Galveston’s Lone Star Flight Museum was the scene for a night no one in attendance will ever forget. That’s where Mahindra USA, the number one selling tractor brand in the world based on volume, announced a partnership with Operation Finally Home in front of more than 600 Mahindra Tractor dealers, partners and staff gathered amongst World War II airplanes at a special event during the company’s recent National Dealer Meeting. Beginning this year, Mahindra USA has pledged to donate two dollars for every Mahindra Tractor sold to the worthy non-profit organization that provides custom-made mortgage-free homes to wounded and disabled veterans and the widows of the fallen. In addition, KMW, a key Mahindra partner and supplier of Mahindra loaders and backhoes, was so inspired it also pledged a dollar for every Mahindra-branded loader sold this year. But these announcements alone weren’t what left everyone so moved – it’s what happened next…

Following an emotional presentation by Operation Finally Home Executive Director Daniel Vargas TSgt, USAF (retired) and Lieutenant General Rick Lynch, former Commanding General III Armored Corps at Fort Hood, Mahindra dealer regions demonstrated the true Mahindra culture of ‘Rise’ by spontaneously making competitive group pledges, each furiously trying to outdo the previous. When the explosion of generosity and all the dust settled, the Mahindra dealers and the tractor giant’s corporate matching funds totaled more than $150,000 to help the worthy cause.

By the end of the evening there wasn’t a dry eye as Mahindra USA’s President Mani Iyer and Vice-President, Marketing and Strategic Planning Cleo Franklin were joined by Vargas and Lynch to express their gratitude for the unprompted outpouring of support and the organizations’ mutual goals.

“What an incredible and magical evening! Such an outpouring of support for our returning troops is a true miracle,” said Vargas. “Our mission is to help returning heroes more easily face life back home. They deserve our help and the spirit with which Mahindra gave of their hearts was truly inspirational. Operation Finally Home and Mahindra clearly share a common purpose – to enable people to build better futures – so I have no doubt this will be a long and happy partnership.”

“The Mahindra culture of Rise is a movement of determined people coming together to drive alternative thinking and positive change for a worthy cause and we can think of no better embodiment of that mindset than Operation Finally Home,” added Iyer.

“These soldiers and Operation Finally Home make me proud to be an American, and what I witnessed tonight makes me proud to be a part of the Mahindra family,” said Franklin. “This organization is helping our country’s returning heroes succeed in their challenging new worlds by building creative coalitions among other corporate entities. As our family of generous dealers showed tonight, that’s what Rise is all about.”

Operation Finally Home was born in 2005 when Dan Wallrath, a custom builder of upscale homes for 30 years, met with a client on a different mission – he needed to remodel his home to accommodate the wheelchair of his son, a returning wounded veteran, and didn’t know how to pay for it. Wallrath mobilized an army of carpenters, plumbers and suppliers who took on the remodeling job for free, widening doorways, building a ramp to the back door and making the bathroom handicapped-accessible. He took this idea to his local trade group, the Bay Area Builders Association, and convinced members to start a home-building program for wounded veterans. Since then, Operation Finally Home has provided 32 homes to wounded returning veterans as well as widows of fallen heroes in Texas, Kansas, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Illinois. Wallrath was named a “2010 CNN Hero” for his efforts.

Mahindra became the #1 selling tractor in the world in 2010 by providing consumers with value-packed, high-quality tractors. Mahindra is the only tractor manufacturer in the world to win both the Deming Application Prize and the coveted Japan Quality Medal for excellence in Total Quality Management, awarded by the Deming Prize Committee care of the Union of Japanese Scientists.

About Operation Finally Home

Operation Finally Home is an award winning program created by bay area builders association support our troops. Operation finally home was established in 2005 as a non-partisan/non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Operation finally home’s mission is to provide custom made mortgage free homes to wounded and disabled veterans and the widows of the fallen in an effort to get their lives back on track and become productive members of their communities. Operation finally home partners with corporate sponsors, builder associations, builders, developers, individual contributors, and volunteers to help severely wounded heroes and their families’ transition from the battlefront to the home front and help them succeed in their challenging new world so they may ultimately enjoy a productive and rewarding life.

About Mahindra USA

Mahindra USA (MUSA) is part of the US $ 14.4 billion Mahindra Group’s Automotive and Farm Sector - the #1 selling tractor company in the world, based on volumes and the only tractor manufacturer in the world to win the industry’s top two quality awards – the Deming Application Prize and the Japan Quality Medal, care of Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers.

Houston, Texas based Mahindra USA (MUSA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. and began selling tractors in the USA in 1994. MUSA has since grown rapidly due to high customer satisfaction levels and strong customer referrals. Mahindra USA has three distribution points in the USA to help meet the needs of its customers and the growing demand for its products.

Mahindra’s professional-grade tractors range from 18 HP – 83HP – and include the revolutionary new Max series tractors. The Mahindra Max 22 and Max 25 are the first real tractors in the sub-compact market and feature true tractor performance and capabilities. The Mahindra Max 22 and Max 25 are joined by the industry’s first mid-compact tractor, the Mahindra Max 28 XL, which has compact tractor performance and versatility in a near compact tractor size. All Mahindra Tractors are built with heavy-duty components that allow them to outperform other tractors in their class and are designed to provide consumers with the ability to push more, pull more and lift more, so they can do more, in less time. To learn more about Mahindra USA’s Farm Equipment Sector, please visit www.mahindrausa.com.

About The Mahindra Group

The Mahindra Group focuses on enabling people to rise. Mahindra operates in the key industries that drive economic growth, enjoying a leadership position in tractors, utility vehicles, information technology and vacation ownership. Mahindra has a presence in the automotive industry, agribusiness, aerospace, components, consulting services, defence, energy, financial services, industrial equipment, logistics, real estate, retail, steel and two wheelers.

A US $14.4 billion multinational group based in Mumbai, India, Mahindra employs more than 119,900 people in over 100 countries.

In 2011, Mahindra was featured on the Forbes Global 2000 list, a listing of the biggest and most powerful listed companies in the world.

In 2010, Mahindra was featured in the Credit Suisse Great Brands of Tomorrow.

Its flagship company Mahindra & Mahindra Limited is the only Indian automobile manufacturer to be featured in the Top 10 list of the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index in India 2010, created by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP).

In 2011, Mahindra acquired a majority stake in Korea’s SsangYong Motor Company.

For further information, please visit www.mahindra.com

Connect with us on www.facebook.com/mahindragroup