Founded in 1954, Birkey’s Farm Store is a 19-location dealer group across 3 states supporting Case IH and Case Construction at 18 locations in Illinois, Missouri and Indiana, which 500-employee operation generated $425 million in 2023. Mike Hedge, a CPA, joined the dealer group in 1992 and was named president/CEO in 2015 before retiring at the beginning of 2024. Birkey’s was the 2007 Farm Equipment Dealership of the Year, and grew 600% during a 12-year period without outside capital by diligently managing the balance sheet and the activities that drive cashflow and asset turns. On numerous occasions, Birkey’s then-CEO, Ron Birkey, referred to Mike as “the best financial mind in all of the farm equipment industry.” An “evangelist of balance sheet management,” Hedge is known for an ability to connect financial principles to employees across a spectrum of disciplines and backgrounds. He has shared his knowledge on numerous occasions as a keynote speaker at Farm Equipment’s Dealership Minds Summit.