Dealers across the country made the trip to Louisville, Ky. and Equip Expo, where anything and everything lawn and garden equipment related awaited, the latest products and technology is gas-, battery- and good ol’ people powered products for  the lawn and garden universe. Equip Expo does indeed have it all, and here’s what a few dealers said they found:

Commenting to PET Editor Dan Shell on the amount of walking he’d already done and hadn’t even seen the outside demo area yet, Jacob Gritz of Jacob’s Lawn Mower Repair in Ringwood, Okla., said this was his first time at Equip Expo and he was excited about all the products and ideas he was seeing and what impact they might have on the future of his business.

Currently operating a repair-only business, Gritz said Equip Expo is a great place to look ahead at what the future of his business might be. He added that he believes developing a respected and quality local go-to repair shop like he’s currently doing is a great springboard for eventually building a full-service dealership—and Equip is a way to imagine what it might look like or be.

“It’s a great place for thinking about the future and what we might do one day,” Gritz said, adding that some of the new technology mowers had caught his eye.

Alan Ward of Morgantown Mowers & Mower in Morgantown, WV says the shop has had a great spring-summer selling season this year that’s still going strong into fall.

“We’re always looking for something new,” Ward said, adding that the new autonomous-type mowing technologies are interesting.

Chris George, owner of The Small Engine Specialist in Cumberland, RI, made the trek to Louisville and Equip Expo this year for the first time, and the event is providing him with potential business ventures.

“Our business is growing,” says George, “and we’re looking for new products and opportunities.”

George adds that The Small Engine Specialist offers both a retail location and a mobile repair service, and both are in demand. “We’re looking to add a mower line, and we’re also looking to do more with electrical and battery equipment.”

A veteran of more than 15 shows, Matt Stoller of Stoller Lawn & Garden in Orrville, Oh. remembers visiting the Louisville  lawn and garden event as a kid, and he’s amazed at the growth he’s seen.

Stoller reports the dealership has had a good sales year with plenty of rain in the area. He’d come to Equip looking at some of the robotic-type mowers but more in consumer applications than the larger commercial units.

He also notes the growing demand for battery-electric products, and says that as an Ego dealer, he recently dropped a gas produce line that was underperforming compared to the battery line.