Amazon, EPA Reach Settlement For Sales Of Illegal Pesticides: This Week’s Industry News

Want to keep up with the latest news in lawn care and landscaping? Check back every Thursday for a quick recap of recent happenings in the green industry.

Amazon, EPA Reach Settlement For Sales Of Illegal Pesticides
Seattle-based Amazon has agreed to pay more than $1.2 million in administrative penalties as part of an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to the Seattle Times. The EPA said this agreement will protect consumers from hazards of illegal and misbranded pesticides sold by Amazon. There were allegations that Amazon committed nearly 4,000 violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act over the past five years by allowing third-parties to sell and distribute imported pesticide products from Amazon warehouses even though the pesticides were not licensed to be sold in the U.S., Reuters reported. Under terms of the agreement, Amazon said it plans to develop an online training course about pesticide regulations and policies to reduce the number of illegal pesticides available through the online marketplace, according to the Seattle Times.

Cool Planet Hires New Account Manager for the West Coast Region
Cool Planet has announced that Andrea Melnychenko has joined the company as the Account Manager, Turf, Nursery, and Ornamental markets for the West Coast Region. She will join the soil health company to support Cool Planet’s extensive network of distribution partners and growing number of Cool Terra customers. Prior to joining Cool Planet, Andrea progressed through roles in Quality Assurance and Sales at CID Bio-Science / Felix Instruments, and most recently served as Grower Account Manager at Agerpoint. She earned BS and MS degrees in biology from Portland State University.

Call For Entries Opens For Houzz Design and Architecture Scholarship Program
Houzz Inc. has announced the call for entries for Houzz Scholarships, a program that supports the next generation of residential design and architecture pros: students studying architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture. Houzz will award four $2,500 scholarships in the categories of ‘Women in Architecture’, ‘Sustainable Design,’ ‘Residential Interior Design’ and ‘Residential Construction Management.’ Houzz awards these scholarships biannually in the spring and fall, and is now accepting applications for fall 2018. High school seniors, undergraduates, and graduate students 18 years of age or older are invited to apply online. houzz.com/scholarships. In addition to submitting a brief essay on their design and architecture influences, students are invited to create a Houzz professional student profile. The deadline for the fall 2018 scholarships is June 30, 2018.

OPEI Announces Six New Members
OPEI is proud to welcome several new members: Pulsar Products, Ontario, Canada; Shivvers Manufacturing, Corydon, Iowa; Extreme Outdoor Power Equipment, Blaine, Minnesota; Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies, Plymouth, Michigan; Sugino Corp., Itasca, Illinois; and SGS North America, Lapeer, Michigan.

Mean Green Mowers Introduces New Referral Program
Customers can now earn rewards and cash for referring someone they know to Mean Green Mowers. When the referral places an order for a new Mean Green Mower, they will be supporting electric outdoor power equipment, according to the company. Users can find out more details on their website.

Exmark Adds Suspended Operator Platform Option
Exmark has launched a new suspended platform-equipped version of its popular Radius S-Series zero-turn riding mower. The new suspended platform uses three independent coil-over dampers to isolate the cast aluminum operator platform from the mower chassis.

PERC Promotes Jeremy Wishart to Director of Off-Road Business Development
The Propane Education & Research Council promoted Jeremy Wishart to director of off-road business development. Wishart brings more than a decade of experience, knowledge, and industry relations to the position. In his new role, Wishart will lead propane application research and development, and oversee market communication strategy and outreach in multiple outdoor power equipment market sectors that utilize propane applications. Most recently, Wishart served as deputy director of business development for PERC since 2013. He has worked in a variety of marketing capacities since joining PERC in 2005. Wishart graduated from Shepherd University in West Virginia with a Bachelor of Science in commercial recreation and tourism in 2002.

Graham Spray Equipment’s Charlie Holloway Announces Retirement
After nearly 38 years with Graham Spray Equipment, salesman Charlie Holloway is retiring. Graham has announced Holloway’s last day will be April 26. After April 26, sales inquiries can be directed to Dave Arnett and Teddy Mathis. Mathis joined Graham in 2017, bringing with him 21 years of experience in lawn care and the spray industry. Arnett has been with Graham for more than 30 years. Holloway started out on the shop floor building spray units and worked his way up to sales, where he is known for building lasting relationships. He says, “I’ve really enjoyed my work, and I like knowing that me and the Graham team have played a part in many successful businesses.”

Ruppert Landscape Acquires Classic Landscaping
Ruppert Landscape has announced the acquisition of Classic Landscaping, a grounds management company headquartered in Frederick, Maryland with a second location in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.The transaction includes the purchase of both Classic facilities, all commercial landscape management contracts, vehicles and equipment, and the hiring of over 20 employees. Ruppert will relocate their Frederick team from the current rented facility to join Classic’s team in their owned facility by March 1st, 2018. The Camp Hill branch will join Ruppert’s two existing Pennsylvania landscape management operations located in Toughkenamon and King of Prussia.

DowDuPont Agriculture Division To Become Corteva Agriscience
The Agriculture Division of DowDuPont has announced the name of the intended company once it is spun-off, which is expected to happen by June 1, 2019. The intended Agriculture company will become Corteva Agriscience (kohr-‘teh-vah), which is derived from a combination of words meaning “heart” and “nature.” Corteva Agriscience brings together DuPont Crop Protection, DuPont Pioneer and Dow AgroSciences to create a standalone agriculture company. In addition to announcing the corporate name, the intended Agriculture company unveiled the Corteva Agriscience brand identity and logo at Commodity Classic, the largest farmer-led convention and trade show in the United States. The corporate headquarters for the intended company will be located in Wilmington, Delaware, and sites in Johnston, Iowa, and Indianapolis, Indiana, will serve as Global Business Centers, with leadership of business lines, business support functions, R&D, global supply chain, and sales and marketing capabilities concentrated in the two Midwest locations. DowDuPont will support the new brand name through a series of recognition events between now and the time the division becomes an independent company.

The post Amazon, EPA Reach Settlement For Sales Of Illegal Pesticides: This Week’s Industry News appeared first on Turf.

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