The sun never sets on lawn mowers made by the hands of Beatrice residents. They slice and churn green grass beneath seated Australians, Germans, Canadians and many more.
Beatrice, for no discernible reason, is a hub of international lawn mower manufacturing. Worldlawn Power Equipment Inc. is one of the companies that finds itself exporting that product from Beatrice to the rest of the world.
And though both Tino Muratore and Nathan Antons, the company’s respective general manager and national sales manager, said there’s a lot to look forward to with the future of the company, any company with international reach faces down the barrel of the world’s supply chain crisis.
“With the current supply chain issues, we’re really struggling as far as how we can progress,” Antons said. “We’re kind of held captive on some level.”
Muratore said the company is taking it day by day.
“There are so many unknowns,” he said. “…We have to the best we can with what we have.”
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Muratore said he’s hopeful this scarcity, these global problems of supply—especially felt in a lack of engines—will lead to innovation.
One innovation Muratore and Antons said they’re excited about is a battery powered mower. In some areas, the market is drifting away from fossil fuels.
“It’s too early to tell,” Muratore said. “…But there are a lot of advantages to a battery-powered mower. It’s quieter and cleaner. You save money because you don’t have to buy the fuel.”
Muratore said a major drawback is still the run-time, though. Batteries work well for residential lawns, but the battery will only last so long and can take hours to recharge. The company is working on its own battery-powered prototypes.
“We’re in the developmental stages on that,” Antons said.
Muratore has worked as the general manager for 6 months now. He said he’s especially enjoyed working in the culture created at Worldlawn. Antons said the culture allows the more than 40 employees to form a strong community.
“The work culture is a very small-town culture within the company,” Antons said. “You get to know pretty much everyone.”
Muratore said that community culture is important for feeling like you’re a part of a team.
Worldlawn also does its share of philanthropy and outreach in the community. It has donates money and fundraising items to local high schools and purchases sponsorships at the Gage County Fair, amongst other charitable giving.
Worldlawn is currently looking for about 10 more employees. For more information, you can reach the business at 402-228-4255.
