When asked if they have a training program in place, most landscape contractors will say “yes.” They then will likely describe a spring startup session where all employees, new and veteran alike, will be introduced to safety protocols and procedures. Day-long training may include a review of safe operating tips, required safety apparel, and a primer on how to operate equipment and drive a truck with trailer. Some companies actually provide handson training on any new equipment, putting employees through a driving test.

Ed Castro, BLA, ASLA, president of Ed Castro Landscape Company in Roswell, Georgia, knows why the Walker Mower is the only rider he’s ever owned. “Our customers have high expectations and we have to deliver,” says Castro, who founded his design/installation/maintenance company 19 years ago. “The mower is not only maneuverable and versatile, but also delivers a high-quality cut that helps to set us apart.”

A comment we hear from time to time is, “Why doesn’t Walker design a mower that costs less and competes with some of the other lower-priced mowers on the market”? The quick answer is that we try to design equipment that we would like to buy ourselves, and we just happen to have a taste for high-quality equipment. In our family, we grew up with the idea that we would be willing to pay more to get more value. We are not talking about “luxury” here, but simply high quality and high value to match. So we have never had much interest in building “cheap” or designing to hit a low price point. If that is considered a fault of ours, then we are guilty as charged.

The day before the Walker Talk editor arrived, Mike Hill celebrated his 54th birthday—54 that is, going on 45. This energetic Walker user worked 30 years for Reynolds Aluminum before retiring five years ago. For nearly 10 of those years, he logged overtime as a rolling mill operator, producing Reynolds Wrap® aluminum foil, only to go home and mow lawns.

"The only way to understand Mother Earth is to be a serious gardener,” says Dr. Bernard Huang. “Only then does one understand how amazingly complex and beautiful the planet is that we live on.”

For years, Cape Coral, Florida, neighbors could say that their lawn maintenance contractor was fussy. Indeed, because that was the name of the company, Fussy Lawn Care, owned and operated by Roger Ross.