POST-SHOW RECAP product is already for sale online and through Lowe’ s, but the inventor came to Equip looking for a brand partner, and he said he had good discussions with a few manufacturers who might private label the device.
Equip Expo is more than just physical products too. We spoke with Andy Hopkins at Mower Finance. He and his coworkers are always busy at Equip Expo— especially this year— talking about equipment financing possibilities. Software may be the most popular intangible at Equip, and DMS providers were on hand to talk about new services and to provide support. Alaska-based Flyntlok presented its AI possibilities, which we covered before the show in our“ OPE People” podcast. The world of dealer-management systems is competitive, and both Constellation Software and Dealer Spike were on the show floor to support their dealers and attract new ones.
Don’ t forget the hardscape
You could spend your Equip Expo days at indoor and outdoor exhibits looking at products and services, and maybe never see the Hardscape North America wing. That would be a huge mistake. We never spend enough time over there, and tried to remedy that this year.
The Belgard display area is a good place to productively kill lots of time. We started by meeting with Joe Raboine, VP of Design for Oldcastle APG, the parent company of Belgard. He emphasized that, while pavers and blocks and more have been strong sellers in recent years,“ it’ s about more than products for Belgard.” Raboine and team are emphasizing the company’ s capabilities to help landscape pros design, bid and build out project sites.
Just like vehicle manufacturers are realizing that labor today wants a higher quality of life( see the Compact Equipment Focus feature), the hardscape industry is realizing that humans need help to move heavy pavers and products. Grabo showed several lifting tools that can ease the burden of landscape build pros, with battery-powered tools that make it easy to lift 200-plus-pound pavers.
12 OPE + December 2025 www. OPE-Plus. com