With green industry jobs projected to increase by 22 percent in the next 10 years, Stihl decided to partner with the National FFA, a youth leadership and agricultural education organization with more than 495,000 members, to groom tomorrow’s leaders through the annual Nursery and Landscape Career Development Event.

For the past five years, Stihl has actively supported the National FFA and specifically the Nursery and Landscape CDE. The event, which tests teams of students from around the country in a variety of green industry skills such as plant identification and salesmanship, was held this year at the National FFA convention in Indianapolis. The team from Bear Creek, N.C., took top honors, placing first in a competition of 39 teams. The winners will join Minnesota, Missouri and Georgia, 2^nd through 4^th place teams respectively, at Professional Landcare Network Student Career Days, the green industry’s college level competition. The trip is courtesy of the FFA, Ariens Corp. and Stihl.

“The expanding landscaping, turf management and outdoor power equipment business offers tremendous career opportunities for bright young workers and these competitions really put them to the test,” said Roger Phelps, promotional communications manager for Stihl.

To further impact students and educators, Stihl developed a technical training curriculum for two- and four-cycle engine operation based on programs presently in place for Stihl dealers and service technicians. The materials, along with additional FFA teaching materials, were distributed free of charge to 12,000 agriculture teachers across the nation.

Stihl is a manufacturer of chain saws and produces a full line of lightweight and versatile handheld outdoor power equipment for homeowners and professional users.