The success of a dealership is, in large part, due to its employees, and as dealers outgrow their facilities, these 5 are focused on building a better environment for their technicians to ensure continued growth. North Star Hardware & Implement, Central Kubota, Messick’s Equipment, Van Wall Equipment and Sydenstricker Nobbe Partners have dedicated time and resources in the past several years to create a safe, productive and enjoyable work environment. Common renovations include temperature controlled shops, overhead crane installments, indoor pressure washing areas and showroom upgrades. Along with technicians, customers benefit from more efficient service and a concrete promise that their dealership is here for the long haul.

NORTH STAR HARDWARE & IMPLEMENT, NORTH STAR, OHIO

100 years ago, North Star Hardware & Implement sold and traded horses. Now, the single-store dealership offers the full Fendt product line and is in its 4th generation of ownership. 

The AGCO and New Holland dealer first expanded in 1976 under second-generation ownership by moving its operation to a nearby facility that included a repair shop, parts department and sales office. Since then, North Star Implement has expanded 4 additional times to meet the demands of its customers. In 2003, it added a 70- by 170-foot combine shop and parts warehouse, a 70- by 150-foot grain bin cold storage building in 2008 and new office spaces in 2011. 

After 100 years in business, North Star Hardware & Implement completed its largest renovation by consolidating 3 facilities into one 20,000-square-foot shop and one 9,000-square-foot warehouse for parts and equipment. Images: North Star Hardware & Implement

In 2023, North Star Implement continued building for the future by adding a 100- by 200-foot shop to house all service employees, a new pressure washing room, new service offices and a 90- by 100-foot warehouse for parts and equipment. 

“The most important aspect was the shop space,” says Ben Selhorst, treasurer, secretary and part of the 4th generation of North Star Implement ownership. “The original plan was just the 20,000-square-foot shop, and we were going to have offices inside that, but we wanted to have the entire square footage devoted to techs. So the project grew as we went along and realized we just want to do this once. We don’t want to build something and realize right away it’s too small.”

Located in Darke County, Ohio, since 1924, this expansion and 100-year celebration marks further commitment to its employee and customer base. 

“It was driven by customer needs. Equipment is only getting bigger, and we wanted everybody under one roof. We’ve built a couple buildings here in the past 20 years, so we had guys working in 3 different facilities, and we wanted to concentrate everybody under one shop to increase our efficiency.”

The indoor pressure washing room is a big plus for employees who would otherwise be working outside in Ohio winters, which is not always pleasant, says Selhorst. 

“If a guy came in here in January, and he knew he needed to spend that morning pressure washing off a combine, he’s going to be a little more excited to come into work if he knows he can do it inside rather than out in the snow and cold,” he says. 

The new 100- by 200-foot shop that houses the pressure washing room is also now air conditioned, which Selhorst says the technicians are excited about. Besides the benefit of avoiding the extremes of Ohio temperatures, it also features an overhead hoist that runs across the 200-foot length of one half of the shop. This hoist and crane will replace the previous chain hoist. 

“We had to manually pull up the cranes to lift something, and now they’re all powered with electric remotes,” Selhorst says. “So that’s a step into the future.”

Employees will also benefit from a renovated break room, which previously only accommodated a quarter of North Star Implement’s 31 employees, according to Selhorst. This update from the 1976 original design adds space for everyone and demonstrates the dealership’s commitment to its employees’ needs. 

“We wanted to have a better environment for our technicians,” Selhorst says. “If you want to recruit the best, you have to provide an atmosphere they want to work in and be proud of.”

The expansion also included revamping an old shop as an indoor showroom, something North Star Implement did not previously have, says Selhorst, and the customer impact is already being felt. 

“We’ve had a lot of people tell us they’re happy to see us build. We’re letting our customers know we don’t plan on going anywhere, especially considering dealership consolidation. We’re just a single-store dealership and having built this big expansion, a lot of our customers who have been doing business with us for years are happy to see we’re in this for the long haul,” Selhorst says. 

Adding the complete Fendt line is a testament to North Star Implement’s success and permanency, having already served multi-generation farming operations across the Midwest. Selhorst says they sell and service equipment to a lot of heritage dairy farmers who have held off consolidating into larger operations. The row-crop farmers the dealership sees mainly farm corn, soybeans and wheat, many supplying livestock farmers with hay and forage. 

“There’s a dairy farm just 2 miles down the road from us,” Selhorst says. “They are the most consistent customers, always coming in for parts, to get something serviced or to buy equipment. They’ve been milking cows as long as we’ve been selling here. There are lots of customers we’ve had for generations. When I started as the young guy, they would say, ‘I remember talking to your grandpa or your dad, and now you’re here.’ And we experience the same thing. There’s a new generation of farmers coming in where we dealt with their parents or grandparents.” 

2024 is a monumental year for North Star Hardware & Implement. In addition to hosting an open house for its largest expansion project, it will also celebrate 100 years in business over the summer. 

“If we want to be around for another 100 years, we felt  we needed to expand,” Selhorst says. “As with any kind of business, you’re either growing or you’re dying. We also wanted to have something nice to pass on to the 5th generation of ownership and to let our customers and employees know we plan on sticking around.” 

CENTRAL KUBOTA, WAXAHACHIE & CORSICANA, TEXAS 

The original Waxahachie, Texas, Central Kubota location was not for sale when owner Steve Widrick bought it in 2011. However, with some convincing, a purchase agreement was signed within a month of Widrick approaching the dealership.  

Before moving to Texas from New York, Widrick was a 3rd generation tractor dealer. Since taking ownership of the family’s business with his brother and cousin in 1984, it grew to include 3 separate dealerships before the business was sold in 2008. 

2-store dealer Central Kubota invested in renovations to its Waxahachie and Corsicana, Texas, locations with bigger showrooms, shops and office space to better support growing customer needs and attract new talent. Images: Central Kubota

In 2020, soon after Central Kubota’s 8th anniversary under new ownership, Widrick purchased neighboring lots — doubling inventory display — and opened its second location in Corsicana, Texas. 

In the last year, both the Corsicana and Waxahachie locations were renovated and expanded for the first time since Widrick bought Central Kubota. Previously lacking a building at all, the Corsicana location added an 18,000-square-foot facility with better customer parking and an indoor showroom. The Waxahachie location’s original building was 7,500 square feet, which Widrick says Central Kubota simply outgrew. The previous facility is now being used for tools and equipment storage, while the new 15,000-square-foot building has become the main showroom, shop and office space. 

“We were only limited by the size of the lot. Otherwise we would have built a bigger building in Waxahachie,” Widrick says. 

The 2-story building features a high-ceiling showroom and interior second floor balconies that overlook the entrance. Floor-to-ceiling windows in all offices and customer areas create a clean, open-air environment that has prompted positive customer feedback. The attached shop also features an electric overhead crane and additional space to service more equipment and customers. 

Visibility of the new facilities is also important for Widrick who says that — especially for the Corsicana location — being seen from the road is good for advertising and will attract new customers. The sleek and modern outer design of both locations also pulls in existing customers who are impressed with the updates, he says. 

Most customers Central Kubota serves are hobby farmers or cattle ranchers and hay producers. Along with Kubota equipment, Land Pride and Great Plains Ag baling, tillage, loaders, tractors and other farm equipment are sold at Central Kubota. With larger showrooms and shops for equipment offerings, Widrick hopes to expand its customer base.  

Since the facility expansion, employee retention rates and satisfaction have improved, he says. This dedication to its employees and the future is also attracting new talent to Central Kubota, which employs 20 people at its Waxahachie location and 15 in Corsicana. 

Widrick says these facilities were built with future expansion and growth in mind, expecting to serve customers and support his employees for a long time to come. 

MESSICK’S EQUIPMENT, MOUNT JOY, PA.

Expansion was inevitable for the Elizabethtown, Pa., Messick’s location, which has undergone several renovations and relocations since it opened in 1952. Founders and brothers Marlin and Merville Messick broke ground on the original Elizabethtown location in November of that year. Continual growth and development prompted them to add a showroom and service area onto the facility, and in 1977, the brothers moved to a new 21-acre site in Elizabethtown. Then, in 1996, Messick’s outgrew its facility and opened a second location in Abbottstown, Pa. Since then, 3 additional locations have been opened across Pennsylvania. 

Messick’s Equipment invested in its employees with a relocation and renovation of its headquarters in Mount Joy, Pa. The new 210,000-square-foot facility contains an indoor pressure washing area, additional parts inventory storage and training classrooms. Images: Messick's Equipment

“We were running out of space,” says Neil Messick, owner of Messick’s Equipment, of the original Elizabethtown location. “Like a lot of dealers, we had patchwork buildings that were wasting employees’ time and not customer friendly.” 

Having separate entrances was particularly inconvenient, he says, and the goal was to unify into a single building to simplify operations. One of the main aspects of the new facility that Messick takes pride in is the dealership’s dedication to its employees. Currently, Messick’s Equipment employs 180 staff members in a 210,000-square-foot facility, increased from 110,000 square feet prior to the move to Mount Joy. 

“Investing in people doesn’t always cross dealers’ minds. We have a lunch room that looks like a restaurant, a workout area, an ice cream machine and a kitchen. It boosts employee morale,” Messick says. 

These amenities not only boost morale but provide employees with a sense of security and commitment, knowing that Messick’s will be around for many years to come. Along with consolidating operations into one building, the Mount Joy location has the perks of an indoor pressure washing area, additional parts inventory storage and training classrooms. By providing technicians with regular on the job training, Messick’s supports its employees with practical tools that will better serve its customers. 

In a further commitment to its customer base outside of the walls of the dealership, which Messick says consists of everything from dairy to row crops to other livestock, the Messick’s YouTube channel covers topics from equipment maintenance to inventory showcases and tips and tricks for customers. 

The Mount Joy location, along with being a renovated and modernized dealership, also serves as the corporate headquarters. Built for the future, it sits on 32 acres and sells Kubota, New Holland and other shortline manufacturers. 

VAN WALL EQUIPMENT,  NEVADA, IOWA

Since its first dealership opened in 1944, John Deere dealer Van Wall Equipment has grown to employ over 600 people across 31 locations in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas and Nebraska. The current 25-acre site at which its Nevada, Iowa, location sits was opened after a move from a smaller facility over 10 years ago out of a vision for growth and the potential to accommodate future expansion. However, after a period of rapid development, Van Wall outgrew itself and expanded its existing service area 13,000 square feet to “maximize efficiency, safety and future-proofing,” it says. 

The 13,000-square-foot expansion of Van Wall’s Nevada, Iowa, location features 3 drive-through bays with individual workstations and easy-access cranes to better serve its customers and alleviate stress on technicians by providing a more comfortable work environment. Images Van Wall Equipment

The new service area features 3 drive-through bays that offer flexibility and the option for technicians to have dedicated workspaces that accommodate multiple pieces of equipment simultaneously. It also has a designated area for service vehicles, which doubles as tool storage and lifting assistance, coupled with easy access to multiple cranes. 

Updates also provide a more accessible and comfortable work environment for technicians. With new additional lighting, all workstations are equally and fully illuminated, and overhead heating lamps provide “a more comfortable and energy-efficient environment, especially during harsh winter months when frequent door openings can disrupt traditional heating methods.” 

The 90-foot, 60-ton overhead crane system, however, is the most exciting part of the expansion, according to Van Wall. Technicians can now independently and efficiently tackle any crane-reliant tasks without waiting for an external company or better weather conditions. This will improve turnaround times for Van Wall’s customer base, which includes small 500-acre growers to 50,000-acre operations, especially during busy times of the year. 

SYDENSTRICKER NOBBE PARTNERS, WATERLOO, ILL.

Formed in 2020 from 2 multi-generation John Deere dealer groups, Syndestricker Nobbe Partners (SNP) has 38 locations across Missouri, Illinois and New York and boasts a combined 191 years in business. 

Like many profitable and growing dealerships, SNP — named Farm Equipment’s 2021 Dealership of the Year — outgrew its Waterloo, Ill., location. In March 2024, it broke ground on a new, expanded facility a quarter mile away. As a combined dealership and corporate office, the new Waterloo location will house 27 dealership employees and 17 administrators in a 42,100-square-foot building. The office space includes a mezzanine for team and visitor use and will account for approximately 7,500 square feet, while the showroom and parts and service departments will make up the rest of the facility. 

Sydenstricker Nobbe Partners’ new Waterloo, Ill., location, which is currently under construction, will house 42 employees in a 42,100-square-foot facility with an updated showroom, parts and service department and office space. Indoor pressure washing and crane access will benefit employees and minimize customer downtime. Image: Sydnestricker Nobbe Partners

SNP needed the space partially to accommodate the increasing size of equipment, says Jeff Matzenbacher, manager of the Waterloo location. 

“For major overhauls, we were doing a lot of that in the field or in a farmer’s shed because we just didn’t have the space for it,” Matzenbacher says. “We’ll have the ability to service large equipment in the shop now, but it’s still entirely up to the customer if they want it done at the dealership or their farm.” 

The updated service department at the new building will have an internal crane that is accessible throughout the shop, eliminating any cumbersome movement and streamlining service operations. An indoor pressure washing bay is another benefit to employees who no longer have to wash equipment in all weather conditions. Additional parts storage will increase inventory, benefitting both the dealership and its customer base. Less down time for farmers, modernized facilities for employees and a more immediate and wider breadth of inventory are all perks for SNP. 

Customers are excited for the change, says Matzenbacher, who mostly serves row-crop farmers, including some no-tillers and cattle ranchers.

“The rest of it is large property owners who have compact tractors,” he says. “We also offer small compact construction equipment. So we’ve got a substantial amount of that type of machinery as well.” 

Matzenbacher estimates the Waterloo team should be in the new building by mid-December 2024.