STIHL and PLANET’s Academic Excellence Foundation Give Back to Deserving Students

VIRGINIA BEACH , Va.– To promote further education in the green industry, the Professional Landcare Network’s (PLANET) Academic Excellence Foundation (AEF), sponsored in part by STIHL Inc., awarded Nicole Imber a $1,000 scholarship. She was one of 70 students to receive a scholarship at the AEF recognition reception on March 17, 2011 as part of this year’s PLANET Student Career Days event. In all over $80,000 was awarded at the event, and since its inception in 1998, the PLANET AEF has given away over $500,000 in scholarships to more than 500 students.

Imber, a student at OwensCommunity College in Toledo, Ohio, was the recipient of the STIHL Landscape Operations Scholarship and will use her scholarship money toward pursuing her bachelor’s degree in education. Her goal is to teach horticulture at the high school level.

“I thank STIHL for the opportunity to further my education so I can pay it forward and teach others what some of my professors taught me at OwensCommunity College,” said Imber who plans to teach in the Toledo area. 

“STIHL is proud to be one of the founding ambassadors of the AEF,” said Roger Phelps, promotional communications manager for STIHL Inc. and an AEF Board member. “Promoting educational excellence and careers in the green industry is a key focus for STIHL Inc. By providing future industry leaders with the means to further their education, we believe that we contribute to the overall professionalism and future of the industry.”

For more information about PLANET AEF, visit www.landcarenetwork.org/foundation/index.cfm.

About STIHL Inc.
STIHL Inc. manufactures the number one selling brand of gasoline-powered handheld outdoor power equipment in America for homeowners and professional landscapers*, as well as the number one selling brand of chain saws in the world. STIHL products are sold through servicing power equipment retailers from coast to coast – not mass merchants. STIHL products sold through U.S. STIHL dealers are for distribution in the United States only. For more information or for the name of a local STIHL retailer, call toll free 1-800-GO STIHL (1-800-467-8445) or visit the dealer locator on the STIHL website at www.stihlusa.com/.
 
*"Number one selling brand" is based on syndicated Irwin Broh Research (commercial landscapers) as well as independent consumer research of 2010 U.S. sales and market share data for the gasoline-powered handheld outdoor power equipment category combined sales to consumers and commercial landscapers.
 
STIHL is pleased to support the work of Independent We Stand, the Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund), International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA), National FFA, Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), the American Tree Farm System (ATFS), and the National Association of State Park Directors.