Exmark Original Series highlights top landscape contractors across the country
Exmark Signature Stories, ProQual Landscaping Tempe, AZ-based ProQual Landscaping focuses on maintaining the landscaping of large-scale and master-plan developments in the Phoenix metro area.
BEATRICE, Neb. - December 22, 2022 - (Newswire.com)
Exmark has launched a new episode of its Signature Stories video series, which highlights the landscape maintenance professionals that rely on the company's mowers. Signature Series episodes offer a look inside the day-to-day operations of some of the top lawn care professionals across the country.
Exmark Director of Marketing, Jamie Briggs, said the Signature Stories videos demonstrate the commitment landscape maintenance professionals must have to run a successful business.
"At Exmark, we're honored to work with some of the best landscape professionals across the country, and we see how hard they work every day," Briggs said. "That's why we're focused on building the mowers these professionals need to do their jobs faster and more efficiently.
"Whether it's the next evolution of an established product, or an all-new product innovation, Exmark is committed to building equipment that gives them a competitive advantage today, tomorrow, and into the future."
In the fifth Exmark Signature Stories episode, the Exmark crew travels to Tempe, AZ, to visit Scott Needham and his crew at ProQual Landscaping. With a focus on large-scale and master-plan communities in the greater Phoenix area, ProQual crews are on the ground every day in the neighborhoods they serve. This daily interaction helps them better understand the unique needs and expectations of each customer and consistently gives them what they're looking for.
Needham and the ProQual team have relied on Exmark mowers for nearly 18 years. Today, with its crews mowing more than 500 acres each week of the year, ProQual counts on the productivity and reliability Exmark mowers deliver. By investing in the right employees and equipment, ProQual empowers its teams to work with efficiency, speed, and precision. This has helped the company grow and serve more clients, while also providing increased opportunities for employee growth.
View each of the new Exmark Signature Stories videos on Exmark's website at Exmark.com/stories.
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About Exmark Exmark Manufacturing was incorporated in May 1982 as an independent manufacturer of professional turf care equipment. Today, it is the leading manufacturer of commercial mowers and equipment for the landscape professional. In addition to designing, building, and marketing quality turf care equipment, Exmark's goal is total customer satisfaction. All Exmark products are designed to help customers increase productivity while delivering unmatched quality. Products are sold to distributors and dealers who share the company's commitment to customer service and quality products. Learn more at Exmark.com.
Contact Information:
Matt Gersib
Public Relations, Exmark mattgersib@gmail.com
(402) 314-2150
Part of USDA's Healthy Meals Incentives, these sub-grants are designed to increase K-12 schools' procurement of local, higher-quality food items and scratch cooking
BOULDER, Colo., March 22, 2023 (Newswire.com)
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Chef Ann Foundation (CAF) has signed a cooperative agreement with the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) as part of the Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative. An allocation of $7.8 million is provided to CAF as part of The School Food System Transformation Challenge. These funds will be used to build a sub-grant program to incentivize innovative partnerships between school districts, food producers, suppliers, distributors, and community partners to strengthen the availability and access to nutritious food products in the K-12 school food.
"The pandemic shed light on the cracks in our food system, and school food teams have been burdened with supply chain issues. We need to help our schools and their regional food communities work together to empower local food production and distribution," said Mara Fleishman, CEO of Chef Ann Foundation.
In partnership with USDA FNS, CAF partnered with Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition, Kitchen Sync Strategies, and the National Farm to School Network. These partners will ensure that the sub-grants will increase the offering of healthier food products in the K-12 school food marketplace; leverage innovative partnerships between School Food Authorities (SFA) and key stakeholders in their local food systems; expand SFA procurement capacity at the local and regional levels; and increase market opportunities for local growers and producers. The sub-grants will be developed with an eye towards cultivating equity, nourishing students, fostering a resilient supply chain, and creating scalable and sustainable change for SFAs across the country.
"Procurement, in particular, remains one of the most complex processes within school food service departments. SFAs are required to navigate sourcing ingredients that fulfill the mission of serving fresh, local foods while working within limited budgets, under-resourced producers, and strained supply chains," says Elliott Smith, co-founder of Kitchen Sync Strategies.
In order to effectively meet current standards, in addition to upcoming changes that align with the USDA Dietary Guidelines, school districts must be equipped with the network and resources necessary to achieve such requirements. Realistically, no SFA or individual business is capable of accomplishing such a complex universal goal without multiple strategic partnerships with other organizations, businesses, and agencies in their food economy. The sub-grants support the development of the hard and soft infrastructures needed to successfully increase access to nutritious and appealing foods for kids.
"USDA is taking a holistic approach to supporting school meal programs, which includes strengthening the food supply chain that supports them," said Stacy Dean, deputy under secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services. "We're hopeful that these grants will accelerate and expand innovation in the school food marketplace, so that schools - and ultimately our children - have better access to healthier food products."
These initiatives are part of the Biden-Harris Administration's National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. The National Strategy provides a roadmap of actions the federal government will take to end hunger and reduce diet-related diseases by 2030 - all while reducing disparities. The National Strategy was released in conjunction with the first White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in over 50 years, hosted by President Biden in September 2022.
About Chef Ann Foundation
Chef Ann Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to ensure that school food professionals have the resources, funding and support they need to provide fresh, healthy, delicious, scratch cooked meals that support the health of children and our planet. To date, the organization has reached more than 14,000 schools and 3.4 million kids with healthy school programming. Learn more at chefannfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
About Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition
The Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition (GSCN) is a nonprofit research institute providing expertise in measurement and evaluation to help develop and enhance programs focused on healthy eating and active living, food security, and local food systems. With expertise in public health nutrition, GSCN is dedicated to building measurement strategies to assess the impact of innovative health-related programs, which advance health equity. GSCN was founded in 1973, is headquartered in Omaha, NE, and has 44 team members across 24 states.
About Kitchen Sync Strategies
The Kitchen Sync Strategies Collaborative (KSSC) is a team of consulting and brokerage companies that brings a combined 25+ years of farm-to-school and school food procurement experience. The members of KSSC - which include Kitchen Sync Strategies, Supply Change, and Shared Plate Strategies - have supported over 250 SFAs nationwide to procure food from socially disadvantaged producers and meaningfully impact the racial and economic equity in their region.
About National Farm to School Network
National Farm to School Network has a vision of a strong and just food system for all, and we seek deep transformation toward this vision through farm to school - the way kids eat, grow, and learn about food in schools and early care and education settings.
About USDA
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America's food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
About USDA Food and Nutrition Service
USDA's Food and Nutrition Service works to end hunger and improve food and nutrition security through a suite of more than 15 nutrition assistance programs, such as the school breakfast and lunch programs, WIC and SNAP. Together, these programs serve 1 in 4 Americans over the course of a year, promoting consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food essential to optimal health and well-being. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. FNS's report, "Leveraging the White House Conference to Promote and Elevate Nutrition Security: The Role of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service," highlights ways the agency will support the Biden-Harris Administration's National Strategy, released in conjunction with the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022. To learn more about FNS, visit www.fns.usda.gov and follow @USDANutrition.
Exmark Original Series highlights top landscape contractors across the country
