When looking back on the last half-century, here are a few moments that forever changed the way dealers like us do business.
- Selling that first piece of equipment online.
- Getting that big black plastic suitcase from John Deere with a sticker on it that said “Greenstar.” As a teenager, I remember seeing it up against the wall in the shop with dust all over it. Curious, I asked “what is that?” My uncle, Roy, the sales manager and part owner at the time, said “Don’t waste your time with that, we will never sell one of those around here.” I didn’t listen…
- The death of microfiche and card filing for parts inventory. Had the computer not provided parts lookup and inventory management, I never would have found an interest in parts. Today, parts are one of my biggest passions.
One of the most significant differences in today’s world is the access to capital. Would so many dealerships have failed in the 1980s had there been more banks willing to take the added risk? Look at access to private equity today vs. back then. Or further down the spectrum, crowdsourcing.
Farm Equipment magazine has impacted our business and helped get buy-in from the staff. Sometimes hearing it from me doesn’t set in right away. Being able to reference an article or what I learned from a Dealer Summit has helped the staff better understand the what, why and how.
Check out other "A Look Back in Farm Equipment History" blogs
Industry commentary on “55 Years of Farm Equipment”
- The ‘5 Greatest Tech Advancements’ in My Career as a Dealer | Leo Johnson, Johnson Tractor
- The Impact of Consolidation & Technology on Agriculture Over Half a Century | Sam Christianson, Titan Machinery
- A Service Manager’s View on the Changing Times | Brent Bazin, Young's Equipment Inc.
- Reflections on Farm Equipment | George Russell, Machinery Advisors Consortium
- Farm Equipment Sales in the 1970s | Charlie Glass, FEMA Dealer Relations Commitee
- Digital Communications Changed the Course of OEMs Working With Dealers | Tom Taylor, retired farm equipment executive
- RDO Equipment’s Take on the Last 55 Years | Daryl Shelton, RDO Equipment
- Reflections from a North American, International & Company-Store Dealer Exec | Stacy Anthony, AgRevolution LLC
- A Lot of Change in Shortline Equipment | Hans Rasmussen, Summers Manufacturing
- Business Acumen, Technology Forever Changed Equipment Sales & Service | Brian R. Carpenter, Champlain Valley Equipment
- Not Your Grandfather’s Farm Equipment Dealership… | Josh Waggener, Hutson Inc
- Left Major OEM Career 55 Years Ago to Become Dealer-Principal | Paul Wallem, Retired International Harvester executive
- Titan Machinery Reflects on Significant Changes to Dealership Environment in 55 Years | David J. Meyer, Titan Machinery
- From 3 Stores Within 50 Miles to 25 Stores Across 8 States | Tom Rosztoczy, Stotz Equipment
- 45 Years of Observations on Ag Equipment Manufacturing & Distribution | Chuck Bellew, retired farm equipment executive
- Today’s Staff Has No Fear Approach to Risk, But It Still Exists | Jeff Morgan, H&R Agri-Power
- A Recent Retiree’s Perspective on Equipment Industry | Lars Paulsson, Laforge Systems
- 60 Years of Equipment Dealer Associations Consolidation Continues | Kim Rominger, NAEDA
- Vast Technology Changes Assisted Dealers’ Computerization | Ed Archambo, Basic Software Systems
- ‘I Didn’t Listen to My Uncle Roy’ | Jon Eis, Eis Implement Co.
- Farm Equipment Manufacturers and the Early 1980s Farm Crisis
- GMO, Autosteer Forever Changed Our Business | Tom Janson, Janson Equipment
- My 35 Years at RME, from Microfiche to Guidance | Jim Wood, Rocky Mountain Equipment
- Export Opportunities Changed Game for Canadian Shortline Manufacturer | Hal Carnago, Schulte Industries Ltd.
- 40 Years with Sunco, Hiniker, Ingersoll, Southern Marketing & Forges de Niaux | Larry Hansen, Forges de Niaux
- From Dreaming Farm Boy to Equipment Dealer | Tim Brannon, B&G Equipment
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