Toro

Toro was founded in 1914 in Bloomington, Minnesota. The company was originally designed solely as a manufacturer of engines for the Bull Tractor Company. Today, of course, they have expanded widely and are now known for a wide range of professional and consumer products. The company employs over 5,000 full time employees and is headed by CEO Michael J. Hoffman. Their annual revenue as of 2010 was 1.7 Billion US Dollars.

Toro owns and operates a number of different brands. In 1986, the company acquired Wheel Horse from the American Motor Company so that AMC could focus solely on vehicles. This enabled them to sell lawn and garden tractors using both the Toro and the Wheel Horse names. They continued acquiring brands since, including the 1989 purchase of Lawn Boy, the 1996 acquisition of James Hardie Irrigation, the 1997 purchase of Exmark Manufacturing, the 2005 purchase of Hayter Ltd, and the 2007 acquisitions of Turf Guiard Wireless Monitoring Technology and Rain Master Irrigation Systems. In 2009, Toro acquired TyCrop Manufacturing, Ltd, and in 2010, they purchased USPraxis, Inc.

While Toro was once solely an engine company, it has since expanded into many markets. Today, the company’s strongest focus is on what are known as performance maintenance markets. These include municipal parks, golf courses, sports fields, and more. Their products include irrigation equipment, landscape maintenance equipment, and turf management products. Their consumer products include sensors and timers, sprinklers, a variety of mowers and tractors, snow and leaf blowers, trimmers, and more. They also offer commercial mowers, heavy duty utility vehicles, aerators and sprayers, and compact utility products. Other products include mowers and irrigation for sports fields, large scale irrigation systems, and rental products. The company also offers a wide range of replacement parts and accessories to outfit and repair virtually their entire product line.