Randy Amosson has found himself in an interesting situation. With a little less than five years of experience with a farm equipment dealership, he’s been given the responsibility as chief executive officer and general manager of overseeing an 8-store John Deere dealership in eastern Iowa.
Every organization needs to attract, motivate and retain the most qualified employees and match them to jobs for which they are best suited. Human Resources is pivotal in making that happen.
Whether it's converting customers who traditionally buy equipment of other colors, or losing a customer who was previously loyal to John Deere green, it's a serious matter, according to Randy Amosson, CEO and general manager of Precision Equipment. In fact, the dealer calls it "Chasing the Rainbow."
When Deere & Co. introduces a long list of new products like it did last August, it’s up to Curt Moeller to ensure that the parts inventory at each of Precision Equipment’s eight locations will be ready to support the new machinery.
With the first-ever “Dealership Minds” edition on Birkey’s Farm Stores in February 2011, we set out to detail how each of the“cogs” in a benchmark-worthy dealership function together as one “machine.” What became the most talked-about project of the year created challenges for our editorial team when it came to this year’s encore performance.
Last month we emphasized that the pace of change in technology and business processes requires continuous upgrading of employee skills to remain competitive. This month, we expand on the topic of training and focus on how best to drive the effectiveness of your training process to maximize return on your investment (ROI).
Last month we emphasized that the pace of change in technology and business processes requires continuous upgrading of employee skills to remain competitive. This month, we expand on the topic of training and focus on how best to drive the effectiveness of your training process to maximize return on your investment (ROI).
Sitting in a modest office in the front of the Washington, Iowa, store, Ron Farrier was asked to cough up a title for a hypothetical keynote presentation to other dealer executives. His answer? "Let's Work Together."?
If your equipment business causes you to toss and turn on occasion, you're no different than the managers at Precision Farm Equipment. Here are what they say are their biggest causes of insomnia.
The major philosophy underlying Precision Equipment's strategy in taking trades of used equipment is that the salesperson must recognize that he's the buyer, not the seller.
When Kevin Bland was 14 years old, he was hired to mow the lawn of the local farm equipment dealership in Durant, Iowa. Nearly 30 years later, he's the location manager for the same dealership, now called Precision Equipment.
Michelle Becker is taking on new responsibilities as Precision Equipment continues on its growth path. The executive administrator is now project coordinator for the group and will oversee a variety of projects to assure they're accomplished on time, within budget and producing the expected results.
Any number terms could be used to describe Michelle Becker's role at Precision Equipment. "Girl Friday"? comes to mind because it's an idiom that describes an especially faithful servant.
As with any merger or acquisition, the rolled-up organization often finds a hodgepodge of shortline equipment. If those lines are not in conflict with the major-line's products, they almost assuredly will compete with another shortline product in the mix. In the first few weeks of the merger, Precision Equipment was already at work discussing shortline rationalization.
Pat McCrabb knows the manufacturer's logos on the front of the dealership may bring farmers in the door, but it's the employees in the dealership that keeps them coming back.
The CEO and general manager of the newly formed eight-store dealership group says, "We know we have good competition with good products, and we respect them. But I believe what sets us apart is our key people. We base everything we do as an organization on having the best people in the right spots."
When discussions started about Elder Implement being the subject of Farm Equipment’s 2012 “Dealership Minds” project, the dealer group was comprised of five John Deere locations scattered throughout eastern Iowa. It was a solid choice as a dynamic business with a story to tell about transforming itself into a major force among equipment dealerships in the Midwest.
In some (maybe even most), companies, non-financial folks can look at accounting departments with a jaded view. "They count the beans," some might say, "while we do the real work around here selling and servicing farm equipment."
"I started farming and feeding cattle with my grandfather when I was a kid and my passion for agriculture has continued to grow. He and my dad used John Deere equipment and I've always believed it's the best."
The first piece of advice for other CFOs when it comes to mergers, jokes Precision Equipment CFO and Vice President of Finance & Administration Dave Dahms, is don't miss the meeting where the assignment of "merger-integration manager" is doled out.
Precision Equipment CFO and Vice President of Finance & Administration Dave Dahms admits that while finances are critical to any enterprise, he can put it all into perspective. Here's his take on a good day and bad day.
From the outside looking in, the farm equipment dealership's business doesn't look very complex, says Precision Equipment CFO and Vice President of Finance and Administration Dave Dahms.
Mediapolis, Iowa's location manager, Jeremy Marston, has played an important role in growing the size of Precision Equipment's RTK network. On his watch, the network has grown from two base stations to 15, with more coming in 2012.
Defining success for a farm equipment dealership boils down to building customer trust and satisfaction, says Matt Poeltler. The vice president of marketing at Precision Equipment says developing these two key areas is essential in building effective value-added packages for customers, prospects and employees.
Alan Byerly is convinced most dealer-principals fully understand the importance of service when it comes to looking at and understanding the big picture.
Historically, the dealership comptroller tended to be a trusted family member, someone to take back-office pressures away from the dealer-principal as he worked with customers. But times are a-changing.
The mantra "innovate or die"? applies to practically every industry. However, nowhere is it more fitting than in agriculture, where it has a double meaning. As the world's population increases and arable land is depleted, innovative equipment and farming techniques will not only keep the industry solvent and moving forward, it will also help keep the growing population fed.
While point-of-purchase items such as toys, tools and grease is part of Curt Moeller's department, he's given toy aisle responsibility to Betty Jo Kennedy, an employee at the Houghton location.
In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Associated Equipment Distributors, we look at Titan Machinery’s Q4 and FY 2025 earnings, and the improvement in inventory levels over the last 2 quarters
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