Welcome to the debut issue of OPE Business, known previously as Outdoor Power Equipment.

We’ve ramped up our dealer coverage in our first edition of OPE Business, putting the spotlight on them in an effort to build a more profitable OPE dealer community. Thanks to the time and contributions that dealers have shared with us, we’re confident that you’ll agree that OPE Business continues to stand alone as the go-to source for dealership business operations.

During these challenging times during the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve reached out to several dealers to learn more about how they’re dealing with the new retail environment:

• Putt Patten has owned his dealership since 1982 and has seen it all, or so he thought.

• When the coronavirus forced a dealership’s annual product open house to go live online during store hours, we got the scoop on how it turned out from the owner’s viewpoint.

• Dealers and distributors provide insight on doing business during COVID-19 in our new Business Essentials profile.

• Coming off an ideal weather year in 2019, we catch up with a dealership that was poised for more growth in 2020.

But that’s only a sampling of the insight and intelligence we share in the Summer Edition. Dealers and landscape pros alike will want to devour the Twenty for 2020, the annual selection of can’t-miss products by Landscape Business, an OPE Business sibling brand. It’s yet another way we aim to showcase the OPE community in our initial launch.

We had a blast putting this issue together. Bookmark it, download it and share it with your staff. It’s meant to be a tool to help the industry. And drop me a note if you think your dealership or company has some insight to share for the Fall Edition.

Good luck with summer sales.

Not a subscriber to OPE Business? No problem, we've got you covered. Please click on the link and claim your one-year FREE subscription to Outdoor Power Equipment Business today!