Editor’s Note: Raymond P. Koenig,  former President and CEO at Koenig Equipment, passed away at age 78 on Dec. 14, 2024,  days after the family was notified of his induction to the 2025 Class of the Farm Equipment Dealer Hall of Fame.

Known for his innovative approach to business and his dedication to dealership sustainability and profitability, Raymond P. Koenig was respected by peers as a forward-thinking leader and transformative force in the agricultural equipment industry. 

Under his leadership, the family-owned business evolved into Koenig Equipment Inc., a successful multi-location John Deere dealership and, for a time, Case IH dealership. During his career Koenig served as the dealership’s sales manager, general manager, president, CEO and chairman. 

His nephews, Aaron as CEO and Adam as CFO, have grown the dealership to its current 15 locations, and many members of the 4th generation work alongside them. 

Koenig earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland, Ohio (1968) and an MBA from Harvard Business School (1974), serving in the U.S. Navy in between. He began his professional journey at John Deere headquarters in Moline, Ill., before returning to his family’s business in Botkins, Ohio. 

Koenig was deeply involved in industry leadership through dealer associations. His contributions to the field were widely recognized, with features in industry publications spanning three decades and inclusion in a college textbook on achieving family business continuity, according to his nephew Aaron Koenig. 

In the early 1980s, he was one of a handful of dealers invited by John Deere to speak to investors and the financial press with the hope of attracting capital to the then-struggling manufacturer. In addition, he served as CEO of Wilson Memorial Hospital in Sidney, Ohio, while guiding the dealership from one to an eventual 11 locations.

The Vital Role of Relationships in Driving Dealer Success

From his own family to OEM territory managers to association leaders, Ray’s impact on the industry might best be defined by one word: relationships. With a focused priority on  customers, Koenig took on additional roles — alongside his brothers and sister, and the important mentoring of his nephews to take over management duties. What follows are three different perspectives on the late Raymond Koenig, in their own words.

Aaron Koenig, CEO, Koenig Equipment, Botkins, Ohio. “He was my professional mentor, so he meant a lot to me — not only professionally but personally — in large part because he saw potential in me that I didn't see in myself. His insightfulness could be described many ways, but I mainly think of him as a visionary. He would describe things about the business and where it was going that seemed impossible to me. Then a few years down the road, virtually everything he suggested had become a reality. He was also quite an innovator and a calculated risk-taker. 

“He was always willing to try out ideas that were new or different, or to which others said, ‘You can’t do that in the ag industry.’ He’d set out to prove them wrong, and most oftentimes did.

“As my mentor, there is so much that I took away from Ray. When I would come with challenges or questions, very rarely did he give me the answer. Instead, he would ask additional questions that would make me think through the problem and come up with the solution on my own. He’d say, ‘I think you’ve got the answer, maybe you just weren't asking the right questions.’” 

“Mainly, Ray was a lifelong learner. He was one of the first dealers to have a fiduciary board to which he reported. He served  as CEO of a hospital and led fundraising campaigns for United Way in search of best practices that could be applied to the dealership.”

A Growth Mindset & Guts

When Ray came back to the dealership in the mid-1970s, we were a 1-location family business. A handful of employees, his father and two uncles were active in the business, but Ray served to professionalize the dealership, departmentalize it, specialize it, incorporate it. 

We became Koenig Equipment at that time and made our first acquisition of a neighboring dealer who was in his 90s, and Ray clearly much younger (early 30s). That was an interesting acquisition to get done, with shareholders across the country. Farmers were just beginning to consider consolidation, so Ray anticipated that dealerships would do the very same thing. It was his vision for what dealerships would be in the future.

“Then Ray did something in 2002 that I don't know if anyone's done before or will ever do again, and that is when Koenig Equipment acquired Case IH dealerships. We’d been a long time John Deere dealership, and still are. Despite many people saying, ‘There's no way you could do that, neither manufacturer will let that happen,’ he managed to do it. 

“I applaud him for his courage for having done that. It wasn't until about 2017 that I began to take over the dealership, and by that time we were up to 11 locations. He'd grown it from one to 11 stores, and we’d gone from essentially one county to 40-plus counties in two states.

“From 2002-17, we operated both Case IH and John Deere dealerships in separate states. We were in Ohio with John Deere and Northern Indiana with our Case IH stores. We did it successfully, and it was certainly a challenge, but in 2017 made the decision to consolidate those dealerships, sell off the Case IH locations and acquire more John Deere locations, which got us to our current location count of 15.

A Family Constitution & Governance

“I think in part our success and longevity has to do with professional governance and intentional full disclosure transition of ownership. Uncle Ray had the foresight to keep in our library at our corporate office a copy of the original sale agreement when my great-grandfather sold the business to his three sons. All five signed it, so all knew exactly what was going on and who was getting what and how things were to go. That set the example. Ray put that into practice in the transition when adding new stores.

“Professional governance was always important, so we sought advice from industry experts. We met as a family and talked about what we wanted the future of the dealership to be not in 5 years but in 50 years, and how to get there. We determined that despite the governance and bylaws we had, we needed additional governance to manage the relationships of a family business.

“That’s when we drafted and still have today our family constitution. It defines family employment policy and keeps us all in line and in agreement. When we come up against a difficult decision, we go to the documents and ask, ‘What did we agree on and what does it tell us to do?’ It’s worked fabulously and he set the foundation for what will come after. 

Ray Koenig Photo Gallery

Another lesson that I learned from him is the importance of planning succession so that it isn’t an event, but takes place over time where one needs to plan and execute it. It’s nearly time now for me to look ahead and start planning for the 5th generation to take over the business.

“Last year, 2024 represented our 120th year in business. We continue to look for opportunities to grow share and grow profitability in our existing locations and look forward to what the future holds for us. One thing I took away from Ray is the importance of independence — to always protect your identity and what’s important to you. Don’t just focus on size as much as performance. Bigger isn’t better, better is better. We strive to get better and better each day.”

Bill Schmidtgall, Past Member of Koenig Equipment Fiduciary Board. Bill Schmidtgall, retired ag equipment manufacturing executive and industry advisor, who had served on the fiduciary board for Koenig Equipment, offered these words when asked to share highlights of his relationship with Ray Koenig.

“Ray was a visionary who swam upstream, not because it was easy, but to best serve his customers, suppliers, employees and shareholders. They and the industry benefited from his servant leadership, honesty and integrity.

“Koenig represented DMI (a tillage manufacturer eventually sold to CNH) and worked to meet customer’s needs well with high expectations for us, the customer, his dealership and held himself accountable to those same high expectations. Years later, I was honored to join Ray’s board (2012-2021). He wanted to benefit from the power of a board, to listen to the shared experiences of others, evaluate applicability for the dealership. He wanted to be challenged when hesitation was less scary, and for us to learn together and to be held accountable to his fiduciary responsibilities.

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“We want to be professionally managed, but we want to keep family in the family business…” – Raymond P. Koenig (1946-2024)

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“In his normal studious manner, he researched the pros and cons, learned the best characteristics of a functioning board, then selected diverse candidates to augment his management expertise, which changed over time.

“Although often the smartest person in the room, Ray did what is often so hard and unusual for leaders — he actually listened. He asked questions and held us accountable as contributing members. He used the board in so many ways to help the one sitting in the loneliest company chair, because he was committed to the reality that one person rarely ever makes as good of decisions as does the collective honest and open discussion of a committed and experienced team. 

“Ray was a competent leader who recognized he would perform his responsibilities so much better with a competent board than going it alone. Having reported to boards and served on many, I know Ray used his board extraordinarily well to benefit his company as an example of his humble, caring and thoughtful leadership. He was committed to results, but not handcuffed by who gets the credit for the results. He and his leadership style will be missed.”

Hall of Fame Digital Extras

• Ray Koenig Obituary
• Intergenerational Dealerships: The Anatomy of Transition
• Our Dealer Story Podcast: Koenig Equipment 

Starlett Chesser, John Deere Territory Manager. Starlett Chesser was a John Deere territory manager across 4 states when she retired in 2019 after 41 years with the OEM. Koenig Equipment was part of her territory, including the era when the dealership added red to its color offering when the company purchased three Case IH dealers in Indiana The professional relationship she shared with Ray Koenig and other family members in management could serve as a Master Class in dealer/OEM relations. 

“Ray followed protocol, was extremely formal and the way he dealt with people was an art. He was always eager to find alignment that worked for both organizations. With 15-16 dealers in my Ohio territory alone, Koenig was the largest at the time. He was very organized, highly educated and helped share knowledge with those he worked with, including me. He challenged me to think differently and always made me feel respected.” 

Pure Intelligence

“My role was to make sure what John Deere promised to the dealer got delivered, and what the dealer promised Deere got done, as well. As territory manager, I was in his office nearly once a week. We’d talk extensively about the business’ financials and his plans. My role was to gain acceptance of a combined plan that would serve both sides. 

“Ray ran his business differently than any other dealer. He always looked at his business for what he wanted it to be in 5, 10, 20 years down the road. There was a point where they were either going to expand or collapse their long-term plan of gaining more footprint. We built trust on all sides that has remained strong with the nephews now in management, and helping the business continue to grow and thrive. 

“Ray believed in a higher vision for what their organizations could be. It was all about integrity. Such was the case when he made the business decision about the Case IH dealerships. 

“They developed their own systems, set up their own programs and territory managers in two different states, and made sure they were geographically separated. It was, as he saw it, a business decision. To Ray, it was diversifying to achieve his long-term goals. He knew how to keep them separate, and did. Their integrity built a firewall between those two organizations. The process took many months as we continually focused on getting promises from both sides to work toward what each needed. 

“Ultimately they made a decision to let those go. The way he managed that relationship with Deere and the way we worked together through it ultimately allowed him to ensure the business would be around for the next generation and the next one. There remains an incredible amount of talent and professionalism in that organization. As they have for 120 years, they will survive for a very long time. 

“He left an absolutely exceptional legacy.”  

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