What If & What Was: Reflections on Our Journey ... Johnson Tractor

Leo Johnson is the Chairman of Johnson Tractor, Inc., a Dealership of the Year Alumni business headquartered in Janesville, Wis.

Editor’s Note: Farm Equipment magazine asked its Alumni Group (comprised of recipients of the Dealership of the Year Award and Hall of Fame) a thought-provoking question that we call the “It’s a Wonderful Life Question.” In the famed Christmas movie, protagonist George Bailey gets to see – via a dramatic intervention by an angel named Clarence Odbody – what the world might have been like had he never been born. Similarly, we asked our award-winning executives to ponder that same challenging question, and to consider how their communities might have been altered had their businesses “failed to launch” or perhaps failed to survive trying times. Here’s what we learned. – Mike Lessiter, editor/publisher.

My mother never wanted me to be a farm equipment dealer. Dad was a partner in a very small International Harvester (IH) dealership, Clinton Implement, in the very small town of Clinton, Wis. My mom was a homemaker who ran a tight ship and handled the household finances. She knew how little discretionary income she had available each week, month and year. She also knew how many long hours and after-hours my dad worked as parts person and service manager for the small 5-person dealership (yes, 5 total employees including my dad and his partner). She had higher aspirations for me.

I wasn’t exactly a wild child, but against my mother’s wishes I grew my hair long, played in a rock band, and spent way too much time with my high school girlfriend. Needless to say, her advice on career choice also fell on deaf ears.

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“Clinton Implement would not have survived the 1980s. Dad and his partner would have wound down the business and liquidated the assets ...”

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After 4 years of college and working a couple summers for Dad’s partner selling equipment, I was ready to enter the workforce for a major farm equipment manufacturer as a territory rep or “block man.” Dad’s partner had 3 boys all older than me that turned down the opportunity to join the business, and I became the exit plan for my dad’s partner. So instead of buying nice shoes and getting a nice company car working for IH, John Deere or any of the other ag companies that were hiring in 1978, I went to work for my dad’s partner as a commissioned salesperson, buying him out 2 years later. That started my 43-year career that ended in 2021 with retirement.

I’m pretty sure that my decision to come back to my hometown after college and join Dad was the main reason our family business, Johnson Tractor, has grown to 11 locations with over 250 employees today. Had I stayed with my original thought to go work for a big company, Clinton Implement would not have survived the 1980s. Dad and his partner would have wound down the business and liquidated the assets as many others did in that time period.

The Johnsons ... Patrick (l), Sue and Leo Johnson

I’d like to think that my career choice and success in business have touched many lives. My bride, Sue, and I met at a bank function that I attended as a bank customer. Eighteen months later, we were married. Sue is still our HR manager and a vital member of the management team. Our son, Patrick, is now in management of our company and has led the last 2 dealership acquisitions involving 6 locations. My younger brother, Eric, more than likely joined the company because I was there and encouraged him. We were 50/50 partners most of our careers. His daughter, Kathryn Hesebeck, is also an integral part of our management team. Both my son and my niece are with us today because they see growth opportunities on a foundation that my brother and I built.

“We’ve won numerous market share awards from a number of suppliers, and we’ve been lectured about poor performance from others.” —Leo Johnson (r) with brother and partner Eric

During our growth stages, we definitely made some missteps with some customers along the way, but making things right, and being honest and open with them has led us to retain many long term, multi-generational customers. When analyzing any business, the owner has to ask him/herself the question: “If I were to close the business today, would anyone outside the company really notice or care?” I believe that we have a solid core of customers that would, in fact, care. This may not always have been the case during my 43 years at the helm. But I believe it is today.

Suppliers come and go. Dealers have both up years with suppliers and down years with suppliers. Our goal over the years was to try to do certain things really well and stay away from things that we feel are “not in our lane.” We’ve won numerous market share awards from a number of suppliers, and we’ve been lectured about poor performance from others. Overall, the companies that we’ve handled for decades have benefited from doing business with us. Even with our current size, we do not have the clout to change things we don’t like with our suppliers. But when we make a call, however, someone usually listens to us.

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“I’ve laughed with, cried with, drank with, celebrated with, and buried some of my closest friends that were employees first.” 

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I’ve spoken briefly about our management team, our customers and our suppliers. The longest lasting impressions of the business that I reflect upon during retirement is of our employees. We have multi-generations working for us. We have quite a few employees that I hired 30-plus years ago. Being the “Employer of Choice” was our attitude long before the words became vogue. I’ve laughed with, cried with, drank with, celebrated with, and buried some of my closest friends that were employees first.

If you are a dealer-principal or manager, I’m not telling you anything here that you don’t already know or feel. By the way, in Mom’s later years, she did acknowledge that as long as I was happy that she supported my career choice. She never did like the girlfriend much ...

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