Trusted Dealer:Jason Herring

At 11 years old, a lot of young men like to build things — and take things apart. When Jason Herring's dad, Jerome, asked him to help put together Shindaiwa trimmers at their Wilmington, North Carolina dealership, Jason was on cloud nine.

"I used to love when a new shipment would come in," he says. "I remember the trimmers used to ship in three separate boxes. I would get everything laid out in the back of the shop and then put them all together." 

Jason's grandpa, Archie, started Wilmington Lawn & Leisure back in 1974, and his dad and Aunt Kim eventually took over the store. 

"My other grandpa owned a Ford dealership where I used to wash cars," Jason said. "So I always knew I'd end up working for one dealership or the other someday." 

In 1996, his premonition came true when Jason and his cousin, Evan Smith, became the third generation owners of Wilmington Lawn & Leisure. 

Now Jason is into building bigger things — winning soccer teams. 

"We're a bunch of sports nuts, here," he says. "I started coaching my son's soccer team when I was a young dad and have been doing it now for about 11 years. 

"I really love mentoring and coaching kids and seeing them grow up," he continues. "It's such a great feeling when you see kids that you have coached make the high school clubs or the traveling soccer clubs. It makes you feel like you've really had an impact on their lives." 

When asked about the impact that Shindaiwa has had on his business, Jason says, "Shindaiwa has been a big part of Wilmington Lawn & Leisure since the beginning. We sell a lot, each year, and we are very loyal to the brand.

"Our commercial customers love the Landscaper Fleet Discount program. We have a great number of customers who purchase Shindaiwa gear through the program year after year." 

At Shindaiwa, we're happy to be a part of the family.