By Trisha Ostrowski

Bad Boy Mowers

These “Bad Boys” are making some noise in Arkansas

In 2002, Bad Boy Mowers began operations in Batesville, Ark., with 25 employees in a 20,000-square-foot facility. By December 2015, after 13 years of consistent and substantial growth, the company announced a $7.8 million expansion. Now the company employs 750 people in a 29-acre facility.  It is the kind of success story many communities dream about. Governor Asa Hutchinson called it “a prime example of the entrepreneurial spirit in Arkansas.”

 

Homegrown talent, organic growth

Bad Boy’s growth has come as a result of substantial demand for its products both domestically and in several other countries. Essential to that success has been the company’s ability to hire and retain exceptional employees, which it has found in the Delta region. Now something of a “chicken and egg” scenario, the company’s amazing growth has created an extremely attractive option for job seekers on a local and regional level.

 

For Bad Boy, growth has come as a direct result of being able to attract quality staff not just in manufacturing and assembly, but also in the creative department. But talent like that doesn’t just happen. . .in Batesville. It is the result of investment on the part of local government. “We have great partners in our efforts to educate and make students career-ready upon graduation, and they have grown up in a community where work ethic is valued,” said Batesville Chamber President/CEO Crystal Johnson. “Bad Boy Mowers is full of these types of employees working long hours.”

 

Preparing that workforce begins early in Batesville. Local junior high and high school students regularly are taken on industry tours to expose them to the types of career possibilities Bad Boy provides. The University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville also works closely with the company to train workers and implement educational curriculum that keeps pace with ever-changing technology.

 

“Our community is committed to educating and training our workforce at an early age, and our citizens want to work,” Johnson added. This support system has consistently fed Bad Boy the talent it has needed to innovate, develop and execute.

 

“They are always researching new opportunities to serve their customers with new technologies that can improve their product,” Johnson said. “Efforts such as these are part of the natural initiative their employees take on because of the pride they have in their roles in the company.” That pride leads to substantial competitive marketplace advantage.

 

Evidence of this fact is the company’s announcement in September 2016 that it has begun exporting its products to Australia.

 

Scott Lancaster, Bad Boy’s general counsel, said during a news conference at the Arkansas state Capitol that the private company already has $1 million in orders for its mowers and accessories. Wideland Ag & Construction, part of Wideland Group of Toowoomba, Australia, will sell the products at 31 dealerships across the country, including Sydney. Lancaster said the company is also investigating exports to New Zealand and Europe.

 

The move to sell products in Australia is strategic because demand in the southern hemisphere begins as the U.S. summer ends, meaning no seasonal slowdown for Bad Boy, and that high production can continue year-round. The company describes this new chance to ramp-up production in the winter as “game-changing.”

 

The competitive edge

From the beginning, Bad Boy recognized how to use its advantage to leverage growth. Batesville offers the company a substantial amount of infrastructure, as well as quality-of-life factors that help companies retain top talent.

 

In a perfect position to ship products to market, Arkansas literally gives the company access to 42 percent of the  total U.S. population within a mere 550-mile radius. There are also four ports in the state, located along the Mississippi River, and Interstates 40 and 30 connect easily to the rest of the region and the country.

 

Additionally, the combined support of local and state economic development organizations has been instrumental in opening doors for further growth. One key incentive is the Arkansas Economic Development Commission’s “Create Rebate” program, which provides Bad Boy with an annual cash rebate equal to 4.25 percent of payroll associated with new positions it creates. . .just one of a number of significant benefits that has fed job growth and innovation.

 

Local government has been intentional in making Batesville a business-friendly community. And that effort has even more impact when combined with the local chamber, business leaders and educators.

 

“Our city government is attentive to business needs and proactive in establishing and maintaining infrastructure that supports growth,” Johnson said. “We all work together to go above and beyond to make this a great place to do business.”

 

The “secret recipe” for retaining an amazing workforce also involves quality of life.  The oldest city in Arkansas, Batesville is a short drive from the larger metro areas of St. Louis, Memphis and Little Rock. Yet it retains a Southern charm and small-town feel that attracts visitors year-round. Golf courses, year-round outdoor activities and low cost of living are substantial draws.

 

“We consistently ask existing companies why they have stayed a part of our community — even though their markets may be elsewhere, some of them even overseas,” said Johnson. “The answer is always the same. . .because this is where our employees want to live, and our employees are our most valued resource.”

 

For Bad Boy Mowers, that resource has been the key ingredient in driving sustained growth in recent years. It seems clear that this solid support system, natural accessibility and high quality of life will only continue to open doors for greater success in the years ahead.