OCTOBER 2022

Article by Dan Shell, Senior Editor, Power Equipment Trade

PORTLAND, Oregon – Anyone looking for premium power equipment to buy or have serviced in the greater Portland, Oregon area is less than a 30 minute drive to one of Stark Street Lawn & Garden’s five branch locations that encircle the Rose City.

Despite staffing issues and supply chain concerns that all dealers are fighting right now, Stark Street has fared well: 2021 was the best year ever for the business, and this summer has brought more of the same thanks to a late and damp spring that extended plant growth well into the summer months.

This year, four branches had their best sales months ever in June, and July and August continued a strong trend as well, says owner Tom Jenne. “It’s played out as we thought it might, really, due to the record wet weather we had up through June.”

Stark Street Lawn & Garden dates to 1965 and a small Quonset hut just down the road and across the street from its current location on Stark Street in northeast Portland. Jenne remembers the dealership from his childhood and occasionally buying parts there for his at-home mower repair business.

Jenne started working for the dealership in 1989 and also began working his way through a final year of college. He proved a quick study, as the owner had been looking to sell the business, and Jenne worked out an agreement to buy it in 1994.

In an era when many dealerships hadn’t yet made the leap to modern retailing, Jenne pursued—and still does—a compelling blend of modern, convenient retailing combined with value-added service to make Stark Street “an easier buy” for customers.

For my entire life, my parents have been in “show business.” Not the Hollywood, “lights, camera, action!” show business, but the business of putting on trade shows. They are the ones who come in the week before the show and tape out the booth space. Direct the forklift traffic, and make sure every booth’s carpet color on the floor matches the color on the order form. They’ve worked shows all across the country: From Seattle to New York, Las Vegas, Chicago and Orlando. I’ve seen my mom trying to untangle wires that would eventually become part of an operating table for a surgeon and my dad holding a box filled with the latest Air Jordan prototypes. Quite literally there is a trade show for every industry on the planet.

Article by Jessica Johnson, Managing Editor, Power Equipment Trade

This month's Shop PET, Maggie, works hard with the folks at Andover Small Engine Services in Andover, Massachusetts.

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All Balls Racing, Stens Announce Sweepstakes

Stihl Names New HR VP

Altoz Adds Larson; Cardinal

Kohler Co. Elects Chair Of The Board

Kenect Acquires Friendemic

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following companies, who will be on exhibit at the upcoming Equip Expo, in Louisville, Kentucky, submitted editorial profiles to complement their advertisements in Power Equipment Trade October 2022.

Archer

Echo

Heftee Industries

Hustler

Ideal

Kress

Maruyama

Masport

Milwaukee

Pellenc

Stens

Stihl

Sunbelt

TD Bank

Walbro

Yamaha

In any industry, a key ingredient in the recipe for business success is having the right people on your team. Even though the power equipment industry has typically been dominated by men, times are changing. More and more women are finding success in dealerships, manufacturers, and service providers across North America. Despite the labor and supply challenges that have plagued the industry over the past few years, year-over-year sales continued to grow and are up over pre-pandemic. However, the industry is changing, and two of the most notable changes is the potential economic downturn and the continued adoption of new technology.

Readers are encouraged to send in relevant historical lawn and garden media items.