Monday, June 14, 2010

A Way to Stay a Cut Above the Neighbors - Super Mowers

June 14  --  Linda and Bob Thayer of Wellington, Ohio, recently invested in a sporty new set of wheels. It boasts a premium engine, high-backed ergonomic seating and all-wheel steering that can turn the vehicle on a dime.

It also cuts the grass.

They're part of a new trend fueling green envy in America: the rise of the tricked-out lawn mower. Today, speedier cutting technology is practically de rigueur. Mower makers are now focused on mimicking the auto industry with cosmetic and creature comforts. Sun shades, iPod compartments, cruise control, chrome hub caps and even alternative fuels are all part of the mower mania.

Cutting-edge designs start at around $3,000 and go for more than $10,000—or roughly the cost of a 2010 Nissan Versa.

Hustler Turf Equipment offers the $10,000-plus commercial "Super Z" mower, which can jet along at 15 mph and has enough mechanical brawn to cut grass 40 hours a week. The price tag hasn't deterred residential customers, who "simply want the biggest, baddest mower on the block," says marketing director Adam Mullet.

Tim Strong of Raleigh, N.C., recently paid $4,000 for a commercial-grade reel mower from Locke, a brand once used in Yankee Stadium. It lends a striped appearance to his lawn by bending blades in alternate directions as he mows. It's also attention-getting. One neighbor marveled, "That's a pretty big-sized machine you've got there." Mr. Strong says that no other machine will give him the scissor-like precision-cut he wants for his Zoysia grass, a cushiony turf common on the golf links. "Quite frankly, I think your lawn and how you maintain it sends a message about how you treat other things you own and who you are," he says.

Despite environmentalists' ongoing campaign to peg grass as water-wasting turf, homeowners are snapping up high-end riding mowers with an appetite not seen since before the recession. After double-digit decreases for the past two years, U.S. shipments of riders are expected to climb slightly more than 6% over the next two years, according to the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute.

For some buyers, the new mower mood is a reaction to the economy. As tight credit, unemployment woes and lower home resale values persist, more people are staying put and improving existing dwellings—as well as investing in higher-end equipment to care for it.

For others, a mower upgrade is tinged with a little neighborly competition. "Most of us are guilty of trying to get the yard to look better than our neighbors. That goes right along with equipment having to be cooler than the neighbors," says Jim Bednar, a senior marketing manager for MTD Products Inc.'s Cub Cadet brand. Last year, Cub Cadet added an iPod holder with earphone slot into its lawn tractors. "It's well beyond cupholders," Mr. Bednar says.

To a large extent, there is pent-up demand after a several-year dry spell where consumers belt-tightened and repaired old equipment. Now that they are ready to buy, they are often buying big—especially the pricier "zero-turn" riders, which can make super-tight rotations around trees or flower beds, often cutting mowing time in half.

"Like people buying SUVs, they may be buying more mower than is technically necessary but that will give them a greater degree of comfort," says Kris Kiser, the institute's executive vice president.

The current appetite for high-end mowers is slightly counterintuitive. Some environmentalists and health advocates have been pushing homeowners to decrease pesticide and water usage by dialing back their lawn size. A growing number of towns and utilities offer financial incentives for such moves.

"Everyone is trending toward less turf, even on bigger estates," says Margie Grace, owner of Grace Design Associates, a landscape design and building firm in Santa Barbara, Calif. She calls it "waking from our lawn coma."

Some towns are beefing up noise ordinances for outdoor power equipment. "It's all leading to less grass possibly," says Greg Weekes, a marketing manager for Deere & Co., owner of the John Deere brand.

Still, Deere says it is seeing a 2010 mower sale uptick that is "far exceeding" forecasts, Mr. Weekes says. The company is currently experimenting with robotic technology for use in future models, while others such as Cub Cadet and Ariens Co. now sell riding mowers running on propane or batteries.

At Home Depot Inc., riding mower sales growth is up low double-digits through April with higher-end products performing best. Sears Holdings Corp., for its part, now runs "Demo Days" at its namesake stores so customers can test-drive mowers. The company is painting its Craftsman brand units in sports-car colors like hot red, yellow and jet black.

Less expensive walk-behind mowers are still the biggest sellers in the U.S. But among those upgrading to riders, and in particular zero-turns, are the 76 million Baby Boomers who are eyeing retirement and crave a less taxing yard routine.

Ms. Thayer of Ohio, a 52-year-old high school administrator who is retiring next year, convinced her husband to buy a $4,200 Cub Cadet "Z-Force S" zero-turn unit because it boasted so many accoutrements—including a car-like steering wheel versus the lap bars used on most zero-turns. "When I cut my grass it shouldn't be uncomfortable," she says.

Similarly, 62-year-old Skip Bilbey plunked down $12,000 to buy a Gravely 260 diesel zero-turn mower with a 60-inch cutting width, and he now grooms five acres in just a few hours, or half the time of his old rider.

His dealer, Howard Welsh at Gambles lawn and garden equipment in Alpena, Mich., has a simple explanation for the uber-mower movement. "People are stressed out and wore out from working way too many hours," he says. Customers "don't live to cut grass."

Lawnmower City - Beatrice, NB - Needs Trimming


June 10 -- Over the past 20 years, Beatrice was known as “Lawnmower City.”

The moniker described the lawnmower and turf care equipment manufacturing town, with Husqvarna Turf Care, Encore Manufacturing and Exmark Manufacturing employing more than 600 employees.

After Husqvarna announced it would be consolidating local operations into a million square foot, 2,500 employee plant in Orangeburg, S.C., “Lawnmower City” has effectively been cut in half.

Looking to the future, however, city and economic development officials say that Beatrice’s economy can’t remain a “one-trick pony” for much longer without potential permanent damage done to the community.

Beatrice Mayor Dennis Schuster said the community will need to look at diversifying its economy when negotiating with potential industries to fill the vacant Husqvarna building at the end of this year.

“Over the years, manufacturing has dwindled as far as employment,” Schuster said. In 1950, he said, half of the working population was employed by manufacturing jobs. Today, that number is 10-12 percent of the population.

“We make more goods with 10 percent of the population than we did with 50 percent” Schuster said. “There just isn’t the jobs available that there used to be.”

Schuster said many citizens see manufacturing as a “good, steady job that provided benefits and good, stable income.”

But Schuster said with the closing of Husqvarna, Beatrice needs to exercise options to attract industries that will look at staying and growing in the southeast Nebraska region.

“We need to look at all types of manufacturing,” he said. “We have a lot of no-skill, low-skill assembly type jobs in Beatrice. There are higher skilled jobs available out there.”

Diversifying the economy is not a new concept to Schuster, who said he has been urging the local economy to diversify for the better part of a decade.

“It’s imperative for our survival that we diversify here,” he said. “We can’t continue to depend on manufacturing like we have. If we don’t, Beatrice will continue to shrink and fail as a community.”

John DeHardt, managing principal of the Husqvarna building with Kessinger Hunter in Kansas City, Mo., said a building like Husqvarna’s typically holds two types of industry: manufacturing and distribution.

According to DeHardt and Gage County Economic Development director Terri Dageford, while a distribution warehouse set up in the Husqvarna building would provide jobs, numbers would be down significantly from the 230 permanent and over 100 temporary jobs at Husqvarna.

“Manufacturers naturally have more jobs and is more labor intensive,” DeHardt said. A distribution warehouse would employ as many as 30, he estimates.

Also, DeHardt said a study of distribution routes across the country might indicate Beatrice to be a less-than-ideal location for a large-scale distribution industry. 

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Industry Veteran Surprised by Husqvarna Plans to Close Beatrice Plant


BEATRICE --  May 28 -- With 44 years of experience in the lawnmower industry, Dick Tegtmeier understands the ties the industry has to the town of Beatrice and what severing some of those ties can mean.

Upon hearing that Husqvarna Turf Care, which employs more than 300 people, will be consolidating operations from Beatrice to Orangeburg, S.C., Tegtmeier realized the effects the move will have on the community.

“I’ve seen a lot of things come and go, but this probably baffles my mind about as much as anything,” Tegtmeier said Thursday. “I’m really shocked and surprised. In a downturn like this, it’s really going to effect (the community) worse than normal.

“That’s more than a community can stand normally. Especially in down times.”

Tegtmeier co-founded Exmark Manufacturing with three others in 1982. Then in 1988, he opened his own mower company, Encore Manufacturing, which still operates today.

Tegtmeier thinks that Husqvarna’s transition was probably unavoidable once the company made up its mind to move.

“When a company makes up its mind to do something, probably hell nor high water is going to keep it from doing it,” Tegtmeier said.

Tegtmeier thinks it’s unusual for the business to move because of the massive building recently built in Beatrice.

He expects that Husqvarna will be able to pay off the building’s lease once the business moves.

Current Husqvarna employees may consider walking out on the company to find a replacement job before the company moves, in an attempt to beat other employees to the punch, Tegtmeier pointed out.

“I think there will probably be a lot of people leaving there to get into the job market before December when everybody will be out there,” Tegtmeier explained. “That could have adverse effects on them immediately. It’s unfortunate.”

Ariens Announces Changes to Executive Management Structure


BRILLION — May 30 -- Ariens Co. announced changes to its executive management structure.

Jeff Hebbard was named president of Ariens Co. Wholegoods Business. Hebbard previously held the position of senior vice president sales, marketing and product development. He will be responsible for all current brands of Ariens, Gravely, EverRide and Great Dane; recent acquisitions of Parker, Treker, and Kee; and expanding the Gravely Turf business.

Bob Bradford was named senior vice president of operations. John Horn was named vice president of sales – Ariens whole goods, reporting to Hebbard. Horn previously held the position of director of sales for international, turf, government and distributor sales. Horn will be responsible for providing direction to the sales leadership team and implementing strategies to grow brands and sales channels, including the independent dealer channel.

The company also named Bill Engler director of sales-LSC, distributor, and industrial. Engler will serve as contact for national landscape and MRO (maintenance, repair and operating) accounts as well as a resource for dealers who support LSC sales. Engler previously held the position of director of sales – North America.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

US Predicts Up To 7 Major Hurricanes in 2010

US PREDICTS UP TO SEVEN MAJOR HURRICANES IN 2010

MIAMI – May 27 -- The Atlantic hurricane season will likely be a busy one that may spawn as many as 23 named tropical storms, including up to seven major hurricanes, a number that's not likely to be affected by theGulf oil spill, the U.S. government said Thursday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted that eight to 14 storms would strengthen into hurricanes, with top winds of 74 mph or higher. Three to seven of those could become major storms that reach Category 3 or higher — meaning they bring sustained winds of at least 111 mph.

"If this outlook holds true, this season could be one of the more active on record," NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco said in a statement. "The greater likelihood of storms brings an increased risk of a landfall. In short, we urge everyone to be prepared."

A hurricane might help break up the oil spill staining the Gulf of Mexico, but the oil won't affect significantly how tropical storms develop, forecasters said. They don't know what kind of environmental hazards to expect, though there are fears that winds and waves could push the oil deeper into estuaries and wetlands.

Government scientists said Thursday that anywhere from 500,000 gallons to a million gallons a day has been leaking from the site where an oil rig exploded April 20, killing 11 people. BP PLC, which leased the rig and is responsible for the cleanup, and the Coast Guard previously had estimated the flow was about 210,000 gallons per day.

The expanding slick already has coated wildlife and marshes in Louisiana, but Lubchenco said the spill is still small relative to hurricanes — which sometimes can span the entire Gulf.

Although some oil could be pushed inland by a storm as it makes landfall, it could be difficult to determine whether it leaked from flooded cars or factories, Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Craig Fugate said.

The 2010 government forecast is based on the weakening of El Nino. The Pacific Ocean phenomenon created strong wind shear that helped suppress storm development in the Atlantic last season. Record warm water temperatures also will feed storms crossing the Atlantic this year.

Three hurricanes developed out of nine tropical storms in 2009. None of the hurricanes came ashore in the United States. Hurricane Ida hit Nicaragua as a Category 1 storm in November.

Husqvarna To Close Beatrice Plant, Move Production to Orangeburg, SC

CHARLOTTE -- May 27 -- Husqvarna has previously communicated its intention to implement a number of structural changes in order to improve efficiency and reduce costs. In line with these changes, Husqvarna has decided to close the plant in Beatrice, Nebraska, and transfer production to the plant in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

The closure and transfer will be implemented in the second half of 2010. The cost for the measures is estimated at approximately SEK 110m, whereof cash items amount to approximately SEK 70m, which will be charged to income in the second quarter of 2010.

Annual savings from the measures are expected to amount to approximately SEK 40m and will be generated gradually from the start of 2011 with full effect as of 2012

The Beatrice plant assembles mainly Zero Turn Radius lawn mowers. The factory in Orangeburg manufactures similar products including riding garden tractors and tillers. 

Together with an earlier announcement to close a factory in Greece, operating income in the second quarter of 2010 will be charged with restructuring costs totaling SEK 160m.

The total annual savings from the measures are estimated at approximately SEK 60m and will be generated gradually from the start of 2011 with full effect as of 2012.

Ariens Acquires Countax Ltd., British Maker of Riding Mowers

Milwaukee – May 26 -- Ariens Co., a Brillion manufacturer of lawn and garden equipment, has acquired a British maker of riding lawn mowers.

The British firm, Countax Ltd., has 130 employees in Oxfordshire and sells products in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and the Netherlands.

Ariens has more than 1,200 employees, with operations in Wisconsin, Nebraska, Indiana, Alabama and Australia.

Terms of the acquisition were not made public by either of the privately held companies.

Countax will give Ariens a European base of operations, said company President Dan Ariens in a news release.

"We are committed to reinvigorating Countax and see opportunity for growth," Ariens said.

Harry Handkammer, Countax managing director, said: "There is a strong synergy between the Countax and Ariens business, as both are privately owned and enjoy common markets in landscaping and ground care."

Generac Holdings Inc. - SEC Form 10-Q - Period March 31, 2010 - Excerpts

Generac Holdings Inc. (the Company) owns all of the common stock of Generac Acquisition Corp., which in turn, owns all of the common stock of Generac Power Systems, Inc. (the Subsidiary). The Company designs, manufactures, and markets a complete line of backup power generation products for residential, light-commercial, and industrial markets.

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany amounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

The consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2010, the consolidated statement of redeemable stock and stockholders’ equity (deficit) for the three months ended March 31, 2010, and the consolidated statements of operations and cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2010 and 2009 have been prepared by the Company and have not been audited. 

In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting of only normal recurring adjustments necessary for the fair presentation of the financial position, results of operation and cash flows, have been made. The results of operations for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.

Expenses are charged to operations in the year incurred. However, for interim reporting purposes certain expenses are charged to operations based on a proportionate share of annual amounts rather than as they are actually incurred.

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Certain information and footnote disclosure normally included in consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles have been condensed or omitted. These consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009.

Initial Public Offering and Conversion of Class B Common Stock and Series A preferred Stock
On February 17, 2010, we completed our initial public offering (IPO) of 18,750,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $13.00 per share. In addition, the underwriters exercised their over-allotment option outlined in the underwriters agreement, and purchased an additional 1,950,500 shares of the Company’s common stock on March 18, 2010. We received approximately $269,100,000 in gross proceeds from the IPO and over-allotment exercise, or approximately $247,631,000 in net proceeds after deducting the underwriting discount and total expenses related to the offering.  Our capitalization prior to the initial public offering consisted of Series A Preferred Stock, Class B Common Stock and Class A Common Stock. Upon closing of the IPO, all shares of convertible Class B Common stock and Series A Preferred stock were automatically converted into 88,476,530 and 19,511,018 Class A Common shares, respectively. The 88,476,530 shares of Class A Common stock were subject to a 3.294 for 1 reverse stock split, resulting in 26,859,906 Class A Common shares related to the Class B Common stock conversion, and the Class A Common stock was re-designated as “Common Stock”. Subsequent to the IPO, the Company has one class of common stock. The share and per share data used in basic and diluted earnings per share has been retrospectively restated to reflect the 3.294 for 1 reverse stock split immediately prior to the IPO.

Overview
We are a leading designer and manufacturer of a wide range of standby generators for the residential, industrial and commercial markets. As the only significant market participant focused exclusively on these products, we have one of the leading market positions in the standby generator market in the United States and Canada. We design, engineer and manufacture generators with an output of between 800W and 9mW of power. We design, manufacture, source and modify engines, alternators, automatic transfer switches and other components necessary for our products. Our generators are fueled by natural gas, liquid propane, gasoline, diesel and Bi-Fuel™. Our products are available through a broad network of independent dealers, retailers and wholesalers.

Business drivers and measures
In operating our business and monitoring its performance, we pay attention to a number of industry trends, performance measures and operational factors. The statements in this section are based on our current expectations.

Industry trends
Our performance is affected by the demand for reliable back-up power solutions by our customer base. This demand is influenced by several important trends affecting our industry, including the following:

Increasing penetration opportunity.    Although there have been recent increases in product costs for installed standby generators in the residential and light-commercial markets (driven in the last two years by raw material costs), these costs have declined overall over the last decade, and many potential customers are not aware of the costs and benefits of backup power solutions. We estimate that penetration rates for residential products are approximately 2% of U.S. single-family detached, owner-occupied households with a home value of over $100,000, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2007 American Housing Survey for the United States, and penetration rates of many light-commercial outlets such as restaurants, drug stores, and gas stations are significantly lower than penetration of hospitals and industrial locations. We believe that by expanding our distribution network, continuing to develop our product line, and targeting our marketing efforts, we can continue to build awareness and increase penetration for our standby generators.

Effect of large scale power disruptions.    Power disruptions are an important driver of consumer awareness and have historically influenced demand for generators. Disruptions in the aging U.S. power grid and tropical and winter storm activity increase product awareness and may drive consumers to accelerate their purchase of a standby or portable generator during the immediate and subsequent period, which we believe may last for six to twelve months for standby generators. While there are power outages every year across all regions of the country, major outage activity is unpredictable by nature and, as a result, our sales levels and profitability may fluctuate from period to period.

Impact of business capital investment cycle.    The market for commercial and industrial generators is affected by the capital investment cycle and overall durable goods spending, as businesses either add new locations or make investments to upgrade existing locations. These trends can have a material impact on demand for industrial and commercial generators. However the capital investment cycle may differ for the various industrial and commercial end markets (industrial, telecommunications, distribution, retail health care facilities and municipal infrastructure, among others). The market for generators is also affected by general economic conditions, credit availability and trends in durable goods spending by consumers and businesses.

Operational factors
We are subject to various factors that can affect our results of operations, which we attempt to mitigate through factors we can control, including continued product development, expanded distribution, pricing and cost control. The operational factors that affect our business include the following:

New product start-up costs.    When we launch new products, we generally experience an increase in start-up costs, including engineering expenses, air freight expenses, testing expenses and marketing expenses, resulting in lower gross margins during the initial launch of a new product. Margins on new product introductions generally increase over the life of the product as these start-up costs decline and we focus our engineering efforts on product cost reduction.

Effect of commodity and component price fluctuations.    Industry-wide price fluctuations of key commodities, such as steel, copper and aluminum and other components we use in our products, can have a material impact on our results of operations. We have historically attempted to mitigate the impact of commodity and component prices through improved product design, price increases and select hedging transactions. Our results are also influenced by changes in fuel prices in the form of freight rates, which in some cases are borne by our customers and in other cases are paid by us.

Other factors
Other factors that affect our results of operations include the following:

Factors influencing interest and amortization expense.    We anticipate that interest expense will decrease in future periods because, during the three months ended March 31, 2010, we used the net proceeds from our initial public offering and available cash on hand, to repay a substantial portion of outstanding indebtedness. The expiration of certain interest rate swap agreements in January 2010 will also decrease interest expense in future periods.

Factors influencing provision for income taxes.    Because we made a Section 338(h)(10) election in connection with the 2006 CCMP transactions described below, we have $1.4 billion of tax-deductible goodwill and intangible asset amortization remaining as of December 31, 2009 that we expect to generate cash tax savings of $557 million through 2021, assuming continued profitability and a 38.5% tax rate. The amortization of these assets for tax purposes is expected to be $122 million annually through 2020 and $102 million in 2021, which generates annual cash tax savings of $47 million through 2020 and $39 million in 2021, assuming profitability and a 38.5% tax rate. Additionally, we have federal net operating loss, or NOL, carry forwards of $161.8 million as of December 31, 2009, which we expect to generate an additional $57 million of federal cash tax savings at a 35% rate when and if utilized. Based on current business plans, we believe that our cash tax obligations through 2021 will be significantly reduced by these tax attributes. However, any subsequent accumulations of common stock ownership leading to a change of control under Section 382 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, including through sales of stock by large stockholders, all of which are outside of our control, could limit and defer our ability to utilize our net operating loss carry forwards to offset future federal income tax liabilities.

Seasonality.    Although there is demand for our products throughout the year, in each of the past three years approximately 20% to 25% of our net sales occurred in the first quarter, 22% to 25% in the second quarter, 25% to 29% in the third quarter and 25% to 30% in the fourth quarter, with different seasonality depending on the timing of major outage activity in each year. We maintain a flexible production schedule in order to respond to outage-driven peak demand, but typically increase production levels in the second and third quarters of each year.

Transactions with CCMP
In November 2006, affiliates of CCMP Capital Advisors, LLC, or CCMP, together with affiliates of Unitas Capital Ltd., (Unitas), and members of our management, purchased an aggregate of $689 million of our equity capital. In addition, on November 10, 2006, Generac Power Systems borrowed an aggregate of $1,380 million, consisting of an initial drawdown of $950 million under a $1.1 billion first lien secured credit facility and $430 million under a $430 million second lien secured credit facility. With the proceeds from these equity and debt financings, together with cash on hand at Generac Power Systems, we (1) acquired all of the capital stock of Generac Power Systems and repaid certain pre-transaction indebtedness of Generac Power Systems for $2.0 billion, (2) paid $66 million in transaction costs related to the transaction and (3) retained $3 million for general corporate purposes. 

During the three months ended March 31, 2009, affiliates of CCMP acquired $16,000,000 par value of Second Lien term loans for approximately $6,662,000. CCMP exchanged this debt for additional shares of Series A Preferred stock issued by the Company. The Company subsequently contributed this debt to its Subsidiary. The fair value of the shares exchanged was $6,662,000. These shares had beneficial conversion features which are contingent upon a future event (see note 1 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements). The Company recorded this transaction as Series A Preferred stock of $6,662,000 based on the fair value of the debt contributed by CCMP which approximated the fair value of shares exchanged. The debt was held in treasury at face value. Consequently, the Company recorded a gain on extinguishment of debt of $9,096,000, which includes the write-off of deferred financing fees and other closing costs, in the consolidated statement of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2009.

Corporate reorganization
Our capitalization prior to the initial public offering consisted of Series A Preferred Stock, Class B Common Stock and Class A Common Stock. Our Series A Preferred Stock was entitled to a priority return preference equal to a 14% annual return on the amount originally paid for such shares and equity participation equal to 24.3% of the remaining equity value of the Company. Our Class B Common Stock was entitled to a priority return preference equal to a 10% annual return on the amount originally paid for such shares. In connection with the initial public offering, we undertook a corporate reorganization which gave effect to the conversion of our Series A Preferred Stock and Class B Common Stock into the same class of our common stock that was sold in our initial public offering while taking into account the rights and preference of those shares, including the priority returns of our Series A Preferred Stock and our Class B Common Stock and the equity participation rights of the Series A Preferred Stock. A reverse stock split was needed to reduce the number of shares to be issued to holders of our Class A and Class B Common Stock to the number that correctly reflected the proportionate interest of such stockholders in the Company, taking into account the number of shares of common stock to be issued upon the conversion of our Series A Preferred Stock and the number and value of shares of common stock to be issued and sold to new investors in the initial public offering. We refer to these transactions as the “Corporate Reorganization.” 

Initial public offering
On February 17, 2010, we completed our initial public offering of 18,750,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $13.00 per share. In addition, the underwriters exercised their option and purchased an additional 1,950,500 shares of our common stock from us on March 18, 2010. We received a total of approximately $247.6 million in net proceeds from the initial public offering and underwriters’ option exercise, after deducting the underwriting discounts and expenses.

The Company adopted an equity incentive plan on February 10, 2010 in connection with the IPO.  A registration statement on Form S-8 was filed registering the 6,637,835 shares of common stock issuable under the equity incentive plan.  At the time of the IPO, 4,341,504 stock options and 456,249 shares of restricted stock and other stock awards were granted to employees and Board members of the Company pursuant to the equity incentive plan.  The stock options have an exercise price equal to the IPO price and vest in equal installments over five years, subject to the grantee’s continued employment or service. The restricted stock awards will vest in full on the third anniversary of the date of grant, subject to the grantee’s continued employment.

Following the Corporate Reorganization, the IPO and underwriters’ option exercise, we had 67,529,290 shares of common stock outstanding.

Subsequent repayment of debt
In February 2010, we used $221.6 million in net proceeds from the initial closing of the IPO to pay down our second lien term loan in full and to pay down a portion of our first lien term loan. In addition, in March 2010, we used $138.5 million of cash and cash equivalents on hand to further pay down our first lien term loan. As a result of these pay downs, at March 19, 2010, the outstanding balance on the first lien credit facility had been reduced to $731.4 million, and our second lien credit facility had been repaid in full and terminated. This reduction in debt will have a significant impact on cash flows as a result of lower debt service costs in future periods, based on current LIBOR rates.

Net sales.    Net sales decreased $9.7 million, or 6.9%, to $130.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2010 from $140.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2009. This decrease was driven by a $4.5 million, or 5.1%, decrease in sales of residential products due to a weaker winter ice storm season during the first quarter of 2010 compared to 2009 which impacted portable generator volume during the current quarter.  In addition, industrial and commercial product sales declined $6.8 million, or 15.0%, due to continued declines in sales to industrial and commercial national account customers.  Additionally, as a late cycle business, further weakness in U.S. non-residential construction activity has also had a negative impact on the market demand for commercial and industrial standby generators.

Costs of goods sold.    Costs of goods sold decreased $13.6 million, or 14.7%, to $79.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2010 from $92.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2009. Materials cost decreased $11.3 million year-over-year due to a decrease in sales volume, lower commodity costs, primarily steel, copper and aluminum, as well as engineering and sourcing cost reductions implemented during 2009. Freight cost and labor and overhead costs also decreased $0.7 million and $1.6 million, respectively, year over year.

Gross profit.    Gross profit increased $3.9 million, or 8.2%, to $51.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2010 from $47.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2009, primarily due to the factors affecting cost of goods sold described above. As a percentage of net sales, gross profit increased to 39.3% for the three months ended March 31, 2010 from 33.8% for the three months ended March 31, 2009. Gross profit margin increased as our first quarter 2010 gross margin benefited from lower commodity costs versus the prior year quarter.  In addition, gross profit margins improved year-over-year due to price increases implemented during first quarter 2009 and cost reductions implemented throughout 2009 .

Operating expenses.    Operating expenses increased $2.2 million, or 6.7%, to $36.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2010 from $33.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2009. Selling and service expenses remained relatively flat due to lower variable expenses related to our decrease in net sales, such as warranty and commission, offset by higher advertising investment. Research and development expenses increased year over year $1.1 million from increased product development and engineering resource investment. General and administrative expenses increased $1.3 million mainly due to $1.2 million of stock based compensation expense recorded during the three months ended March 31, 2010 to account for the stock option, restricted stock and other stock awards issued in connection with our IPO.  In addition, general and administrative expenses increased due to additional public company administrative costs incurred during the current year period.

Other expense.    Other expense increased $5.0 million, or 63.1%, to $12.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2010 from $7.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2009. This increase was caused by a number of factors.  As a result of the previously discussed CCMP debt buy-backs during the three months ended March 31, 2009, we realized a $9.1 million gain on the extinguishment of debt during the first quarter of 2009, which did not recur in 2010.  In addition, the subsequent repayment of debt following our IPO in the first quarter of 2010 resulted in an acceleration of deferred financing cost amortization of $4.2 million that did not occur in 2009.  Lastly, a reduction in interest expense of $9.5 million was the result of (i) debt buy-backs in 2009, (ii) the subsequent repayment of debt post IPO in 2010, (iii) lower LIBOR rates year-over-year, and (iv) the expiration of interest rate swap contracts in January 2010.

Provision for income taxes.    Income tax expense was $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2010 and 2009. Income tax expense primarily relates to certain state income taxes based on profitability measures other than net income.

Net income.    As a result of the factors identified above, we generated net income of $2.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2010 compared to $5.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2009.

Adjusted EBITDA.   Non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA improved to $31.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2010from $28.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2009.  The previously mentioned improvements in gross profit are the primary drivers of this increase.  See “Non-GAAP measures” for a discussion of how we calculate this non-GAAP measure and limitations on its’ usefulness.

Toro Reports Fiscal 2010 Second Quarter Results

BLOOMINGTON, Minn., May 20, 2010 --The Toro Company today reported net earnings of $45.7 million, or $1.34 per share, on net sales of $562.8 million for its fiscal second quarter ended April 30, 2010. In the comparable fiscal 2009 period, the company reported net earnings of $36.9 million, or $1.00 per share, on net sales of $499.9 million.

For the fiscal year to date, Toro reported net earnings of $56.6 million, or $1.65 per share, on net sales of $894.2 million. In the first half of fiscal 2009, the company posted net earnings of $43.6 million, or $1.18 per share, on net sales of $840 million. The company's net earnings for the same period last year were reduced by $2.1 million, or $0.04 per share on an after-tax basis, to account for workforce adjustments.

"In 2009 we fought through a difficult economic environment with a focus on what we could control to emerge even stronger when our markets started to improve," said Michael J. Hoffman, Toro's chairman and chief executive officer. "In this early stage of the recovery, we are extremely pleased with the strong performance of our residential business and the rebound in our professional businesses. Increased end-user demand, gross margin improvement and a leaner cost structure are now driving solid improvements to our profitability.

Additionally, we achieved a major goal set in January 2007 to drive our 12-month average net working capital as a percent of sales down 'into the teens.' At the end of the second quarter, our 12-month average net working capital was 19 percent of sales. I'm proud of our dedicated team of employees for achieving this transformational goal sooner than expected, and we are confident our discipline in this area will continue."

SEGMENT RESULTS

Professional

Professional segment net sales for the fiscal 2010 second quarter totaled $349.6 million, up 12.6 percent compared with the same period last year. Shipments of landscape contractor products saw significant gains from strong customer acceptance for zero-turn riding mowers and stand-on machines. Worldwide shipments for golf maintenance equipment increased on renewed demand as the golf market begins to recover. And, in the area of precision irrigation, worldwide sales for micro irrigation products continued to strengthen as growers focus on improving crop yields and saving water resources. For the year to date, professional segment net sales were $562.4 million, up 4.2 percent from the first half of fiscal 2009.

Professional segment earnings for the fiscal 2010 second quarter totaled $67.6 million, up $10.7 million from the same period last year. For the year to date, professional segment earnings were $93.4 million, up $6.4 million from the first half of fiscal 2009.

Residential

Residential segment net sales for the fiscal 2010 second quarter totaled $210.1 million, an increase of 14.5 percent compared with the same period last year. Favorable spring weather and additional product placement at dealers and key retailers drove higher shipments for zero-turn riding mowers. Additionally, sales of Toro(R) walk power mowers were up, including initial orders for the new Toro eCycler(TM) cordless electric mower. Shipments of snow products also increased due to strong snowfalls that extended into the second quarter. For the year to date, residential segment net sales were $326.9 million, up 12.5 percent from the first half of fiscal 2009.

Residential segment earnings for the fiscal 2010 second quarter totaled $25.1 million, up $8.5 million from the same period last year. For the fiscal year to date, residential segment earnings were $38.5 million, up $17.1 million from the first half of fiscal 2009.

REVIEW OF OPERATIONS

Gross margin for the fiscal 2010 second quarter improved to 33.3 percent from 32.3 percent in last year's second quarter. For the first half of fiscal 2010, gross margin improved to 34.0 percent compared with 33.3 percent in the first half of fiscal 2009. The margin improvement in both periods resulted primarily from reduced commodity costs, lower manufacturing variances and cost reduction initiatives, partially offset by higher freight expense.

Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses for the fiscal 2010 second quarter totaled $115.3 million, up 12.8 percent from last year's second quarter, but were flat as a percent of sales with the previous year at 20.5 percent. For the year to date, SG&A expenses were $211.9 million, up 2.5 percent from the same period last year; however, expenses decreased to 23.7 percent of net sales compared with 24.6 percent in the first half of fiscal 2009. The decline reflects the company's leaner cost structure and continued spending discipline, somewhat offset by higher employee incentive expense.

Interest expense for the fiscal 2010 second quarter was $4.3 million compared with $4.4 million in the prior year's second quarter. For the year to date, interest expense totaled $8.5 million compared with $8.8 million in the first half of fiscal 2009.

The effective tax rate for the fiscal 2010 second quarter was 33.6 percent compared with 34.2 percent in last year's second quarter.

Accounts receivable at the end of the fiscal 2010 second quarter totaled $260.8 million, down $147 million from last year's second quarter, on a sales increase of 12.6 percent. The decline resulted primarily from the sale of certain floor plan and open account inventory receivables to the Red Iron Acceptance joint venture formed in August 2009. Net inventories in the second quarter were $174.4 million, down $41.4 million from the same period last year. Trade payables were $171.3 million, up $72.7 million from last year's second quarter due to the company's supply chain initiative and increased production over last year when inventories were being reduced.

As a result of higher earnings and working capital improvements, the company's cash flow from operations generated cash of $80.8 million in the first half of fiscal 2010, compared with a use of cash of $72.9 million in the same period last year. During the first half of fiscal 2010, the company repurchased $54.1 million of company stock.

BUSINESS OUTLOOK

"As the first half performance shows, our businesses are benefiting from the renewed strength in our markets," said Hoffman. "We are especially encouraged with our growth prospects as momentum starts to build and we realize the benefits of staying the course on engineering and other investments during fiscal 2009. As a result, the company's many innovative new products are capturing the attention of customers looking to maintain beautiful landscapes, increase productivity, and save valuable water resources. Our talented team of employees and business partners has accomplished a great deal so far in 2010, and I'm confident we will build on these achievements to further strengthen and grow our business."

Based on Toro's financial performance through the first half of fiscal 2010, and as previously announced on May 10, the company expects earnings for fiscal 2010 to be about $2.40 per share on a revenue increase of approximately 7 percent.

Non-GAAP Financial Measure

The company's long-term asset management goal was to reduce average net working capital as a percent of net sales below 20 percent, or "into the teens." The company defines net working capital as accounts receivable plus inventory less trade payables. In fiscal 2009, Toro's average net working capital as a percentage of net sales was 26.2 percent.