With a desire to provide exceptional customer service and an eye toward technological innovation, H&R Agri-Power has watched its business grow from one location in 1990 to 21 locations and more than $700 million in annual revenue.

There’s a Chinese proverb that roughly translates to “You can only keep wealth in the family for 3 generations.” Cousins Chris and Jon Eis, third generation owners of single-store John Deere dealer Eis Implement, aim to prove the Chinese wrong.

For the 2024 Farm Equipment Dealerships of the Year (DOY), the judges chose Hopkinsville, Ky.-based H&R Agri-Power in the over-$100 million revenue category and Eis Implement of Two Rivers, Wis., in the under-$100 million revenue category.

Since its founding in 2009, Noble Equipment’s success can be boiled down to a simple mantra: narrow and deep. This means being the top dog for haying equipment in their area — a stretch of livestock-heavy land in south-central Alberta accurately nicknamed “feedlot alley.”

Having a knowledgeable precision ag department is essential for any successful dealership. However Travis Kiesel, vice president of precision ag at Hutson Inc. details how his team takes it step further. By taking their expert precision ag team and sending them out to train both parts, sales and service technicians through their certified dealer instructor program, Hutson Inc. is able to share their precision knowledge with the entire team. This further expands their already impressive support network to cover every dealership under the Hutson Inc. umbrella.

2023 Dealership of the Year Hutson Inc. is different from the average dealership in many ways, such as its extensive non-revenue-based team member roles. COO Brandy Jared describes the importance of the corporate structure that Hutson Inc. is built around and how many of the non-revenue-based roles can be integral to supporting the business, particularly following an extensive acquisition. Having access to these corporate resources has allowed for the newly acquired stores to quickly integrate into the Hutson Inc. culture and streamline the challenges that come from bringing a new dealership into the fold.

Fifty years ago, success depended on product, availability and location. These are all still very important. However, today the human resources a dealership has, how they are empowered, how they are rewarded, and the level of commitment to customer satisfaction is the key.