Pros

Toro is a traditional, down-to-earth company. Many employees have worked there 20+ years. Toro's top priorities are creating a family-oriented, caring work culture, serving the customer (especially for distributor and dealer base), and manufacturing quality products. You will find a good work-life balance here, and most managers and leaders are approachable.

Cons

Not an ideal environment for younger employees (Gen X & Y) who like a more progressive work culture. Toro is not forward-thinking in some ways like allowing employees to work from home, keeping up with technology, or “green” manufacturing. It's also a surprisingly "flat" organization, so there is limited growth in certain departments like marketing and sales. It is a Grow Lean company, which has huge advantages on the manufacturing side, but on the business side, the workforce seems too lean.

Advice to Senior Management

Be open to non-traditional ways of working and thinking - especially to attract and retain younger employees. Trust newer, outside-the-box approaches, even if not "tried and true" in the Toro culture.

Pros

Toro is a strong Brand with a history of success. Being associated with such a good name can only help your career.
Toro is focused on growing and maintaining customer and employee relationships.
Toro places a high value on experience and performance.
Toro has high growth potential in the Res/Com marketplace.
Employees are given the tools and budget to acheive goals.
Under achievers are given every chance to make changes and improve performance.

Cons

Long tenure of middle management can make advancement slow.
Training for jobs could be better.
Under achievers don't move up, but they are hard to get rid of in this culture.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep focus on the customer and continue to lead the industry in innovation and reliability.
Quarterly performance is important, but the longer term view is even more important.

Pros

Good work life balance. Management in general does value the employees. Decent commitment to research and development with a fair amount of reinvestment into new product development. Compensation is average to good for the Twin Cities. The company invests in employee development with a minimum of 40 hours of training required for every employee each year. Senior management seems approachable and relatively down to earth. Less politics than I have seen at other places I have worked. The company places a high level of importance on community service and even pays for 2 and a half days for each employee to donate time at a charitable organization of their choosing.

Cons

Not nearly enough turnover at this company. There are employees with 20 plus years in mid level roles which makes career progression a challenge except for a chosen few. In general people are not held individually responsible for their actions or inactions, they just get a mediocre review and everyone moves on. There is far too much of a "that's not the way we do things around here" mentality. We don't take the competition seriously enough, instead relying on our legacy brand value to keep us as a market leader. In general there is no entreprenureal spirit in this company.

Advice to Senior Management

It was obvious a long time ago that the industry was in trouble but we continued to spend money like it was the good old days. Now we had to lay off 10 percent of the company and who knows when the next round is going to occur.

Pros

Pay and benefits were average. Flexible hours.

Cons

As an engineer, a Union workforce which makes implementing changes and improvements a difficult task. Management afraid to stand up to union. Unqualified manager(s) in key roles that were unwilling to make/enforce changes and support ideas that would improve the business. Senior leadership could talk the talk but never walked the walk.

Advice to Senior Management

Have people in management roles that are good mentors. Anytime I brought an issue to my manager it was always "What are you going to do about it?". If I knew I wouldn't be coming to you with the issue.

Pros

It still has that family atmosphere that exists only in the memories of most long term employees at other companies. I think it all starts from the top, the CEO still has many personal contacts with our customers. He spends half of his time in the field listening to customers needs, and I think this is why Toro remains the leader in the golf equipment, and irrigation industry. You just don't see the personal touch with most other companies anymore. Kudos to Mr. Hoffman...

Cons

As with most publicly held companies today. We are all driven to perform for our shareholders. On one hand this is healthy to be held accountable, it sometimes postpones progress on new products.

Advice to Senior Management

Stay focused on the customers needs, and continue to promote our service team. Without service we will not be able to maintain our leadership role we enjoy in this industry.

Pros

Great Company to work for and they place a strong value in employees

Cons

It is easy to get lost in the shuffle and it is hard to understand how some of the Senior and Middle Management keep their jobs

Advice to Senior Management

Look everywhere within the organization for the next management group. Sometimes the best is right under your nose.

Pros

Employee oriented, very little waste so most corporate positions are safe in the worst economic situations.

Cons

Below average pay-wise, and in the I.T. area, there is very little management transparency or involvement with the employees. Which is creating a culture of unease, and it's beginning to take it's toll on the employees. There may be a mass turnover once the economy improves.

Advice to Senior Management

The "Toro Culture" is beginning to disappear, and many of the reasons that people have historically stuck with Toro over higher paying companies(i.e. benefits, feeling a part of the mission) are disappearing with it; be careful.

Pros

People are good natured and will work hard as a team. You can earn a degree without having to commit any additional time to the organization. One of the few companies that does not require a one year (or longer) commitment for tuition reimbursement. If you want a job you can keep for 25+ years and have no ambition to move vertically, then this is a good company.

Cons

Toro (Irrigation Divison) has extremely limited opportunities for advancement unless people retire or get fired (rarely happens). The Irrigation Division is Domestically (USA only) driven which easily frustrates the folks in the International Division. There is no well established process for gathering the 'voice of customer' with regard to product development. Also, Engineering has the attitude that if the idea was not invented by their group, then it has to be a bad idea.

Advice to Senior Management

Schedules are NOT more important than product quality. A poorly performing new (or existing) product can easily tarnish the reputation of the brand. Not the type of 'brand awareness' you would think a company would want.
What is 'voice of the customer?' (i.e. why not perform actual customer research?)

Pros

One of the best reasons to work at Toro is because the culture is awesome. Toro allows several options regarding starting and quitting time, so employees can work around their family commitments. The work and life balance is highly regarded at Toro -- as family is important. Throughout the year, The Toro Company holds several events where families of the employees are also invited to attend events such as holiday parties and a summer picnic. Employee morale is very high -- there are clubs to join and outside activitites which help employees feel like a part of the Toro family.

Cons

Toro is more than just a lawnmower company - we are committed to helping customers beautify their outdoors. We make superior, innovative, and environmentally sound products, services and systems. Since 1914, we have built our reputation on superior customer care and constant innovation. Our maintenance equipment product line includes mowers, aerators, sprayers, trimmers, blowers, compact utility loaders and vehicles. Our water management tools include high technology irrigation systems with computerized controllers, valves, sprinkers, micro-drip irrigation systems, and precision turf management. Toro's customers are a diverse group that includes golf course superintendents, groundskeepers, sports field managers, landscape contractors, fruit and vegetable growers and homeowners. We are more than just a lawnmower company.

Advice to Senior Management

Continue to provide a good working culture for employees to work in. Keep employees engaged with empowerment at the lowest level.