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Oct 18, 2009 11:00 pm US/Central
Finding Minnesota: The Snow, Lawn Care Revolution
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (WCCO) ―
The early snowfall last week may have had you heading to the garage to check on your winter tools. The shovels, the ice scrapers and the all-mighty snow blower.
I may surprise you to learn that a Minnesota company paved the way in snow removal technology, as well as lawn maintenance tools.
There's a good chance you've driven by the
Toro Company building on Lyndale Avenue, just south of Interstate 494 in Bloomington.
It's the corporate headquarters of a company whose products you likely have in your garage. Your parents probably did too.
Toro shared some of its early commercials with WCCO-TV.
'Man's best friend is his dog, except in the winter, and then man's best friend is his pup. The Toro Snow Pup. The little pup that can clean a 50-foot drive in 10 minutes," said one ad.
The company got its start in 1914, making tractor engines for another business. Five years later, Toro started selling products under its own name. Their first was a huge piece of farming equipment called the Turo. Up until then, farmers used horses to pull their equipment.
Toro's next big milestone came on the golf course. The company revolutionized the way greens were maintained.
In 1921 the folks at Minikahda golf course in Minneapolis asked for help, and Toro answered. They mounted five lawn mowers onto a Toro tractor and started mowing the fairways.
"At that time, any sort of acreage was actually mowed by horse-drawn cutting units. Which, as you can imagine, it was very slow, it was labor-intensive. The club members didn't like it because there was a lot of time they couldn't play, but once they got back on the course, they didn't care too much for the hazards the horses left behind," said Bob Wolff, Toro Corporate Communications.
The next big thing for Toro came in the 1950s, thanks in part to our Minnesota blizzards. The company started making snow blowers.
"Snow bound? Get a Snow Hound. For the big jobs get a rugged 25-inch Toro Snow Hound, includes chains and cold weather starter for $299.95. Snow Bound? Get a Snow Hound!" said another ad.
At that time, cities needed a lot of manpower to clear the snow off sidewalks and parking lots.
"They'd push the snow to, say, the end of the street, but then to get rid of it they literally had to shovel it by hand into trucks to remove it. That's when we came out with the Snow Boy, which was this mammoth piece of equipment with a large, long sheath, and you could literally clear the street and fill the truck at one time. They said it took the place of 50 men," said Wolff.
From there, Toro started making snow blowers that homeowners could use for their driveways and sidewalks.
"You are looking at the final test of a remarkable new invention. It's the Toro Snow Pup. The first, honest-to-goodness snow thrower designed to sell for less than $100," said the ad.
Over the years, Toro customers have given the company lots of feedback. Some have even sent cards and letters, including photos of their snow blowers
Today, Toro has locations all over the world, but it's still holding down its Minnesota roots.
It operates a manufacturing plant in Windom that makes snow blowers, lawn mowers and tractors.
Toro also has a major presence in sports complexes old and new. You'll find their lawn maintenance equipment in the new Target Field in Minneapolis as well as places overseas, like the Coliseum in Rome.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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