Where do you want to be seven years from now? Scott Hayward, owner of T & S Landscape, Chester, New Hampshire, asked himself that seven years ago and today he owns and operates a $1 million plus operation. Scott is the first to admit he hasn't done it by himself. He's had a lot of help, from employees, from the equipment they operate and from little things that just make landscape companies stand out.

It is amazing to hear stories of how businesses are started and how people find their best opportunity. There is often a struggle and a series of false starts and dead ends. Such is the history of Walker Manufacturing. I watched my father, Max Walker, work hard all of his life on several different projects. Often, there was not much to show for the effort except a lot of hard work. Finally, in developing and manufacturing the Walker Mower, it seems the company has found its "best opportunity."

After mowing a residential property, Neil Deering, owner of TLC (Total Lawn Care, lnc.), Kalispell, Montana, looks back at the lawn. He drives away slowly, his smile seems to soak in the manicured property with its signature Walker cut.

Steve Bennet took his first close look at a Walker mower in 1987. But in his own words he "had some concerns." At the time the mower was relatively new to the industry and it was getting touch and most of his competitors used walkers. Nate encouraged his father to make the competitive connection back in 1994, and, two years later, the company now operates three Walkers, two 20-hp grasshandling models and a 16-hp model with a side-discharge deck.

Pella, Iowa is not your ordinary midwestern town, not by a long shot. Founded in 1847 by 700 Hollanders, the community still savors its Dutch roots. In early May, tens of thousands of visitors literally jam city streets for the annual Tulip Time festival and anytime throughout the year there are tastes, sites and sounds that echo a strong Dutch tradition.

Arie and Joyce Vink have been maintaining lawns in Pella since 1982. They've mowed and maintained properties with steep hills, newly constructed landscapes, low lying areas and just about anything a mowing contractor can encounter. On any given day their trailer can be seen on commercial accounts in Pella including a restaurant, auto dealer, cemetery, church, motel and apartment complex, or on high-end residential properties, or on the golf course community nearby.