A team of three Jacobsen engineers received the Textron Corporation Chairman’s Award for their design and development of an electric mower for golf greens that is quieter and more environmentally friendly than traditional mowers.

Harry Quinn Derby, a Six-Sigma Black Belt; Carlos Bellot, a senior electrical design engineer; and Andrew Modzik, also a six-sigma black belt, work in the Wilmar manufacturing facility in Charlotte, N.C., headquarters for the Jacobsen lawn and turf business.

The three were chosen from a field of 80 company-wide nominations and then selected from a group of 33 finalists. The team is one of just 13 Chairman’s Awards given each year for innovations that contribute to the growth, profitability and competitive position of Textron. It is the highest corporate honor given by Textron, a global corporation with brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO and Jacobsen. The Chairman’s Award comes with a $10,000 cash award that will be divided among the three team members.

The E-Walk Greens mower is a battery-powered walking greens mower with independent traction and reel speed controls that allow easy adjustments to the machine clip rate, resulting in a higher quality of cut. It was first used at the 2003 Memorial PGA Tournament held at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.