Mike Barbero, owner of Real Estate Maintenance Co. in Boise, Idaho, was introduced to his first Walker 12 years ago. He purchased two at that time and has since purchased another. Identical in configuration, the three are powered by 16-hp Kohler engines and have 42-inch GHS decks. They all have one other thing in common: They're still going strong.

It struck like lightning early last year; large and medium-sized landscape contracting companies began to merge into consolidated "national" companies - largely the work of investment bankers anxious to make a public stock offering and cash in on the vitality of this industry. Undoubtedly a move of this size affects the industry. It is a time for the small and mediumsized independent contractors to do some soul searching as to how they will fit in to the future of the industry.

Being a standout comes easy for the Netherlands. As a matter of fact, when space satellites photograph the earth, the country often reflects a large, gleaming light.

Vsitors of Longue Vue House and Gardens can only imagine what it was like attending a formal garden party in the mid-1950s, or entertaining the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt, Adlai Stevenson, or John and Robert Kennedy.

Did you say your grandfather was in the landscaping/nursery business? And your father, too? Then what's left for you, Jonny Heinz, owner of Jonny Heinz Landscaping in Saginaw, Michigan? Quite simply this, "fine-tune my operation so it's the best it can possibly be."

When Walker Mfg. introduced its first lawn mower in the late 1970s, the company was committed to producing a compact, maneuverable machine that would be unsurpassed in performance. Over the years, Walker Mfg. never lost that commitment. Its mowers today - still compact and maneuverable - continue to outperform larger competitors.