The Toro Co. kicks off centennial year celebration (with related video)

This July 10, The Toro Company celebrates 100 years in business. Toro will stage a yearlong celebration of its 100th anniversary. The celebration is an opportunity to look back on the company’s achievements and to recognize the ingenuity and dedication of its employees. During the anniversary year, the firm will thank its channel partners and end-user customers for their loyalty and trust.

According to Michael J. Hoffman, Toro’s chairman and chief executive officer, “These same values that have been core throughout our first 100 years form the foundation for continued success into our next century.”

A Legacy of Excellence

From the start, Bloomington, Minn.-based Toro built its legacy by developing products and services to help customers succeed. This commitment to innovation is reflected in the more than 1,500 patents its employees around the world have earned over the years.

In addition, Toro has developed networks of professional distributor, dealer and retailer partners across industries in more than 90 countries to provide local, expert, professional customer service. For example, in 1922, Toro created the golf industry’s first national distributor network. And, in 1934 as the business grew, Toro encouraged its distributors to establish dealers in areas the distributors’ staff could not effectively cover, providing local customer service.

Toro has developed long-term relationships with golf courses, homeowners, professional contractors, agricultural growers, construction and rental companies, government and educational institutions. The company also has extensive dealings with major sporting events, venues and historic sites around the world.

When Toro celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1939, the company’s first president and co-founder John Samuel Clapper noted that the loyal service of Toro’s employees and distributors was the customers’ guarantee of a quality product.

Explore Toro Innovations

From developing new technologies to expanding into new markets, a timeline of the company’s innovations and achievements is available here. At the site, people can learn more about other Toro industry firsts and contribute their own Toro stories.

Several highlights are listed below that are specific to landscape contractors and grounds professionals.

Professional Contractor

•    In 1924, Toro introduced its first power mower, the 30-inch Park Special walk-behind reel mower. It was a successful early large commercial-grade walk mower.
•    In 1940, Toro introduced the 76-inch Professional, “the power mower with wings,” that revolutionized commercial mowing.  Additional 58- and 70-inch models were later added to appeal to both residential and commercial customers

Sports Fields & Grounds

•    In 1928, Toro introduced the Silver Flash push reel mower, billed as “America’s finest hand lawn mower.” It would become a mainstay with golf courses, cities and parks for many years.
•    In 1930, at the request of the University of Minnesota, Toro built a power roller for their tennis courts. The Toro Power Roller proved to be a successful product for over three decades serving thousands of schools, golf courses, athletic clubs, professional sports venues, private and municipal street maintenance crews.
•    In 1934, Toro’s Jupiter Large Capacity Sprinkler was introduced for golf courses, polo fields and other large turf area applications.

The Toro Company is a worldwide provider of turf, landscape, rental and construction equipment, and irrigation and outdoor lighting solutions. The company had sales of more than $2 billion in fiscal 2013. Toro’s products are sold in more than 90 countries.

In this video, Michael J. Hoffman, chairman and chief executive officer of Toro, rings the New York Stock Exchange Closing Bell to commemorate the company's upcoming 100th anniversary. Other company executives and channel partners join him.

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