Backgrounder

Company & Markets
Hunter Industries Incorporated is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of irrigation equipment for turf, landscape, and golf courses. The Company, headquartered in San Marcos, California, employs over 1,000 people worldwide.

Professional irrigation and landscape contractors comprise the major market for Hunter products. A much smaller but also important market consists of landscape architects and designers. Hunter products are sold through a worldwide network of distributors in over 60 countries.

Facilities
Hunter has four manufacturing facilities: San Marcos and Fresno, California; Cary, North Carolina; and Tijuana, Mexico. International offices are located in Australia, France, China, and Spain.

One of the most advanced testing labs in the irrigation industry is part of Hunter’s San Marcos facility. The lab operates 24 hours a day, measuring rotation speed, adjustments, and operation at a wide range of pressures. Products are also tested outdoors, using different types of soil from around the world to ensure that Hunter products will operate reliably in all geographic regions.

Corporate Structure
Hunter Industries Incorporated is a privately held corporation founded in 1981 by irrigation industry pioneer Edwin J. Hunter with son Paul Hunter, joined shortly thereafter by son Richard Hunter and daughter Ann Hunter-Welborn. Since 1993, Richard Hunter has served as President and CEO. In addition, 5 Vice Presidents make up the Company’s Executive Committee.

Products
Starting with the introduction in 1983 of the PGP®--the gear-driven rotor that revolutionized the irrigation industry and is still the most popular--Hunter has developed over 100 innovative products that meet the needs of professional installers worldwide. Today, the Company’s extensive product line includes sprays, rotors, valves, controllers, weather sensors, and central control systems.

Notable innovations include the modular Pro-C and ICC controllers, which can be expanded to handle up to 48 stations by simply snapping modules into a basic control unit; IMMS™, the affordable system that monitors and controls an entire irrigation network from one office location; the revolutionary FloStop® on the I-20 Ultra rotor; and the easy-to-service PGV Jar-Top Valve.

Customers
The Company’s customer base includes professional irrigation contractors who install Hunter products in residential properties, commercial complexes, sports fields, parks, and golf courses. Landscape architects and designers who specify Hunter products in their projects are also key customers.

Hunter products are sold exclusively through an international network of professional irrigation distributors who, in turn, sell directly to professional designers and installers.

Services
Irrigation specialists in Hunter’s DATA Line help center are available to answer product-related questions by phone, email and fax. In addition, Hunter’s Web site provides a wealth of technical information for installers, designers, and homeowners.

Regular training programs for irrigation professionals are held at Hunter facilities and at locations across the country to promote efficient landscape planning and water use. These seminars, conducted by Hunter managers and other industry experts, help designers, installers, and distributor personnel stay current on irrigation practices.

Hunter’s education staff works with universities and colleges to develop curriculum for topics such as water management, irrigation techniques, and use of reclaimed water in new residential and commercial projects.

Executive Team – Hunter Industries
Richard E. Hunter – President & CEO

Executive Committee:
Monte Porter – Vice President of Engineering
Sherry Dunn – Vice President of Administration & CFO
Carlos Gallastegui – Vice President of Manufacturing, San Marcos
Bert Days – Vice President of Manufacturing, Cary