It’s a picture perfect Colorado morning in Grand Junction. The blue sky and distant mountains provide the ideal backdrop for four Walker Mowers and a John Deere wide-area mower making their way across the green expanse.

An intriguing question is: “How does Walker compete in an industry dominated by large corporations, as a David among Goliaths?” Part of the answer comes from being an independent company. Being independent allows us to make decisions that are best for our product and our customers, unencumbered by layers of corporate management urging compromise. At Walker we answer to no parent corporation. Walker faces none of the “quarterly earning pressure” of publicly traded corporations where shareholders demand profit each quarter, which virtually erases the possibility of long-term thinking.

When you enter the Crystal Cathedral grounds in Garden Grove, California, the beautiful landscape setting isn’t the first thing that catches your eye. The Cathedral itself, with more than 10,000 tempered silver-colored glass windows, together with a towering spire and prayer chapel, provide plenty of visual interest.

It’s a hot morning in Rockport, Maine. The mowing crews anticipate the heat as they discuss the day’s activity with Tom Farley. Tom is the vice president of Farley & Son Landscaping, and every Wednesday he meets with his six mowing crews.

Lori Miller has a story to tell you about her son, Mark. “When he was nine years old, he walked into the house one day and told me he saw a trailer down the road that he wanted us to buy for him. Well, to make a long story short, my husband, Glenn, and I purchased the trailer and gave it to Mark as a Christmas present. He wanted the trailer to haul around our lawn mower because, even back then, mowing was his passion.” It’s a passion that’s never waned.

With a business to run and bills to pay, no one has the time to send out multiple invoices or otherwise communicate with late-paying customers. In the same breath, few owners can afford to simply “give away” services.