HELPING YOU NAVIGATE

Every industry is filled with challenge and opportunity, and the

green industry is certainly no exception. Over the years, successful

lawn care operators, landscape and irrigation contractors, golf

course superintendents, sports turf managers, arborists, nursery

managers and greenhouse growers have had to continually adapt and

respond to this ever-changing market.

TODAY’S GREEN INDUSTRY ENVIRONMENT

Helping You Navigate Today’s Green Industry Environment

Clearly, every single choice that green industry business owners make has the potential to impact their livelihoods

and those of their employees. The domino effect doesn’t stop there, however. The issues these businesses

are currently facing can potentially impact other companies in the green industry supply chain, including

manufacturers and distributors. If their profitability is down due to rising input prices or a lack of available labor,

their ability to purchase your products and services may also be affected.

That’s why it’s imperative to stay abreast of industry issues and proactively manage them before they become a

crisis for your company as well. Green industry businesses of all sizes want to work with companies that understand

their unique situation. By developing initiatives and communications programs that reflect both insight and empathy

while offering solutions, your company can stay one step ahead of the pack and become a valued, trusted industry

partner for the long haul.

While all of that may sound relatively simple, putting it into action is often easier said than done. At Swanson Russell,

we’ve been helping green industry clients like Koch Turf & Ornamental (Koch), Oregon, Profile Products, the

Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) and Rain Bird navigate within this unique environment for decades.

From challenges, we cultivate opportunities. We build meaningful, lasting, authentic connections between the brands

we work with and their audiences. By immersing ourselves in our brands, their industries, and their customers,

we create a Real Connection™.

Our years of green industry experience extend beyond our client work. Our long-term involvement with industry

organizations like RISE, TOCA, Project EverGreen and The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) has helped us develop important

relationships and gain a broad perspective that other marketing communications agencies just can’t match.

However, we know that the proof of our expertise lies within the results we’ve been able to help our clients achieve.

Here are just a few examples of the work Swanson Russell has done on behalf of green industry clients to position

them for current and future success in an unpredictable environment.

As 2020 approaches, nearly every green industry business is trying to do more with less. According to industry research, labor shortages, increasing expenses and environmental pressures are making it tough for these businesses to be profitable — and stay that way:

REGULATIONS HURT BUSINESS GROWTH

Survey respondents for both

publications feel that fertilizer

and water use regulations

are significant barriers to

business growth, ranking just

behind competitive pressure.

47% ARE CONCERNED ABOUT FUEL PRICES

According to Lawn &

Landscape magazine’s most

recent industry report,

47 percent of contractors

surveyed cited high fuel

prices as a major concern.

66% NEED MORE QUALIFIED WORKERS

More than two-thirds of business

owners responding to a 2019

Irrigation & Green Industry

magazine survey said their

regions do not have enough

qualified workers.

Helping You Navigate Today’s Green Industry Environment

For many years, researchers have been studying the

potentially damaging effects of fertilizer runoff into

rivers, lakes and other bodies of water throughout the

United States. And, as a result, there’s been a great

deal of scrutiny about how commercial lawn care

companies and golf courses apply fertilizers to

their properties.

Koch Turf & Ornamental (Koch), a brand supported

by Koch Agronomic Services, LLC, is a global leader

in providing enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEFs)

that optimize nutrient uptake and minimize nutrient

loss. Koch’s EEFs also require fewer applications

throughout the year — an important benefit in an

industry with a labor shortage.

With Swanson Russell’s help, the team at Koch

recognized that they needed to help their customers

understand that not all fertilizers are created equal,

and that when applied correctly, fertilizer can encourage

healthy, beautiful turf with minimal environmental

impact and lower labor costs. Furthermore, they needed

to help their customers — golf courses and lawn

care businesses — educate their own patrons and

effectively destigmatize fertilizer use.

The Swanson Russell team got to work, brainstorming

the various ways that Koch could simultaneously

demonstrate environmental stewardship and educate

its customers and their clients that fertilizer can

be applied in a responsible, sustainable manner.

Our relationship with The Fertilizer Institute (TFI)

quickly came into play. TFI advocates for fair fertilizer

regulation and legislation and publicizes industry

initiatives for safety and environmental stewardship.

TFI and other industry partners developed the 4R

Nutrient Stewardship Initiative, a concept based on

using the right fertilizer source, at the right rate,

at the right time, with the right placement.

Koch is a “4R Partner,” a group of industry

stakeholders who want to encourage responsible

fertilizer use through a number of best management

practices. Using the 4R concept as a basis, Swanson

Russell helped Koch develop a sell sheet entitled

“Understanding How Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizers

Support 4R Nutrient Stewardship.” This sell sheet

serves as a tool that Koch customers can use to teach

their clients about the enhanced efficiency fertilizer

they apply and how it can garner optimum results

with less environmental impact.

Swanson Russell also incorporated these same

principles into an informative motion graphics video,

“4R Nutrient Stewardship,” designed to help lawn care

businesses and others understand the correlation

between Koch’s enhanced efficiency fertilizers with

the “right fertilizer source” component of the 4Rs

message. The video explains how EEFs can help turf

care professionals adhere to the 4Rs principles and

promote themselves as environmental stewards in a

competitive marketplace.

Today, Koch’s environmental positioning with the

4Rs touches nearly every aspect of its marketing

communications program, from its website and

additional videos to media interviews and newsletter

copy. Responsible fertilizer use and application will

continue to be at the industry forefront for many years

to come, and Koch has taken vital steps to ensure its

name is synonymous with environmental stewardship.

Industry partners developed the 4R Nutrient Stewardship

Initiative, a concept based on using the right fertilizer source, at the right rate, at

the right time, with the right placement.

Helping You Navigate Today’s Green Industry Environment

In today’s world, we’re often surrounded by noise —

unwanted or disturbing sounds that can interfere with

daily activities and can even diminish one’s quality of

life. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says

that studies show a direct link between noise and

health. Stress, high blood pressure, hearing loss and

sleep disruption are just a few of the situations that

can result when people experience too much noise.

Swanson Russell client, Oregon, manufactures

power tools such as blowers, trimmers, edgers

and more for professional lawn care operators and

groundskeepers to use for landscape maintenance.

By design, these tools create noise during normal

use. However, because Oregon is aware of the

growing market for quieter tools, the company

recently developed its 120V Battery Tool line which

offers battery-powered equipment that’s much

quieter to operate without sacrificing performance.

More and more environments in which contractors

and groundskeepers work now require reduced

noise levels. Oregon’s battery-powered tools

provide significant noise reduction and offer a much

smaller audible footprint. They’re also certified by

the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as Zero

Emission Equipment (ZEE). Oregon is the first and

only manufacturer to have its tools certified at the

professional level for this stringent standard.

The team at Swanson Russell immediately recognized

an opportunity for Oregon to further position itself

as a forward-thinking tool manufacturer creating

quieter, cleaner equipment that benefits lawn care

professionals and their customers. We created

a campaign around this concept featuring direct

mail, digital ads, an e-newsletter and social media

components, keeping in mind that certain audiences

would be even more receptive to an environmental

message than others. Through this campaign,

Oregon was able to reach university groundskeepers

(primarily members of the Association for the

Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education,

or AASHE) and offer tools that would help them

simultaneously decrease noise levels on campus and

improve their own images with students, faculty and

other community members.

As the societal focus on a cleaner, quieter

environment continues to build, Oregon is well-

positioned as a company that’s doing the right thing

for the right reasons. Its tools can help lawn care

professionals, consumers and anyone else who’s

tasked with maintaining green spaces do so with

fewer emissions and less disruptive noise.

Oregon developed a comprehensive campaign designed to promote the company’s battery-powered tool line to university grounds

maintenance crews. The primary message was that using these quieter, cleaner tools could help them decrease noise levels on campus without

sacrificing power and performance. In turn, they could also improve their images with university officials, faculty and students.

Helping You Navigate Today’s Green Industry Environment

Profile Products offers environmentally sound, site-

specific solutions for soil modification, horticultural

production, erosion control and plant establishment.

Their target audiences include architects, land

planners, contractors, developers and municipalities.

The company’s focus goes beyond ecofriendly

technologies to educational outreach and sustainable

manufacturing methods, including its industry-

leading initiative to use recycled-content packaging

across all product lines.

Profile has also developed an innovative

environmental scorecard that outlines the work

the company has done to create a more sustainable

environment, including restoring more than 1.5

million acres of land. Through this initiative,

Profile set new benchmarks that hold the company

accountable for its environmental goals and

pushes the industry to move toward more

sustainable practices.

Swanson Russell

saw the opportunity

to garner this

proactive green

industry company

more positive

publicity by

spotlighting

its noteworthy

environmental

efforts. The team began researching green industry

environmental award competitions in which they

could submit an entry for Profile. By doing so, Profile

could receive positive feedback and recognition from

a respected, third-party source. While there are

many environmental award competitions available

for businesses today, Swanson Russell sifted through

them and entered only those competitions that would

matter most to Profile’s primary audiences. In the

year since Swanson Russell started this campaign,

Profile has won five of the eight award competitions

they have entered.

Notably, those efforts paid off when Profile was

selected as one of 12 global companies to earn the

“SEAL (Sustainability, Environmental Achievement

and Leadership) Environmental Initiative Award”

recognizing organizations who have embarked upon

environmental and sustainability initiatives and a

commitment to sustainable business practices.

Profile earned the award for its commitment to

ecofriendly solutions for the environment, educational

outreach and sustainable production methods.

Swanson Russell developed a press release about

Profile’s SEAL Environmental Initiative Award and

distributed to green industry publications, as well as

those in the other industries the company serves. The

award took centerstage on the company’s website and

on its social media networks. Swanson Russell and

Profile continue to integrate positive environmental

messaging into all marketing communications,

further positioning this green company within the

green industry and beyond.

Profile has developed an innovative environmental scorecard that outlines the work the company has done to create a more sustainable environment, including

restoring more than 1.5 million acres of land.

Helping You Navigate Today’s Green Industry Environment

Propane has been an important part of America’s

energy mix for more than a century. Because propane

is an approved clean fuel listed in the 1990 Clean

Air Act, substituting it for other fuels can be an

economical and viable step toward cleaner air.

Swanson Russell client, the Propane Education &

Research Council (PERC), promotes the safe use

of propane in industries including fleet vehicle

management, residential and commercial building,

agriculture, and outdoor power equipment.

The ongoing task for Swanson Russell’s green

industry team is to help PERC find new ways to

promote propane use to lawn care operators and

landscape contractors. A primary use for propane in

the green industry is as a fuel for commercial lawn

mowers. Propane-powered mowers offer the benefits

of lower fuel and maintenance costs over the lifetime

of the mower, as well as fewer greenhouse gas

emissions than gasoline or diesel. PERC’s Propane

Mower Incentive Program offers $1,000 per new

propane mower purchase or $500 for each mower

converted from gasoline or diesel to propane. While

Swanson Russell promotes this program for PERC

in a number of ways — paid advertisements, public

relations and direct mail — our team knew that lawn

care professionals would want to crunch the numbers

to ensure switching to propane was right for them.

That’s why Swanson Russell worked with PERC to

build a “Mower Cost Calculator”. This online tool

helps contractors see the impact that switching to and

purchasing propane-powered mowers could make on

their bottom lines. Contractors simply enter a number

of variables, including the number of mowers in their

fleet, the fuel those mowers currently use, the total

number of hours they mow per year and the fuel price

they’re currently paying per gallon. The tool then

demonstrates the difference in fuel costs over time

and the total savings the contractor can expect over

one, three or five years.

To date, the Propane Mower Incentive Program —

with the help of the Mower Cost Calculator — has

encouraged hundreds of contractors to switch to

propane-powered mowers and has sold thousands

of gallons of propane. In 2020, PERC will update the

program with new incentives and requirements,

working with Swanson Russell once again to

find additional ways to promote it within the

green industry.

Propane-powered mowers offer the benefits of lower fuel and maintenance costs over the lifetime of the mower, as well as fewer

greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline or diesel.

Helping You Navigate Today’s Green Industry Environment

Swanson Russell has worked with Rain Bird since

the early 1990s, an incredibly long relationship in the

agency world. As a global company that’s been in the

business of manufacturing and providing irrigation

products and services since 1933, Rain Bird is one

of the best-known and most innovative brands in the

green industry.

For many years, Rain Bird’s guiding vision has been

“The Intelligent Use of Water™,” a reflection of the

company’s sincere passion for water efficiency.

That vision also recognizes the fact that producing

products that use less water in the pursuit of healthy

landscapes, golf courses, farms and sports arenas

makes good business sense.

In June 2015, the need for water conservation

rose to the national forefront in the United States

when California experienced a drought of historic

proportions. In fact, the situation became so dire that

then-Governor Jerry Brown instituted mandatory

water restrictions directing all California residents to

reduce their water consumption by at least 25 percent.

Immediately, Californians tried to find ways to cut

their water consumption, including turning off their

irrigation systems. However, this action began

to cause problems of its own. Trees that needed

supplemental watering from sprinkler systems began

to die. Homes and businesses were surrounded

by increasingly brown landscapes, which were not

only aesthetically displeasing, but also possible

fire hazards. Water districts began offering rebates

to customers who chose to replace turfgrass with

artificial turf or rocks and gravel that did nothing to

cool the atmosphere or clean the air.

Quickly, irrigation and landscape contractors in

California began to feel the drought’s financial

effects. With people choosing to let their grass go

dormant or remove it altogether, their livelihoods were

threatened. Rain Bird recognized this downward-

spiraling trend, and the company’s executives realized

that they needed to answer it in a meaningful way.

They called on their Swanson Russell team for help.

The result was an educational campaign called

“25 Ways to Save 25 Percent” that included a microsite

offering specific water-saving tips for homes, golf

courses, businesses and agricultural operations.

While some tips focused on specific Rain Bird products

that could help reduce water usage, other tips were

simply solid, long-standing best practices for efficient

irrigation. The microsite also included information on

the many rebates available to Californians who were

interested in updating their sprinkler systems for

greater water efficiency. Other campaign elements

included a heartfelt message from Rain Bird’s

president, a press release distributed to both trade

and consumer publications, direct mail and social

media content.

Through this campaign, Rain Bird was able to

successfully educate Californians and others

about the fact that we can all try harder to use less

water – but that doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice

the green spaces that we all love. The 25 Ways to

Save 25 Percent campaign also served to further

reinforce Rain Bird’s reputation as an environmentally

conscious manufacturer.

Through this campaign, Rain Bird was able to successfully educate Californians and others about the fact that we can all try harder to use less water – but that doesn’t

mean we have to sacrifice the green spaces that we all love.

CREATIVE APPROACHES TO A CHANGING LANDSCAPE

The green industry touches all of us and enhances our lives in its own

unique way — personally and professionally. At Swanson Russell, it’s not

just our livelihood, but also our passion. We understand that this industry

is constantly evolving, and our approach to green industry marketing

must evolve right along with it.

Over the past 20 years, we’ve worked with some of the biggest names

in the turf and ornamental, lawn and garden, and golf course markets.

Our green industry experience can help you break through the clutter,

grow your brand and navigate this highly competitive market with fresh

ideas and content.

branding / advertising / public relations

©2019 Swanson Russell. All Rights Reserved. ZNTURF-056981-9

Contact Us TodayWe’ll get to work on a communications strategy that reflects your values and intelligently responds to your customers’ needs and concerns. Let us help you make a Real Connection.

Stephanie Hays VP/Account Director stephanieh@swansonrussell.com 402-437-6061

1202 P Street Lincoln, NE 68508 -1425

tel 402-437-6400

14301 FNB Parkway, Ste 312 Omaha, NE 68154 -5299

tel 402-818-1100

www.swansonrussell.com