Charlotte, NC – February 9, 2006 – Jacobsen®, a Textron (NYSE: TXT) company, is celebrating 85 years of service in the turf industry this year. Jacobsen was founded on a commitment of providing world-class products, responsive customer service and leading-edge innovations.
"Jacobsen has an 85-year history of giving our customers superior performance in the field," said Jacobsen president Dan Wilkinson. "Superior performance is built around innovations that make our customers successful on the course."
Jacobsen's history lies steep in the ability to bring industry-changing products to market.
1921 - Jacobsen's history began in Racine, Wis. when Knud and Oscar Jacobsen decided to focus on grounds maintenance equipment. One of their early models, the 4-acre, was the first mower equipped with a motor specifically designed for cutting and maintaining turf. The 4-acre had such an abundance of power that it became popular in Switzerland because of its ability to climb heavy mountain grades.
1923 - The first cast aluminum greens mower produced to cut fine turf and bent-grass greens without damaging the meticulously conditioned surfaces was produced and became the first greens mower manufactured.
1942 - Mower production gave way to the manufacturing of generator sets, tank heaters and other products for military use. The company received both the Army and Navy "E" awards for service during wartime production.
1955 - The first rotary mower for home use was introduced with four reversible cutting blades.
1958 - Jacobsen mowers were selected to maintain the grounds at the 1958 Brussels World's Fair.
1968 - The Greens King™ was the first riding greens mower introduced and quickly became the standard of the turf maintenance industry.
1980 - The Greens King IV™ received updates including variable-speed foot control pedal, nine-blade reels and an industry first-power backlapping.
1989 - Another industry first, the LF-100™, a lightweight 5-gang mower, was specifically designed from the ground up to be as light as possible, providing less compaction and healthier turf.
1992 - The LF-3810™ midweight fairway unit was introduced along with Greens King 422™, an updated version of the walking greens mower.
1998 - Jacobsen acquires Ransomes. A British company with a two-hundred year history, Ransomes added many products under the Jacobsen name, including Cushman trucks and Ryan aerators. Also included was the all-electric E-Plex II™. The E-Walk™, a revolutionary all-electric walking greens mower was later added to the electric family.
2004 - The MAGSystem™ introduced a breakthrough system using magnets to secure bedknives to the rotary wheel – saving time and creating a better quality of cut. The MAGSystem becomes the foundation of future technological innovations at Jacobsen.
Jacobsen's history of legendary performance began with the 4-acre mower—its capabilities were so convincing Oscar needed only a photo of the machine to set up five distributorships along the West Coast. Those five were the model for Jacobsen's future distributorships. As the face to our customer in the field, the dealer is a vital part of the Jacobsen experience. Dealer performance is a critical component to Jacobsen's success.
Jacobsen relies on relationships to thrive; not only with its 43 North American dealers, but with superintendents, club managers and turf care professionals world wide. Catering to the customer has been a hallmark of Jacobsen since the company's founding.
"Heritage is more than a word to Jacobsen," said Wilkinson, "it's an ideal we aspire to every day."
About Jacobsen
Jacobsen manufactures a full range of vehicles and turf maintenance equipment for golf, turf, professional lawn care, sports fields, municipal and industrial applications. The company markets Bob-Cat®, Brouwer®, Bunton®, Cushman®, Jacobsen®, Ryan® and Steiner™ brand products internationally through an extensive distribution network. Jacobsen is a Textron company. Additional information is available at www.jacobsen.com.
About Textron
Textron Inc. is a $10 billion multi-industry company with 46,000 employees operating in 36 countries. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO and Greenlee, among others. More information is available at www.textron.com.