Jacobsen’s Global Headquarters’: Experiencing the Performance

Listed left to right: Paul Smith, Scotty Brown,
Tim Sisson, Ron Luber, Brent Doolittle,
Scott Ebers, and Kyle Embry.

On November 27th, Luber Brothers (LBI) customers traveled to Charlotte, NC to tour Jacobsen’s world-class manufacturing and distribution facilities. The memorable trip included a chance to meet the people behind the Jacobsen brand from engineers to customer service representatives.

A highlight of the tour was the roundtable discussion with Jacobsen’s top executives. During the discussion, customers were able to give feedback about the products and get the inside scoop on the company’s future plans. "I really enjoyed hearing honest product critiques from customers," said LBI Territory Sales Manager Tim Sisson. "Discussions like these help Jacobsen improve its product to better meet our customer’s needs."

After the tour, customers traveled a short distance to one of the Top 100 Private Golf Courses, Sage Valley Golf Club in South Carolina. There they were treated as private members with a two-night stay at a luxurious cottage, a tour of the maintenance barn and a few rounds of golf on the exquisitely groomed fairways.

"The hospitality is always an overwhelming experience when we bring customers to Sage Valley," said Jacobsen Territory Sales Manager Scotty Brown. "This top-notch property encompasses the entire spectrum of Jacobsen’s product line, including Eclipse 2 series walkers, Greens King 522s, GP 400 riding mowers and Tri-King trim mowers."

At the end of the trip, LBI customers had experienced the full life-cycle of a Jacobsen product on its home turf, from design to real-time application on the golf course. "We look forward to giving more of our customers this opportunity in the future," said LBI Vice President Ron Luber. "It was without a doubt the best way to gain a deeper understanding of why Jacobsen’s products continue to be a cut above the rest."

For more information about Luber Brothers, please visit www.luber.com. To contact us, please send an email to sales@luber.com or call (972) 313-2020.



  Picture taken of R311 T’s during tour of Jacobsen’s distribution center.

View of the prestigious Sage Valley Clubhouse from the 18th green.

 

New Territory Sales Manager, Tony Baker, Is Welcomed Into Oklahoma Territory

New Territory Sales Manager,
Tony Baker

Luber Brothers Inc. is thrilled to announce the addition of a new Territory Sales Manager. Starting October 15, 2012, Tony Baker will be joining the team at our Oklahoma City location.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to further enhance the Jacobsen name in the Oklahoma area”, said Baker. “With the quality of service Luber Brothers provides, along with top-of-the-line Jacobsen equipment, there isn’t a better choice in turf maintenance.”

Baker has been an integral part of the turf industry for more than 22 years, including a four year stint as a Golf Course Superintendent at Shawnee Country Club. He has experience both purchasing and selling a wide variety of equipment, which allows him a better understanding of customers’ needs.

 “I am happy to welcome Tony to the Luber Brothers team,” said Ron Luber, Vice President of Luber Brothers. “I know that his familiarity and aptitude with various types of equipment will benefit both our company and its customers.”

Baker currently lives in Norman, Oklahoma with his wife of 25 years, Paulette and their three sons.

For more information about Luber Brothers, please visit www.luber.com. To contact Tony Baker, please send an email to tonybaker@luber.com or call (405)795-1512.

SMU Athletics to Upgrade Grounds Equipment Fleet

Southern Methodist University (SMU) has chosen Luber Brothers Inc., the leading provider of turf and grounds equipment, to fulfill the growing need for new maintenance equipment. The new SMU grounds equipment will feature products from top- of-the-line manufacturers such as Jacobsen, Smithco and E-Z-GO.

“Having done previous business with Luber Bros. and knowing their reputation, it was an ideal fit for the SMU Athletics program and operational field needs, ” said Christine Phelan, Manager of Sponsorship Service for SMU. “We look forward to the partnership and being able to incorporate their leading edge equipment starting this year.”

Luber Brothers will provide SMU with 14 pieces of turf equipment for various applications across campus. The equipment includes a highly maneuverable Smithco Sweep Star V62, with a 62-inch sweeping width and four cubic yard debris hopper. The V62 will easily remove any debris on campus, while utilizing an electric clutch for quiet operation.

SMU will also be adding a Jacobsen LF-550 to its list of grounds maintenance equipment. “Due to the significant effort put into styling, function and operator comfort, this revolutionary machine is the most productive and cost-effective mower on the market today,” said Ron Luber, Vice President of Luber Brothers, Inc. “We are proud to partner with SMU and are honored to now be a part of a leading national university.”

SMU is celebrating the Centennial of its founding in 1911 and its opening in 1915. Entering its second century of achievement, the University has made plans to make various campus enhancements, including the renovation of Moody Coliseum and construction of a new tennis complex.

“In partnering with Luber Bros. this enhances our maintenance program through having state-of-the-art equipment at our fingertips,” remarked Russell Coe, Director of Turf Management for SMU. “One of the most important aspects of this partnership is the quality of service that Luber Bros. provides, which is an asset to our crew here. This is definitely a win for SMU!”

For more information on these or other Luber Brothers products, please visit www.luber.com. To contact us, please e-mail sales@luber.com or call (972) 313-2020.

New Utility Cart Fleet for the Dallas Convention Center



The Dallas Convention Center’s Assistant Director, Al
Rojas, getting ready to drive a brand new
Cushman Tug.

The Dallas Convention Center (DCC) - one of the largest convention centers in the nation - has acquired new equipment from, Luber Brothers, the local supplier of industrial equipment. The utility carts will assist in the management and set-up of many major conventions, meetings, concerts, antique and auto shows they host each year.

  “With most of their vehicles two decades old or older, they were more than ready to get a large influx of new equipment,” said Luber Brothers Sales Manager Tim Sisson. “The Cushman vehicles they purchased are really easy to maneuver in tight spaces and a perfect fit for the amount of cargo they                                                                                           have to tow across the convention center.” 

The 22 brand new Cushman electric utility vehicles have a combined towing capacity of more than 52 tons. The DCC can now get a large amount of supplies moved quickly, whether towing culinary tools for the Annual Cooking and Entertainment Show or boxes of feminine beauty products for the popular Mary Kay Seminar.

The 13 Cushman Titan’s have abundant capacity with a 21.6-sq-ft deck and 3,000-lb payload. The  nine small, yet powerful Cushman Tugs with 5,000 lb towing capacity, easily tow large loads through confined aisles and spaces.

 For more information on these or other Luber Brothers products, please visit www.luber.com. To contact us, please e-mail sales@luber.com or call (972) 313-2020.

Lessons Learned from Jacobsen’s Future Turf Managers Seminar

Since the 1980s, Jacobsen has been hosting the Future Turf Managers' program, an annual educational event for college seniors in several of the world’s top turfgrass programs. This year, Dan Strey from Iowa State University (ISU) attended the exclusive seminar and received a valuable education about Jacobsen's top-of-the-line equipment.

"Most may think that Jacobsen equipment is mass produced, but in truth, each machine is hand assembled by a single individual", said Strey. "The once forgotten manufacturing and assembly trait of America is still instilled within this company." While this fact stands out as an impressive feat, due to the egregious amount of time and effort it takes to put together such a detailed piece of equipment, Jacobsen's focus on Frequency of Clip (F.O.C.) is equally important.

F.O.C is the rate at which the reel/blades in a mower rotate to cut the grass. Jacobsen engineers have zeroed in on this concept in its new walk-behind greens mower, allowing the user to set the F.O.C. independent of the speed the operator is walking. For example, if the operator slows down while running the machine, the number of clips per inches actually increases, which results in a smoother finish and faster green.

During the Seminar, Strey also visited a few golf courses and sports fields that might quite an impression on the ISU Senior. On his tour of Sage Valley Golf Club, Strey claimed that "the course was in perfect condition and I kid you not, there wasn’t a grass blade out of place. I’ve worked and been at a couple of top 100 courses, but this ranks at the top of the list."

His visit to the South Carolina Gamecocks new forty million dollar stadium was also exceptionally impressive. “This was a rather new experience for someone like myself,” said Strey. The Gamecocks Sports Turf Manager, Clark Cox “was in the middle of converting his fields from Ryegrass to Bermuda grass.”

For Strey, the trip to Jacobsen’s North Carolina headquarters was a “once in a lifetime opportunity.” We know that the knowledge and experience he gained from the program will help in the turf industry for many years to come.

For more information about Luber Brothers, please visit www.luber.com. To contact us, please e-mail to sales@luber.com or call (972) 313-2020.

John Daly: On A Mission

At this week’s Greenbrier Classic, the two-time major champion made his fifth cut in six PGA Tour starts this season and then posted a final-round 5-under 65 for his lowest score in 82 rounds. It seems Daly is on a mission to, once again, compete full-time on the U.S. PGA Tour.

“Ever since I changed my putting grip to a regular, normal grip, I’ve been putting so much better. And I’ve been hitting the ball pretty good all year. I’m very pleased. It’s a good confidence booster,” said Daly. I know his many fans are also pleased to see him doing so well this year.

Daly fans will also be happy to hear he is taking strides toward a healthier life for himself and others. Daly and Tiger Woods will be teaming up to help Greenbrier Owner, Jim Justice, lose weight. The pair has promised to donate $100 to the charity of Justice’s choice for every pound he loses.

“He’s a big guy. If we could get him to lose some weight and add about 30-40 years to his life, he’ll be happy,” said Daly. “Every year I talk to him, his back is hurting him, and his knees are hurting him… It’s time somebody did something for him after him always doing something for everybody else.”

“I'm really proud of him,” Justice said. “I even offered to help him and sponsor him in some little way. People ask for a lot of stuff all the time, you know, and even with me offering, not one time has John Daly ever asked me for anything.”

Daly will continue to pursure the U.S. PGA card at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, IL. Keep up with Daly and other exciting sports news by following Luber Brothers on Facebook!

For more information about Luber Brothers, please visit www.luber.com. To contact us, please e-mail to sales@luber.com or call (972) 313-2020.

Jacobsen Announces Four Turfgrass Scholarships in Luber Brothers Territory

Four future turfgrass professionals from Texas and Oklahoma have each been awarded $500 Jacobsen/Luber Brothers Turfgrass Scholarships, due to outstanding recommendations made on their behalf.

“It is a great pleasure to be a part of their journey into the challenging world of turfgrass management,” said Luber Brothers President Rick Luber.“We are excited to watch as the incoming generations of turfgrass professionals make positive and beneficial strides within the industry.”

Scholarship recipient, Haden Dillard will graduate from Western Texas College in May 2013.  He was previously employed at Austin Golf Club and was recommended by his Western Texas College Superintendent of Campus Grounds and Golf Course Randy Weaver.

Both Elliott Marshall and Brandon Mihelich will graduate from Tarleton State University. Marshall was previously employed by the Texas Rangers and was recommended by Tarleton State Assistant Professor and Director of Golf Course Management Dr. Hennen Cummings. Mihelich is currently interning with The Brickman Group and was recommended by Tarleton State instructor and Horticulture Center Manager Manon Shockey.

Zach London will graduate from Oklahoma State University in the Spring of 2015.  He is currently employed by Oaktree National Golf Course and was recommended by OSU Associate Professor David Gerken.

We genuinely look forward to welcoming these outstanding individuals into the turfgrass community! We know that their future clientele will be easily impressed by their knowledge of turfgrass maintenance and, of course, Jacobsen and Luber Brothers industry-leading equipment!

For more information about Luber Brothers, please visit www.luber.com. To contact us, please e-mail to sales@luber.com or call (972) 313-2020.