Toro

Corporate Headquarters: Bloomington, Minnesota

Website: https://www.toro.com/en/

Category: Turf & Course Suppliers

LEADERSHIP

Richard Olson – Chairman of the Board, President and CEO

Edric C. Funk, Group VP, Golf, Grounds and Irrigation

Richard Rodier, Group VP, Construction

Kevin Carpenter, VP, Global Operations and Integrated Supply Chain

Peter Moeller, VP and GM, International Business

John McPhee, GM, Irrigation and Lighting

 

 

Now in its second century, Toro has grown to one of the world leaders in providing innovative solutions for the outdoor environment including turf maintenance, snow and ice management, landscape, rental and specialty construction equipment, irrigation, and outdoor lighting solutions. The impact of Toro’s equipment has been felt across golf courses, sports fields, public green spaces, commercial and residential properties, and agricultural fields.

Toro has a strong presence in golf, as about one-third of the company’s $3.1 billion business is connected to the industry, making Toro the game’s largest player in the turf care category.

Toro’s equipment is ubiquitous at thousands of golf courses around the world – public, private, municipal and resort. Among them are St Andrews Links in Scotland (The Home of Golf), the Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina (The American Home of Golf) and Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland.

Founded in 1914, Toro first entered the golf industry in 1919 when the company mounted five reel cutting units onto a Toro tractor to assist in maintaining the fairways at The Minikahda Club in Minneapolis. Today, Toro is the industry leader in nearly every golf equipment category: from mowers for greens, fairway, rough, and surrounds, to sprayers, aerators, bunker rakes, and greens rollers. Toro also leads the way in golf course irrigation systems, reaching over 125 countries.

Toro has surpassed 100 years of innovation in the golf space. (Image courtesy: Toro)

After their original Standard Golf Machine, Toro continued to be a leader in innovation, introducing the first flexible frame fairway mower in 1921, the first roller-type greensmower in 1923, the first golf utility vehicle — the Toro Knockabout — in 1930, new valve-in-head sprinklers in 1964, the versatile Toro Sand Pro series in 1972, the first contour-following Flex Head greensmowers in 1986, the first lithium-ion powered greensmower — the Greensmaster eFlex — in 2012, and the Autonomous Fairway Mower which began field testing in 2022.

The consistent breakthrough throughout history show how Toro is dedicated to understanding and solving customer problems through ongoing innovation. The company continues to build on its past successes in its second century, with a commitment to fostering long-term customer relationships, delivering highly productive and financially efficient solutions, and supporting industry initiatives to grow the game.

Toro has an active charitable component within the golf industry as well. Toro has been a longtime supporter of the Rounds 4 Research program and recently granted an extra $50,000 to the organization to help fund further turfgrass research.

“Golf courses are an asset, a green space within a watershed and community” said Judson McNeil, president, The Toro Company Foundation.  “We are proud to partner with GCSAA Foundation in this effort to raise funds and awareness in support of research, education and environmental programs positively impacting the industry.”

Toro has partnered with GCSAA in a relationship that dates back to 1987. In that time Toro has donated over $2.4 million to the organization in order to support scientific research, education, and environmental programs that positively impact the industry.

Approximately one-third of Toro’s business is connected to the golf industry.