Hunter Industries Acquires MP Rotator® Turf Sprinkler Business from Nelson Irrigation Corporation

Matched-precipitation sprinkler minimizes water use and maximizes efficiencies

April 20, 2007 - Hunter Industries Incorporated has entered into a definitive agreement with Nelson Irrigation Corporation for the acquisition of the MP Rotator turf sprinkler business from Walla Walla Sprinkler Company, a subsidiary of Nelson Irrigation.“The MP Rotator® sprinkler is truly unique,” quotes Richard E. Hunter, President and CEO of Hunter Industries. “It’s the first matched-precipitation sprinkler across all arcs and radii. Nelson Irrigation has an esteemed reputation in this industry, and they’ve really hit one out of the park with the MP Rotator® sprinkler. The product is a perfect fit for us, and we look forward to incorporating it into our own existing line of innovative irrigation products. It plays very well into our short and long term product development plans, so we’re thrilled all the way around.”

Barton R. Nelson, President and CEO of Nelson Irrigation said, “The MP Rotator® sprinkler has been an unprecedented success for us. Current sales and forecasts required us to double our manufacturing efforts, and we realized that we would need to either build a larger sales and marketing support organization for the turf market, or find a buyer that had one in place. But the MP Rotator® sprinkler was our baby, and if we were going to sell, we wanted to go with an organization that shared our culture and commitment to quality. Hunter Industries was the natural choice. We know they’ll do the right thing.”

Hunter and Nelson have a long history of mutual respect and cooperation relating to each other’s intellectual property, and the MP Rotator® sprinkler is currently manufactured under several of Nelson’s  patents  and certain of  Hunter’s patents licensed to Nelson. The product is currently used both on new rotor specified projects and as an alternative to traditional spray heads. And, the MP Rotator® sprinkler is an excellent product for retrofit spray head projects where turf and property managers wish to minimize water use and maximize distribution efficiencies.

While the agreement between the two companies has been finalized, the closing date of the transaction will be September 4, 2007. During this time, Nelson will continue “business as usual” according to Bob Rupar, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Nelson Irrigation. “Hunter Industries has the capacity to ensure that the MP Rotator® sprinkler reaches its full potential in worldwide turf markets. We’ll be working closely together to ensure that the manufacturing processes are well understood, and that the sales potential for this product is maximized. Nelson Irrigation will continue to focus on providing state-of-the-art water application solutions for the agricultural irrigation markets, and will continue to support Hunter Industries in the evolution of the MP Rotator® series of sprinklers.”

“It’s the perfect acquisition,” quotes Brandon Meadows, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Hunter Industries. “We secured this deal, which will shake up markets globally. The MP Rotator® sprinkler has gained a good footing domestically and is also highly sought after in our international markets. The icing on the cake is that the timing coincides nicely with our buying season, so the product works, the timing works, and we’re excited!”