Mike Lessiter

Mike Lessiter

Mike Lessiter, a second-generation ag journalist, has been Editor/Publisher of Farm Equipment since 2004. He has covered business-to-business operations, manufacturing, and marketing topics since 1992 and has held various roles with the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Assn. and the Assn. of Equipment Manufacturers. Mike is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was named president of Lessiter Media in 2007.

Contact: mlessiter@lessitermedia.com

ARTICLES

2016 Equipment Dealers Assn. Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey

Dealers ‘Grade’ Their Equipment Suppliers

EDA’s 2016 Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey rates equipment manufacturers on 12 categories of dealership operations and support.
In June, the Equipment Dealers Assn. (EDA) released the results of its annual Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey. Through this study, equipment dealers rated the companies whose products they represent on 12 key categories of dealership operations and support.
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Lessiter
To the Point

Another Major Line No Longer Mere Talk

To complement this SHOWCASE’s report on what happens after the ink dries on a dealer acquisition (Dealer Acquisitions Report), I’d been exploring the major lines’ resources, checklists and protocols to help dealers integrate newly acquired stores. With the exception of John Deere (declined to participate), the majors supported the topic and cooperated with materials.
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Acquisition Journal
Special Report: After the Ink Dries

One Dealership’s ‘Acquisition Journal’

New manager Davin Peterson recalls the first few months following an acquisition — in which he was getting to know both parties.
Davin Peterson joined California-based Kern Machinery Inc. (KMI) in April 2015 in advance of the acquisition of Hollingsworth Inc., a 3-store John Deere dealer group with stores in Ontario and Burns, Ore., and Weiser, Idaho, that would be renamed Camp Equipment.
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Consultants
Special Report: After the Ink Dries

Consultants Offer ‘Post-Deal’ Insights

Professional management advisors share top tips on how to integrate store cultures, operations and systems on ‘Day 1’ of an acquisition.
You know that you’ve got a complex subject when a canvassing of experts stirs up an array of answers to identical questions, even from professionals in the same organization.
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Lessiter

To The Point: Another Major Line No Longer Mere Talk

To complement this SHOWCASE’s report on what happens after the ink dries on a dealer acquisition (Dealer Acquisitions Report), I’d been exploring the major lines’ resources, checklists and protocols to help dealers integrate newly acquired stores. With the exception of John Deere (declined to participate), the majors supported the topic and cooperated with materials. Their viewpoint seemed a fitting introduction for this month’s “To the Point” column.
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Deere-Hagie News Shows 180-Degree Changes Can Come Quickly

I was out at the Wisconsin Public Service Farm Show when I heard the big news that John Deere had acquired majority ownership of self-propelled sprayer manufacturer Hagie Manufacturing, Clarion, Iowa. Hagie's sprayers, which followed the direct-to-farmer model for most of its 70 years, will, over the next 15 months, be distributed through to Deere’s strong network.
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