Sarlo mowers have cut the grass for 75 years

Tony Sarlo EVAN WILLIAMS / FLORIDA WEEKLY “It’s not a mower, it’s a Sarlo,” went the company’s old jingle. The line was derived from the emotional bond some customers felt for their rugged Sarlo lawnmowers after many years of reliable grass cutting.

“Dear Sarlo,” begins one hand-written note to the Fort Myers-based company, dated Aug. 13, 1999. “Paul Clawson, my father, used his Sarlo mower for every grass cutting from 1952 until October 1998. He loved it! He cleaned it, he washed it, he painted it in the winter and maintained it like no other. He showed it to everyone.”

The distinctive high-wheeled lawnmowers were designed in Fort Myers by Italian immigrant Anthony Sarlo in 1935, and are still manufactured and sold here. He patented the product in 1953. His son, Arnold Sarlo, later took over the business. He in turn handed it over years ago to his own son, the current president. That’s 51-year-old Tony Sarlo, who was born in Fort Myers. He met his wife, Eloise, at Bishop Verot High School and they have three children.

Mr. Sarlo mostly remembers his grandfather as someone with whom he spent many happy summers in North Carolina, but also as a pragmatic businessman.

“He started with a simple design, rugged construction and quality components,” Mr. Sarlo said. “Those three characteristics are the common thread that brings us to today. What it adds up to is a mower that lasts a long time.”

He grew up watching his father work. If other children thought about becoming firemen or astronauts, Mr. Sarlo had already decided he would help run the family business.

“When I was very young, I always thought of growing up and taking over the business,” he said. “I wanted to do what Dad was doing.”

He started in the parts department, and after high school worked in the manufacturing plant. He later moved into sales and business development before becoming president. These days, his father still often drops by the main office in downtown Fort Myers to check on the day’s businesses or take a deposit to the bank.

“My father’s style has evolved,” Mr. Sarlo said. “When I was young, he was aggressive and fiery, let’s put it that way. But I do have to say he would relinquish duties and responsibilities freely. I never felt he was over me at every minute.”

In the last year and a half, Sarlo also expanded with two new retail locations. One is in Naples. The other, in Bonita Springs, is run by Mr. Sarlo’s brother, Joe Sarlo. The company also now has dealers across the United States, including in Hawaii, and exports to countries around the world.

“It’s a small world these days,” Mr. Sarlo said.

Their customers are a mix of commercial and residential. Besides homeowners, they sell to school boards, and parks and recreation departments. Sarlo developed a commercial diesel-powered mower that can run for eight hours on a gallon of fuel. Because the mowers have a reputation for being workhorses, correctional facilities are some of their best customers in Florida, Arkansas, Georgia and New York. Sarlo is also the oldest continuous customer

of Briggs and Stratton, the smallengine

manufacturer.

About the company turning 75 years old this year, Mr. Sarlo says, “It’s a point of pride.”

But with the retail expansion in Bonita and Naples, and the shifting economy, he’s not resting on his laurels.

“You have your short- and long-term plans, but the truth is these days, you have to remain flexible,” he said. “You have to react to the opportunities, react to the market. And I think the design of the company and the management style has allowed us to do just that.”

Mr. Sarlo’s fourth-generation counterpart may not be far behind. He has three children, Mark, Michael and Margo. His oldest, Mark, 26, may be set to take over the business some day.

“Eloise and I have never pushed our kids into this business,” Mr. Sarlo said. “If you don’t have a passion for it, there’s no use.”

Meanwhile, he plans on working for many years.

“I always told people I’m going to work until I die, and if I’m healthy enough to work, I guess that’s not a bad thing,” he said. 