Connor Tractor has only been open for business for 18 months, but in that time owner Jeremy Connor has improved their unit sales, been named to a  “40 under 40” list locally and was named best agricultural dealer in the 352 area code.

Connor purchased the dealership’s building from Kioti dealer Caldwell Tractor in January 2021. 

Connor’s original career plans didn’t include owning a tractor dealership. He graduated college with a civil engineering degree, but when he moved to the U.S. from Ireland the economy was weak, and there were no engineering jobs. “When I first moved to the U.S, I was a plumber. And after plumbing in Cleveland, I moved down here to Ocala, and I was doing a classic car restoration for a car collector here,” he explains.

After 5 years working with the classic car collector, Connor started a mobile mechanic service focusing on auto repairs, which eventually morphed into tractor repairs as well, he says. A parts purchase brought Connor to Caldwell Tractor. “They asked me what I did, and I told them I’m a mobile mechanic who could do tractor repair and car repair. They said, ‘Well, we need a mechanic to do mobile work.’”

After about 2 years, Connor saw the opportunity and growth in Ocala and decided to purchase the building from the owner of Caldwell Tractor. 

“It was a father-and-son business all their life. They were ready to retire. When I came out of high school, my dad told me to go to tech school and become an agricultural mechanic, but everybody else was telling me I need a bachelor’s degree. I went off to college and became a civil engineer. So, I’ve came back around full circle.” 

Read the full article on the Rural Lifestyle Dealer website here.