Vicki Cutforth, left, has opened QC Power Equipment in Davenport. She and Mary Ann Soenksen, right, worked for another Toro distributor  (Quad City Times photo).

After 31 years in the business, Vicki Cutforth is finally the boss. 

She opened QC Power Equipment, a Toro outdoor power equipment dealer in August.

Cutfort worked for a local Toro distributor in Bettendorf for 31 years. But after that business was sold, she was among several people who were laid off, she said. She was the customer service manager and the store manager, she said.

“I found myself on unemployment and looking for a new career during a difficult economic time,” she said. “I saw a need in the area for a full line Toro dealer so I decided to take a leap and start the process of opening a dealership.”

She secured a loan, purchased the building in July and opened in August. It showcases a large display of Toro equipment and has a parts and service department.

Cutforth said she employs three people who formerly worked with her at the other dealership.

“We sell lawnmowers, all the way to commercial mowers and snowblowers and hand-held products. We  also do parts and service,” she said.

Brands handled by the store include Toro, Echo, Shindaiwa, Billy Goat, Bear Cat and MoJack. Products include string trimmers, chain saws, pruners, cultivators, sprayers, fertilizer and salt spreaders, chippers and leaf vacuums.