Kenneth Catalano brings 20 years of green industry experience to the role.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Florida Coast Equipment is excited to announce the addition of Kenneth Catalano, vice president of commercial landscape and nursery.

Catalano brings nearly 20 years of landscape experience to Florida Coast Equipment, having previously served as director of operations for the last 10 years at BrightView Landscape Services in South Florida. He will work closely with Florida Coast Equipment’s existing and new customers across the nursery and landscape industries as well as expand FCE’s focus on the state’s equine industry.

Florida Coast Equipment and BIG ORANGE RENTAL is a family-owned & operated full-service Kubota Dealership now serving 10 locations across the state (West Palm Beach, Ft. Pierce, Mims, Naples, Plant City, Land O'Lakes, Homestead, Apopka, Ocala and Lecanto.).

Founded in 1985, Florida Coast Equipment has grown from a single dealership with two employees to Florida’s largest Kubota dealer and one of the top dealerships in the country.

For more than 30 years, they have served large agricultural growers, builders and contractors of all sizes, nurseries, commercial landscapers, local and state governments, golf courses, HOAs, equestrian facilities, and estate homeowners in Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Okeechobee, Brevard, Seminole, Lee, Collier, Hillsborough and Pasco Counties.

Florida Coast Equipment rents, leases, sells, repairs, services and provides parts for Kubota utility vehicles, zero-turn, walk-behind and stand- on mowers, tractors, tractor-loader-backhoes, excavators, compact track loaders, skid-steers and wheel loaders, Toro Construction Equipment, Land Pride and Bush Hog rotary cutters, batwing mowers and attachments.

Florida Coast Equipment has been named an Elite Dealer eight years in a row and awarded the Top Volume Dealer award seven years. To learn more about Florida Coast Equipment and their rental company, Big Orange Rental, visit www.FloridaCoastEq.com.

This year’s event will take place Oct. 6-9 in San Antonio, Texas.

SiteOne Landscape Supply is hosting its 25th annual Women in the Green Industry Conference (WIGI) Oct. 6-9, 2022, at The Westin Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas. Registration is now open for the four-day professional development event focused on helping women in the green industry flourish.

SiteOne founded the original Women in The Green Industry (WIGI) Conference 25 years ago. Since then, WIGI has been dedicated to the development of professional women in the green industry. The annual conference is a once-a-year getaway to bond, swap stories and build a lifetime of industry support.

The women-only event is ideal for business owners, office managers, purchasing agents, installers, field workers or anyone in the green industry who desires to grow their business and expand their personal horizons.

“The industry is navigating many more challenges than years previous,” said Christina Moore, Sr. Events Manager at SiteOne. “Finding qualified labor for work, navigating rising prices, allocating products to complete jobs—it’s time we pause to help each other flourish despite these dynamic times. It’s important we celebrate and encourage the role women play in the future of the green industry.”

WIGI is proud to welcome five speakers to the stage to cover critical topics in the industry. Attendees will walk away with a variety of lessons, including how to shed one’s self-limiting beliefs, how to identify key players in the market to grow a business, and the foundations of wellness practices to support ones intellectual, occupational, emotional, spiritual, environmental, physical and social wellbeing. Keynote sessions include:

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from guest speakers, sponsors and each other by attending breakout sessions focused on topics, including:

WIGI is made possible thanks to Platinum Sponsors: Hunter and FX Luminaire; Gold Sponsors: Belgard and Techniseal. Additional sponsors include Bayer, LMN, NDS, Nufarm, Paige Electric, Syngenta, The Grow Group and Turf Care Supply.

SiteOne customers can apply 75,000 Partners Points to cover the registration fee of $999, or 95,000 Partners Points for a registration package of $1,299, including roundtrip airfare, hotel, ground transportation, group meals, classes and keynote sessions. Register for Women in the Green Industry at www.SiteOne.com/WIGI2022.

The new platform allows businesses to drive growth by generating and managing contracts, proposals and other business forms.

Real Green by WorkWave, a provider of field service software and solutions to the green service industries, announces the launch of Real Green Forms.

Real Green integrated WorkWave’s form-generating capabilities into its core software solution after seeing the success it has had within WorkWave’s other software solutions. With Real Green Forms, green industry owners have a new option for generating and managing paperless contracts, proposals and other business forms.

“Real Green Forms is a proven, innovative forms solution that allows Real Green customers to create highly customizable, fillable forms that are fully integrated into the platform’s automation, enabling them to close sales faster, drive growth through efficiency and optimize customer experience,” said David F. Giannetto, CEO of WorkWave, the parent company of Real Green. “This is one of the many benefits of bringing together industry leaders. We can leverage features and add-on solutions that are helping our customers succeed across our different platforms, and more quickly deliver proven new features and functionality that our customers want. This gives our customers the most value they can get from WorkWave as their technology partner.”

Real Green Forms enhances the power and functionality of Real Green’s green software platform with a solution that allows customers to digitally capture all relevant information, including signatures, required to complete contracts and proposals and other business forms.

With Real Green Forms, users can:

Real Green was acquired by WorkWave in June 2021.

For more information about Real Green, visit www.realgreen.com.

Early Bird rates available through Friday, June 24.

Lawn & Landscape magazine has revealed the keynote for the 2022 Lawn & Landscape Technology Conference, taking place Aug. 10-12, 2022, at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Jack Shaw is an Innovation and Emerging Technology Strategist with more than 30 years of experience helping leaders transform their organizations' digital ecosystems amid new waves of technology. He has shared his insights and advice with nearly 300,000 of the world's top leaders and professionals and has delivered over 1,000 keynote presentations and executive forums in 26 countries and every state across the U.S.

Having a sensible, practical approach to how tomorrow's new technologies will drive change and spur innovation, Shaw has advised key decision-makers at such Fortune 500 organizations as Mercedes Benz, Bosch, GE, Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, IBM, Oracle, and SAP.

Shaw integrates his executive experience in Industry, technology, and consulting to speak on innovation, change management, and transformational leadership. And, he has decades of experience designing, developing, and implementing emerging technologies and how these will impact business and society.

This experience enables him to speak with unique perspective and a deep understanding of such current leading-edge technologies as Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, 5G, and the Internet of Things.

Jack is a Yale University graduate, and he holds a Kellogg MBA degree specializing in Finance and Marketing. He was voted one of the World's Top 25 Speakers and one of the Top Five Technology Futurists in polls conducted by Speaking.com.

“As a conference focused solely on technology in the green industry, we felt bringing on Jack would provide our attendees with a wider look at how technology is affecting businesses in 2022 and beyond,” said Lawn & Landscape Editor Brian Horn. “We’re excited for attendees to hear Jack’s keynote and understand how they can harness technology to better run their businesses.”

In addition to Shaw’s keynote and a powerful education program, attendees will also have access to a 22,000+ square-foot exhibit hall featuring the latest technology and software companies serving the professional landscape and lawn care markets. Throughout the conference, attendees will also find ample time for organized networking.

Current registration rates range from $149 (Expo Only) to $399 (All-Access Pass). Continuing in 2022, a Virtual Only option pass will be available for $299. To register, visit lltechconference.com.

The newest models provide improved comfort, performance and durability.

Husqvarna has updated the 525LST in its line of commercial string trimmers, and the 580 backpack blower in its line of commercial leaf blowers.

The Husqvarna 525LST string trimmer is an ideal choice for commercial sites and combines a high-torque gearbox with a larger fuel tank (over its predecessor), providing the power needed to tackle job after job with fewer stops to refuel. The 22-ounce fuel tank feeds a 25.4cc displacement engine pushing 1.34 horsepower. Concealed cables prevent snagging and damage, while the solid steel driveshaft and rugged skid plate offer increased durability to this lightweight, powerful trimmer. Weighing 11 pounds, the 525LST string trimmer also incorporates LowVib anti-vibration technology, rubberized grips and flexible trigger, reducing stress and strain on hands and arms, and offering extended comfort throughout the workday.  

“Comfort and durability are a top priority at Husqvarna, as they provide the keys to overall performance,” said Jack Easterly, senior product manager at Husqvarna. “The 525LST string trimmer and 580 backpack blower have been redesigned to offer higher performance, a larger fuel tank and new ergonomic features that help professionals get the job done quickly and comfortably.”  

Husqvarna backpack blowers deliver power and comfort to commercial users in all conditions, season after season, and the 580 backpack blower is no exception. Providing 15% more blowing force than its predecessor, the 580 also boasts support with cushioned straps, ventilated back pad and hip belt that reduce fatigue and provide all-day comfort. With a fuel tank capacity of 89.7 fluid ounces, the 580 allows more running time. More running time in between refueling and all-day comfort means fewer stops, and more efficient work time. The high-compression X-TORQ engine, coupled with large diameter high-flow elbow and carbon plastic fan design, instantly delivers 1,000 CFM of air flow and 220 MPH air speed.  

To learn more about the entire Husqvarna commercial lineup, please visit husqvarna.com/us/.