#189 - PART 3, Rain Bird Irrigation Pro Summit: Inside Rain Bird Innovation

Behind every irrigation controller, valve, and system component is a team of engineers and

product managers thinking about how to make those tools better. At the Rainbird Contractor Summit,

I had the chance to talk directly with several members of the Rainbird team about how products

are developed and how contractor feedback influences that process. First, I sat down with Steve,

who works in the Rainbird Controller product line.

If you are an irrigation professional, old or new, who designs, installs, or maintains high-end,

residential, commercial, or municipal properties, and you want to use technology to improve your

business to get a leg up on your competition, even if you're an old school irrigator from the days

of hydraulic systems, this show is for you.

All right, Steve. Welcome back to the Spring Cleaner Podcast. You're one of the few people

that this is your second time talking with me. So, appreciate it. Repeat, absolutely. I

appreciate you being here. And I appreciate the opportunity to be at the Rainbird Contractor Summit

here in New Jersey, learning about controllers and valves. And I know Steve, you're the product manager

for controllers. And maybe you could just tell us a little bit about what that means at Rainbird.

Sure. So, I have, I'm only one member on a team of product managers for controllers. I manage

some of our residential controllers. So, TM2, ME3, the new ESP2 wire. But we have a team of people

working on other controllers, other controller products, software. So, our job essentially is

develop the roadmap for things we want to develop and ensure that we're able to

continue making products, maintain quality, all of those things.

Awesome. And I know this is a unique event because of the number of professional contractors

that are here that are going to be learning about your products. But also, it's two-way,

no pun intended, that you get to learn from them. And what if I were to ask you what you're

interested in learning from a contractor today, what might that be? Yeah. So, I mean, I think we

all take contractor feedback really, really seriously. Ultimately, they're the ones that

a lot of times are making purchase decisions. They decide what goes in on a job. They're the ones

that are maintaining those systems long-term. And so, it's important for us to understand

what they need in the field, what kinds of tools, what types of products they like to work with,

why they like to work with those products, how we can make something better that makes their job

easier in the future. So, there's a lot of things we can learn from contractors. So, I agree,

as this is a good opportunity to have kind of a two-way dialogue about products. And I'm sure

contractors, many contractors may know some or a lot about your product line. What do you think

they may not know about it that you want them to learn today? It's a great question. I think that

we're primarily focused a lot on two-wire today at this particular event. We have the ESP two-wire

that's been out for about two years now, but we're still getting some visibility around that,

getting people to understand what the product is, where it might be used. So, I would say maybe

how to choose the right controller for the right job. I'm huge on that, trying to not necessarily

shoehorn a specific product into an application, figuring out what that application requires,

and then choosing the right controller for that job. So, we have, like I said, our ESP two-wire

controller, and it fits a lot of applications that I think people that we need to continue

creating awareness around now. Okay, and if somebody is trying to decide, should I use two-wire

in this project? Should I use standard conventional wire in this project? Do you have any advice for

them about how to make that decision? So, there are a few ways you can make that decision. I think

historically, at least from everything I've understood over the years from contractors in the field,

to say look at where it starts to make financial sense to use two-wire. So, yes, you're spending more

money on decoders, but how much money do you save on wire in the ground? Traditionally, that break-even

point is around 30-35 stations. ESP two-wire does bring that down substantially anywhere from 12-15

stations. You can break even. I've heard people using it on projects as low as six stations.

So, that's part of it. The other part of it is the advantages you gain from two-wire, the inherent

benefits of being able to expand the system. So, even if it's a lower station count system,

you may opt for two-wire. There's a potential or possibility that down the road you want to

expand that system easily without having to pull more wire or things like that. Okay. And I know

there's a lot of technology that goes into communicating from the controller to the valve or the

IVM that's got the built-in decoder. I assume the controllers can be cloud-connected and can you tell

us a little bit more about how controllers can connect to the cloud or and to rainbird software?

Yeah, that's such a good question and a really important topic and it's becoming more and more

important. So, we have been going through this process of trying to bring all of our controllers into

the same atmosphere to be able to control all of them through the same software. So, whether you're

controlling a TM2 or an ME3 all the way up to LXIVM being able to manage those controllers through

our IQ software, more potentially also through our new rainbird 2.0 app. So, when we're talking about

the large commercial controllers, our LX series controllers, getting those connected is as simple as

adding an IQ cartridge. We offer those in a variety of flavors, if you will. We'll be able to get

cellular communications or ethernet. That gets you access to IQ software with any of our other

controllers you can add a link to and that would connect through Wi-Fi and give you access to either

the 2.0 app or IQ and everything happens in real time. So, somebody's making changes to a controller

through the IQ software. You would see that in real time in the app and vice versa.

Awesome. As we look out, you know, one year, three years hard to look at five years, we can dream

five years might not be reality. What innovations do you see that are here and aren't being

implemented or what innovations do you see coming that you think contractors will utilize and

or rainbird will build for contractors? You know, I think one of the biggest things that I think

we're starting to see adoption on now. We've been seeing it for the last few years, but I think we'll

continue to grow is the desire or the ability to manage large quantities of controllers easily.

So, historically, at least on residential installs, contractors would go install it and then

program it and leave it to the homeowner to manage from there. And there are some really big

advantages to being connected to the cloud, to being connected with a link to, to be able to get

weather data, irrigate responsibly, efficiently. And so, that's something that I think we'll see

more adoption of is contractors taking control of those systems and managing them long-term versus

just installing and then leaving it. And is that something this new rainbird 2.0 app is capable?

Does that provide that type of capability? Yeah, absolutely. So, the app is a really easy way to

make changes or to manage things in a kind of one-to-one relationship. You can access a controller,

but with that change, you can also log into the IQ software and you can make changes to large

quantities of controllers all at the same time. So, it makes it really easy to manage controllers at

scale. Okay. And as we kind of wrap up here, is there anything that you want a contractor to know

either about rainbird, your product line, doing business in these markets with rainbird? What

do you want them to walk away with? I think the biggest thing is we appreciate the feedback that we

get from contractors in the field. We do our best to develop products that are easy to use

that will last for a long time, that they can manage through a variety of methods. And we hear them

and we appreciate the feedback and I would just say keep it coming. Excellent. Well, thank you for

sharing today about the rainbird controller product line and what you're excited about going

into 2026. Absolutely. My pleasure. Controllers may be the brain of an irrigation system,

but valves are the muscle. So, next, I spoke with Maggie and Matt from rainbird about valve technology

and how products move from design to the field. I joined today by Maggie and Matt at the rainbird

contractor summit in New Jersey and today we're going to learn a little bit about developing valves

for rainbird and a little bit about the sales channel and a little bit maybe about what it's like

for a sales manager to work with, a product manager to bring products to market and a little bit

more about rainbirds. So, with that, tell us what you're excited about today here at this event.

I'm excited just to get out in the field and talk with the contractors who are actually installing

the product and get feedback. The work constantly working on improving our products and they may not

be big changes, but we're always looking at how we can make the quality better, how we can make the

customer experience better. So, really meeting with the guys who are putting these things in the

ground is exciting for me. Excellent. And is this something you've done before personally? Have

you been to events like this with rainbird and talked to people in the field? Yeah, we have events

at our headquarters in Tucson throughout the spring where we bring contractors and other

people in-house to hear about their experiences. And then throughout the year, we try to travel to

the different regions and really understand how different regions use our products.

Excellent. Well, I have a lot of questions about valves. Before we get to those, I want to talk

to you, Matt, for a second, because I know you are a sales manager for rainbird and cover a few

different states. So, let's just start by understanding where your market is and what you do for rain.

Sure. Sure. I cover Maryland, DC, Virginia. My market is heavily in commercial. A lot of

residents are too. As far as what I do is the sales manager is building relationships. The

biggest thing is, is getting guys to showcase our product, what we have, what we have to offer,

especially in two-wire and the new products that we have out like Maggie and Steve and the

rest of the team have developed for ease of use. So, as far as that goes, it's a lot of travel.

It's a lot of relationship building and it's a lot of fun. So, as far as that goes, that's awesome.

So, how long have you been in the irrigation industry as a whole? So, I've been in the irrigation

industry over 20 years. It was a golf course supertime for almost 13 contractors or eight and I've

been here for. Awesome. And is that always been in the mid-Atlantic area?

Which is always in the middle of the Atlantic area. I spent six years in Colorado on the golf side.

Awesome. Very good. So, you've got a lot of also field knowledge working with these contractors

today. It's probably helpful as well for you, Maggie, working in product. Yeah. So, I've also been

in the irrigation industry for 20 some odd years. I started in customer service for rainbird a long

time ago and then moved into sales at one point and worked per landscape contractor in Phoenix

before I came back almost five years ago. Awesome. Awesome. And of, let's see, of the valve line,

can you tell us what the most popular rainbird valve is? So, our most popular valve is probably the

DV valve. It's been around for over 30 years. It's our most reliable residential valve. You can find

almost anywhere around the world. They are not only reliable, but they're easy to use.

And one of our most durable valves on the market right now in terms of residential valves.

And I know there's a lot of people out there in podcasts like probably know the positions of

product management. What does being a product manager for rainbird? What is that like?

It's loaded. Yeah, we do a little bit of everything. So, I'm responsible for the whole valve product

line. So, anything from marketing and how we interact with sales to sell the product to

manufacturing, are we making our products efficiently, to quality, to new product development?

If we've got engineers with great ideas, we try to develop that into something maybe

our customers need or want. So, really, everything with the product line, I'm ultimately responsible

for. Excellent. And I know that contractors have lots of ideas. Yes. How do they and how can they

get those ideas up to somebody like you internally? So, they can contact our customer service.

There is a forum that you can fill out that is like a new product idea. And they take that. And

not just Vedic, just make sure that any sort of intellectual property can be worked out if it's

truly a new, innovative idea. It goes through them and then can filter down to us.

Awesome. Yeah. And what are you excited about at this event as a release of your product category

of valves? Well, it's really the interaction between valves and controllers here. So, I think we're

doing a lot of IBM. And IBM is a controller product, but we also have the IBM solenoid, which

technically is also my product. So, watching how and teaching our contractors how to efficiently

use that product is exciting. And now that you've mentioned it, can you give us like 30 seconds on what

IBM is? So, IBM is intelligent valve module. So, what it is is smart solenoid to cutter together.

So, as to a communication with controllers, so, diagnostics is right in front. So, like our old

system, like an Alex D and other systems, they don't really talk. It's one way communication.

This has to a communication. So, there's a problem in the field that lets you know immediately what's

going on. Excellent. And how approximately how long has that product been on the market?

Seven years. I think it came out right at COVID. I guess, right? Right? Right at COVID.

Yeah. Yeah. And is there anything different about that product than traditional two-wire system?

You mentioned two-way communication. Yep. Two-way communication. So, a typical two-wire system,

you have, you know, valve solenoid. I think it's, excuse me, solenoid to decoder to two-wire path.

This is straight to two-wire path. So, the IBM is AC controller,

conversed to DC latching, because there's a smart chip and a capacitor in there. So,

that's where the communication talks. So, the solenoid and the decoder are all integrated.

And the one part, yeah. Excellent. All integrated at one. So, does that have the potential to have to be

to have less issues with splices and product failure? Yeah. Where are most of your, where most of

issues on two-wire system? Yeah. Spices. So, this cuts splices in half, because you're going

straight to the two-wire. Okay. And what else is new and exciting in the valve category? We're talking

about controllers and we're talking about the solenoid. Is there anything else that you guys

are working on or that's coming? Yeah. So, we recently released our G5 solenoid, which is our

newest solenoid. It's a commercial solenoid. It is a little more compact and it will fit

our entire valve line. So, rainbird in the past, we've had solenoids for our residential valves,

solenoids for our commercial valves. This one will fit everything. So, it really is just one spare

part that our maintenance contractors will need. They don't have to carry around a bunch of solenoids.

And we're going to start putting it on our valves. And later this month, we'll start putting it

on our DVF valve, which will actually give it more of a light commercial capability. So,

the G5 solenoids compatible with the decoder-based two-wire system, where our DV solenoids aren't

right now. Can you tell us what the F is? You said DV, F, so I'm familiar with DVL. What is the F?

Yeah, the F is for flow control. So, if you look at all of our rainbird products,

there are always a bunch of a mix of numbers and letters. Everything stands for something. So,

for our valve line, the first three numbers are the size of the valve. So, all of our DVs,

well, we have a 100 DV and a 75 DV. That's the size, one inch and three-quarter inch. We also have

PGA's that come in 100, 150 and 200. That's inch, inch and a half and two inch. DV stands for

diaphragm valve. Okay. Which, you know, trivia for the day. Well, not all valves in the world are

diaphragm valves. No, yeah. So, and it was one of the first residential diaphragm valves and the

F stands for flow control. For flow, okay? Excellent. And is that map one of the most popular valves?

I think you mentioned that earlier, but is that with your contractor? Oh, absolutely.

Do you stream number one? Absolutely. And the PGA in my market, in my particular market,

is very popular. And then there, we've down in Virginia, you have a lot of pull-in-from-pons,

so the PESB's, the scrubber valves are extremely popular. Well, we won't get into the scrubber valve,

you know, but there's a lot of technical details that go into the scrubber valve. As we look

into like the next year to the next five years, and maybe we can say as an industry as irrigation,

but also inside valve category, and maybe even inside how we do sales, what changes do you see coming

up? We'll start with you, Maggie. Okay. I see a lot more commonization across our valve line. So,

we have a lot of valves that fit every, you know, need that our contractors or end users may have.

I really want to streamline that, so it makes the valve selection easier. If you know your pressure,

and your flow, and your application, I want it to be easy for our customers to be able to choose

the valve that's right for their site. Excellent. Next five years? I see a crossroads, I believe you're

not with ownership. You have a lot of private equity money coming in now. You have a lot of

guys aging out and not a lot of guys stepping up. So, as far as the business aspect of that,

I also see two-wire becoming more dominant. As things get cheaper, your standard systems are

going to go away, and a two-wire will be with diagnostics and technology and the way things are

moving, everything will be a two-wire system, and also with, you know, the new, you know,

Wi-Fi, all that kind of stuff, things are going to be moving in that direction. So, to college moves

fast, a lot of things need to move fast, and that's the way I see it going. Excellent.

Do you think that this would be a question for both of you? Do you think we'll reach a point,

and contractor will reach a point where every one of their controllers will be cloud-connected?

Yes. Yeah. Tell us more. Maybe you're sure you can share in that.

So, everything will be a lot more cloud-connected for sure.

You know, we have just integrated our residential and commercial line into our cloud-based system,

which is I can afford. So, now you can manage sites from your peer, your phone, everything. So,

everything will be going in that direction for sure, and we're there on our patterns are there.

That's the way things are going. Technology moves fast, and that's the way it's going.

Yeah. I totally agree. I think, you know, we get questions about

wireless control of our valves, and I think a lot of that has to do with

cloud connection, and the more our controllers are connected to the cloud, the more you can control

your irrigation from wherever you are. A lot of more smart systems, you know, with ET-based,

weather-based. So, that's where it's going. So, let me... Can you do you have any

stories you can share? Let's start with you, Matt. Working with a contractor in the field

to, you know, solve a problem or fix a problem? Oh, yeah. I mean, I don't even know where to begin with

that one. Yeah, there's a lot of problems. So, I've got a site in Pentagon City in Virginia that's

actually, what are the M system? It has 10 master valves and 10 flow sensors on it for one of

these buildings. So, during install, we had to help them. They couldn't figure out how to get

the flow zone. So, I had to help them with the flow zone for master valve one. You have flow

sensor one, flow zone one, and three valves, and all that. So, there's a lot to do. I mean, we do

Alex Dutrange and fieldwork all the time. It's just minor things. Most of these guys are very

capable of doing it, but when it comes in the back end of some of the stuff of, you know,

finding decoders and knowing what's wrong. It's kind of how we go. Okay.

And have you gotten out there and gotten your hands dirty and

played in the mud with these guys? I try to when I can. I love it. Generally, they call me when

they have a question or they have a customer with something weird happening with their valves. I

get those calls fairly often, but it's fun to figure it out and fix the problem and make sure

that they've got a reliable system that runs. Yeah. I mean, as far as, as far as everything goes,

you know, that's what we do. I mean, we're in the field all the time. My end of things just

helping contractors. It can be anything. It's just not if something goes wrong. It's, you know,

what it comes to helping to design work or anything else. Just make sure that they've got it down

pack. That's basically how that goes. And is there anything else that you would like somebody

out there in podcast land to know about this event, about Rainbow, about what you might be excited

about for this year coming into 2026? I think looking at the setup that we have here, this is going

to be one of the most comprehensive like training events that I've seen us do just from the hands

on aspect. Every table has a controller. It's it's incredible. So I'm excited to see what these guys

are able to to learn today. Yeah, because there's certainly only so much you can learn online

self-serve. There's only so much you can learn on a webinar. There's only so much you can

learn sitting in a classroom and listening to somebody die. So I do appreciate that Rainbow

has real products here. Yeah. Get your hands really on the controllers on the vows programming.

Yeah, learning. I think that's fantastic. You know, we're, we've got our three newest products,

which is our BTBAT, our IBM system, and our ESP2 wire. So let's see, it's going to be, it's going

to be a lot of fun. We're looking forward to it and showcasing that and showing how guys how easy

it is to use things. Awesome. All right. Well, thank you so much for joining today and thank

you so much for having me out here. Thanks for having me. All right. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Yep. Thank you, Andy. One of the biggest takeaways from the Rainbow Contractor Summit is that

innovation in irrigation is a collaborative process. Contractors in the field share feedback,

manufacturers design better products, and together the industry continues to move forward.

But perhaps the most important lesson from the event is this, great contractors never stop learning.

Even if you don't currently install the products being discussed at an event like this,

there's always something new to learn. And in irrigation, that mindset of curiosity and

continuous improvement is what ultimately drives the industry forward. Thanks for listening to

this three-part series from the Rainbow Contractor Summit and stay curious, my friends.