In today’s tough economy, Exmark Manufacturing Company, Inc. officials know they have to be aggressive about marketing their product.

And they are.

“It’s vital,” Daryn Walters, Exmark Manufacturing Company Director of Marketing, said. “As the market share leader we have the responsibility to grow the business.

“We are the Mercedes-Benz of this industry.”

Exmark has been a part of the Beatrice community since 1982 when it first incorporated as an independent manufacturer of professional turf care equipment. The company began with seven employees working out of a garage-type building just south of Beatrice. By 1983, it had grown enough to take residence in its present location in the Gage County Industrial Park.

Exmark currently employees about 500 people, Walters said.

Exmark became a leading contender among commercial lawnmower manufacturers in 1995 with the introduction of a mid-mount zero-turn riding mower.

Now, Exmark is the industry leader among other lawnmower manufacturers thanks to its zero-turn mower, Walters said. The company also holds the lead in Canada, with Toro, Exmark’s sister company, in close competition.

Walters said the company must continue to be aggressive in promoting why Exmark is a superior product.

“We aren’t going to dip our toe into the this, if we are going to do this, we are going to do it right,” Walters said. “When you buy Exmark, it’s not the brand, it’s the Exmark experience.”

It sends the message to all of their employees that they will fight through this economy to ensure people are able to maintain their jobs and to other lawnmower manufacturers that Exmark is ready to compete, Walters said.

“You’re going to flush out a lot of bottom feeders that can’t hang on in the economy,” he said. “We’re not going to pull in our horns, we’re going to keep working.”

To do that, Exmark is committed to focus on the avenues that will drive its business, Walters said.

Exmark recently rolled out of a new product, the Next Lazer Z.  It brings in all the features and characteristics customers have grown to love, Walters said.

But, it also includes enhancements that improve the overall product. Those enhancements include improved cutting technology, operator comfort, traction and handling, safety and productivity and ease of maintenance.

Another key for Exmark is to tap into markets that will be most profitable. Through market research they found that the best place to infiltrate is the outdoor market, Walters said.

Exmark’s marketing team found a good majority of people that participate in outdoor activities, such as fishing and hunting, purchase Exmark lawnmowers.

The company has begun a new marketing campaign, with the partnership of professional fisherman, Hank Parker, and professional hunter, Bill Jordan, and will soon launch the 2009 Exmark Outdoor Tour, Walters said.

This tour will take the Exmark name all around the United States to different outdoor shows.

With the help of Parker and Jordan, Exmark is able to offer incentives that will create opportunities for more people to try Exmark’s product, Walters said.

Last year’s tour was successful for Exmark, Walters said. The tour generated 7,000 consumer registrations for its promotion, with 1,000 of those requesting dealer follow up.

To introduce the 2009 campaign to Exmark employees, Parker visited the Exmark Manufacturing plant in Beatrice and its employees on Wednesday.

“It’s great working for a company that is so innovative and quality is priority one,” Parker said.

Parker, a North Carolina native, is a two-time Bassmaster Classic Champion, having won it in 1979 and 1989. He currently is involved in the production of his television series, Hank Parker’s Outdoor Magazine.

The show is in national syndication on the Nashville Network, the Outdoor Life Network, the Outdoor Channel and most recently the Versus Network.

Parker is known as the “rod and reel answer to Michael Jordan.”

Parker was excited to be in Beatrice, he said.

“For the employees at Exmark, it’s not about fishing and hunting, it’s about creating a market to keep their jobs,” he said.