to stay in Beatrice, I lost about 45 percent overnight.”

According to documents in the Register of Deeds office, the transaction for Encore Manufacturing was approximately $1.3 million.

Beatrice Chamber of Commerce President Lori Warner applauded Tegtmeier for his desire to keep the company in Beatrice.

“He didn’t have to do that,” Warner said. “He could have sold it to somebody else and let them take it out of Beatrice, but he was adamant on keeping it in Beatrice. And he wanted to, because he knew it was important to Beatrice.”

Encore has been synonymous with the Tegtmeier name since its founding.

“Being in the industry since ‘66, it’s hard to give up,” Tegtmeier said. “And I didn’t want to yet. But there comes a point of time when you’ve completed your circle and I’ve done it.”

Tegtmeier said Encore once employed 42 people at its peak. Currently, the company employs two full-time workers and five part-time employees with no manufacturing taking place.

Encore service manager Billy Harms said Worldlawn officials have said they would like to eventually bring 40 jobs back to Encore.

Currently, there is no timeline on when the company will begin operation in Beatrice.

“It’s kind of bittersweet,” Harms said. “It’s nice to see the company come back but it’s hard to see an era end in working with Dick. We all hope it comes full circle and people get their jobs back. We could have all the former people back, but we know we have some contingency that we’re going to have to work along with.”

Warner said Encore has been a wonderful business that’s been a stable in the community for over 20 years.

She said it’s a big benefit for the community that the Tegtmeiers were able to make this sale happen.

“I’ve already heard that several people have left Los Angeles and were flying to Beatrice to look at renting a home,” Warner said. “So we will get an influx of new people to our community because of this and hopefully several former employees will get their jobs back as well.”

Warner said Beatrice has endured a tough year with the loss of Husqvarna Turf Care and it’s nice to finally have some good news for the community.

“It just goes to show that we shouldn’t give up hope,” Warner said. “Positive things like this can happen, but it just takes a while. I think that this company being sold and jobs coming back is a wonderful story and it should provide hope that good things will happen in the future.”

Husqvarna Plans Continued Beatrice Operations With Tentative Closure Dec. 31, 2010

HUSQVARNA CONTINUES OPERATION

October 16 -- Not much has changed for Husqvarna Turf Care Company since the lawnmower manufacturer announced it would be closing its Beatrice location and merging business to South Carolina in May.

The Swedish company said the consolidation would streamline its business.

Husqvarna spokesperson Beth Wiseman said the plant closure date is tentatively set for Dec. 31, 2010.

“A few employees may remain until mid-January, 2011 to close down the building,” Wiseman wrote in an email to the Daily Sun.

Wiseman said the employment level at the plant has not fluctuated much since the announcement of the closing and more than 300 people are still employed.

Over the next few months, Husqvarna will begin to reduce its workforce, culminating in the Dec. 31 closing.

“To date, we have only laid off two employees,” Wiseman wrote. “Several employees resigned having found employment with other companies in the area.”

Further reductions in the workforce are scheduled for Oct. 29, Dec. 9 and Dec. 31.

Wiseman said some employees, including hourly, professional and management have accepted positions within Husqvarna in Charlotte, N.C. and Orangeburg, S.C., site of Husqvarna’s U.S. headquarters.

Beginning in mid-December, Husqvarna will remove its equipment and machinery from the plant.

“We plan to begin packing up equipment for shipment during the week of December 13, 2010,” Wiseman wrote.

Currently, once Husqvarna leaves Beatrice, there are no other companies lined up to move into the 274,000 sq. feet facility located just off U.S. Highway 77 in north Beatrice.

John DeHardt, managing principal of Kessinger Hunter, the owner of the Husqvarna building, said he has had one “lukewarm” lead on a company interested in leasing the building.

“We’re holding out hope on one unnamed company that would be a manufacturer,” DeHardt said in a phone interview Monday.

DeHardt said he is optimistic a company would seize opportunity to set up shop in Beatrice.

“Unfortunately, no one has immediately come forward, but we have every hope that we will secure a quality firm that wants to set up business in Beatrice,” he said.

In addition to Kessinger Hunter, a Husqvarna brokerage firm has also been marketing the building to sublease to companies needing factory space.

DeHardt said Husqvarna has 4.5 years remaining on its lease of the facility, and both Kessinger Hunter and the City of Beatrice hope to secure another company to fill the building.

“Both of us would like to see a major manufacturing presence in that building and I have a fair degree of optimism we will succeed in securing a company in the not too distant future,” DeHardt said. “It’s a great facility and more importantly a great local workforce.”

“A combination of those two should be a great way to attract new business,” he added.