Watching the Grass Grow as a Young Man...
Leads to Rainfall Irrigation and Landscape Lighting...
Owner Steve Behan Shares a Little Background
On How Rainfall Irrigation Came to Be...
From as early as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by machines, technology and automation… and even then, had an almost insatiable need to know how things worked... which proved to be a natural compliment to the sprinkler and landscape lighting systems company I now own.
I got my first job at 15 – at a golf course – and, needless to say, all the unique & specialized golf course equipment and machinery caught my interest.
After high school, I went back to work at that same golf course... and in no time I was driving my boss crazy, asking him to let me stay on rainy days so I could work with the mechanic… that's when I began buying my own mechanics tools.
Eventually I got to work a longer season than the other young guys, because by then, I’d learned how to tear down, sharpen & rebuild the different reel mowers and other equipment we used there.
At 21 I was made Head Greenskeeper for a nearby, 9-hole course...
A few years later I completed the well-known Turf Management program run by the University of Massachusetts, where I got my first exposure to and technical training in irrigation/sprinkler system design… and it proved to be my favorite course.
Since a sprinkler system is really a relatively complex hydraulic machine buried in the ground...
I guess it was a predictable outcome.
As I developed an ever-growing interest and fascination in the field, I was like a sponge, absorbing everything sprinkler-related.
The next season I moved to Plymouth, Massachusetts as the Assistant Superintendant of a new golf course – condominium development… where, as the course was completed, I was responsible for developing the turf, including the installation of a complex sprinkler/irrigation system.
Eventually I became the course Superintendant.
I had all those years to watch the grass grow… literally...
I identified the various types of deficiencies in sprinkler/irrigation systems that became apparent in both dry and overly rainy conditions, as well as the relative impact of shaded areas, slopes, and how the different angles of the sun influenced turf and plant life health on the course property.
I had the chance to test various solutions to those challenges… and observe the results of those tests over time. And while the solutions weren’t always sprinker-based, my passion for machinery & equipment helped me find innovative ways to keep our mowing equipment precisely tuned and sharp, as well as designing walk-behind sprayer implements that let us keep the traditional heavy equipment off our precious 
putting greens.
I’ve always felt strongly about water conservation...
And using more natural approaches to horticulture…
And as a result, I’ve became skilled at grounds management without having to use much if any chemical pesticides.
It was an easy, short, short step into the residential and commercial lawn & garden sprinkler systems business in 1988... with my own company – Rainfall Irrigation – where I could apply my lifetime of collective skills and insights in my day-to-day dealings with my discerning clients.
Since then we've added landscape/outdoor/garden/patio lighting systems to our offerings, with more to come (like Christmas Lighting) in the near future.
Whether it's sprinkler systems, landscape lighting systems, servicing them, or consulting to system clients and prospective clients, they all benefit from my unwavering commitment to healthy landscapes and plant life… and you will too!
You have my word on that.
Steve Behan, Owner
Rainfall Irrigation & Outdoor Lighting Systems
E-mail us, or give us a call TODAY – 781.585.5701 to for more information, or to get started with your own automated sprinkler or landscape lighting system...
