When our readers noticed the story from France in the last issue and read stories from Australia and New Zealand in this issue, they might think this is a "flair for the dramatic" by talking about international customers - send a handful of machines overseas and make a big deal out of it. Actually, these stories represent a true picture of the worldwide opportunity we've found with the Walker Mower. For over 10 years our export sales have averaged 20% to 25% of the total business. In '97, the Australasian market alone took 7.9% of our production.
The international market wasn't in our original planning, but as an opportunity it has greatly helped us stabilize and grow. Also, our customers in North America have benefited by having the product exposed to overseas markets. We are building a better machine from the experience of working in other areas of the world.
Now it's time to make an introduction I should have made a long time ago - the editor of Walker Talk, Mr. Rod Dickens. Rod has traveled, interviewed customers and written all of the 40 to 50 editorial and customer profiles for the previous 11 issues of Walker Talk. He has excellent credentials for this work as the former editor of YARD & GARDEN and PRO magazines, and producing newsletters for various landscape contracting companies.
When we started Walker Talk six years ago, we began talking about sending Rod "Down Under" to do some customer stories like we were doing in the United States and Canada. That talk became reality when Rod and his wife, Ann, spent two weeks in January visiting Walker customers in New Zealand and Australia - summertime there. In all, they met with 20 contractors, municipalities, governmental bodies and homeowners. Nineteen stories are the result; four printed in this issue and the others in a special "Down Under" edition of Walker Talk (special edition printed for Australia and New Zealand market). We hope you enjoy reading about our Walker Mower customers "Down Under," and in Alberta, Canada and California in this issue.
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