At 8:55 a.m. on a Wednesday morning in July, I pulled into Schrage Bros. in Mount Calvary, Wis., ready to spend the day on the road with Bryan Quinnell of Edney Distributing (a specialized equipment wholesale distributor) as he calls on dealers to discuss their varied shortline product needs. 

I was happy to start the day in very familiar territory. Equipment dealer Schrage Bros. is only about 15 minutes from home, and I have driven past it more times than I could count. As a local farmer’s daughter, I had always known the name, but in nearly 50 years, never stepped inside or met Sales Manager Glenn Schrage. I’m so glad I can now say I did!

My 14-year-old son, Knox, joined us for the day as he loves anything and everything “equipment.” By the end of the day, he and I had made a new friend, found a nice toy grain cart and learned a lot about the dos and don’ts of equipment selection, pricing and more.

Quinnell has been making trips like this one for 17 years. He represents Edney throughout Wisconsin, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and northern Illinois, often traveling a couple of hours from his home in Friendship, Wis., daily to connect with his clients.

Edney is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. The fourth-generation company distributes attachments and specialized equipment to more than 1,000 dealers across 8 states. But the numbers are only part of their story.

Over the next several hours Knox and I would see what the business actually looks like from the passenger seat: knowing the dealerships, understanding their customers and building the kind of relationships that make a sales call feel much more like stopping in to see an old friend.

9 a.m.: Schrage Bros., Mount Calvary

Glenn and I did not have to wait for Quinnell to find something to talk about.

Within minutes, we had connected the usual small-town dots. Glenn, of course, knows my dad, and upon seeing Glenn, Knox realized he’d seen Glenn while he was working at the grocery store the week before. We talked about the tornado that tore through the Fox Cities area on July 27, and the massive cleanup in progress.

By the time Quinnell walked into Schrage Bros., the conversation was already moving and we were laughing. He pulled up a chair and joined us, in no rush to open a catalog or ask about orders.

That easy-going approach fits Schrage Bros., a family-owned and operated dealership in this small village since 1913. It is now in the fifth generation, with Taylor Schrage working there, son of Mark.

The dealership’s history holds several distinctions. Schrage Bros. was the first Gehl dealer in the nation and later became one of Wisconsin’s first KIOTI tractor dealers. When the Schrage Bros. celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2013, Bill Gehl attended the celebration himself in his classic Lincoln. Schrage says it was a meaningful, memorable experience for the entire community.

Surviving for more than a century also required knowing when to change.

Bruggink’s Construction Equpment offers equipment sales, rentals and service from its modern 5-year-old facility along Interstate 43 in Sheboygan, Wis. Jen Bradley

Schrage Bros., known for its Ford auto business, was once more heavily focused on full-size farm equipment (Ford and New Holland). Today, it still is a full Ford automotive dealer, but its shortline customers include more hobby farmers, rural property owners and others looking for skid steers, tractors, lawn and garden equipment, snowblowers and specialized attachments.

“Years ago, if someone would have told me I would sell a skid loader for $100,000, I’d have said they were nuts,” Schrage laughs.

He remembers wondering why anyone would need air conditioning in a skid steer. Now, with the number of jobs that one machine can perform, he understands why customers willingly make the investment. “The skid-steer is an important tool, and it’s unlimited in applications,” he explains.

Some favorite attachments include snow blowers, snow pushers, post pounders, post hole diggers, wood splitters and stump grinders to name a few. 

Schrage’s strength is paying attention to what’s happening around him, even outside of the village limits. During the emerald ash borer epidemic, people needed stump grinders. A property owner facing dozens of dead trees was better off buying a grinder, completing the work and renting it out afterward than paying thousands of dollars for someone else to remove the stumps, he says.

Now, after the Menasha tornado, Schrage expects wood chippers to be in demand with the damage. He wants to help, and recognizes a massive cleanup is ahead when neighbors will be searching for the right equipment for the jobs, and hope they can find it.

Being located in tiny (a population of about 500) Mount Calvary means Schrage Bros. cannot depend on the traffic that might come naturally to dealerships in a larger community. Schrage finds success in online shops such as Facebook Marketplace and the traditional word of mouth to reach customers, but he also insists he needs the specialized products they cannot find everywhere else.

“Get me something different,” he tells Quinnell.

It was about 30 minutes into the visit before the conversation turned to programs, inventory and potential orders. Schrage and Quinnell discussed the upcoming season’s snowblowers, stump grinders and other equipment that might make sense for the dealership.

What stood out was how comfortable the duo was together. Quinnell knew the dealership, the market and the kinds of products Schrage wanted to consider. He also knew the guys around the shop and office. The visit, Quinnell says, is not about walking in with a sales pitch, but making an effort every other month to connect with a long-time customer face to face. (We even were able to see Schrage’s woodworking hobby in action: a small phone holder that amplifies the sound naturally.)

Before we left, Quinnell and the Schrage staff unloaded a Worksaver quick hitch he had brought along. When he can make a delivery personally, he does, to be a greater help and support, plus save the guys money where he can.

Also tucked inside the bed was a Wallenstein WX410 wood splitter. Quinnell planned to use it for show-and-tell for dealers along our route, so the splitter came with us as we headed toward our next stop.

On the Road

It was obvious that Quinnell’s truck is his office, delivery vehicle and a mobile showroom. He drives a Chevy Silverado 1500 Z71 crew cab, and says it’s perfect for hauling, towing, carrying boxes of brochures and acting as his mobile office. 

Quinnell grew up on a dairy farm owned by his uncle and grandfather. His grandfather was what we like to call “farmer retired,” and so Quinnell often became the go-to man when help was needed. He misses dairy farming, but he’s grateful for an upbringing that gives him a common background with many of the people he serves.

Quinnell joined Edney in 2009. When he started, he was told it would eventually reach a point where he’d feel like he was being paid to visit friends each day.

Coming up soon on two decades in the role, he says that has become true.

Edney Territory Manager Bryan Quinnell (r) helps unload a Worksaver quick hitch he delivered to Schrage Bros., one of the ways he adds personal service to his dealership visits. Jen Bradley

“Every dealer has a different mentality, and I have to learn how to work with each of them,” Quinnell says. “Some want to discuss strategy. Others want to get directly to products or pricing. And others like the small talk best.

“I like seeing customers in their place of business,” he adds. “It’s their comfortable environment, and people appreciate seeing a face walk in.”

Between stops, Quinnell answers calls, emails and text messages from his truck. He makes a point of documenting conversations in writing so both he and the dealer know what was discussed and what needs to happen next.

That morning, he was helping another dealer understand an unexpected tariff charge on a small item. The amount seemed disproportionately high, especially when larger equipment had arrived with lower charges. Quinnell has no control over tariff charges, but is still the person the dealer called for help. He said he wants to be that person, so customers know he won’t leave them hanging in a pinch. It’s an important and differentiating practice in the equipment business, he says.

At each stop, he also carries in catalogs organized with current programs, financing information and deadlines. Much of the day’s product discussion focused on preseason snow programs, readying everyone for the coming winter.

11 a.m.: Bruggink’s Inc., Sheboygan

We headed down WI Hwy. 23 about 30 miles into Sheboygan, then came to our next stop right beside Interstate 43. Bruggink’s Inc. told us something about itself before we ever sat down with Brian Bruggink.

The fifth-generation construction equipment dealership moved into its current location about 5 years ago. The building is modern, spacious and highly visible from the busy route of I-43 which connects Milwaukee and Green Bay. It looks like a business built for the next generation of equipment.

But there are also reminders of where it came from, and the values it stands for. 

For example, outside the front door stands an old church bell, preserved after Bruggink’s church no longer needed it. This reminder of days past will eventually spend its days at the cemetery, the location of the original church. Inside, a Scripture verse above the door is one of the last things visitors see as they leave. It reads: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Founded in 1927, Bruggink’s today specializes in construction equipment sales, service and rental. Its new facility positioned the dealership for growth with a location that has high visibility for the many interstate travelers, but the head of the team is already thinking about what comes next, Quinnell adds before we went inside.

We had a few minutes to wait before we could ask him about it, as a Chilton Trailers sales rep walked in just as we pulled up. After Quinnell caught up on emails and texts, then made a quick call, we headed inside and visited with Brian’s son, Joe, until Brian could join us.

When he did, the conversation quickly moved beyond the equipment Bruggink’s might need that day. The dealership exec said he was considering another location, and working through a much larger question: Where should the dealership expand next?

Would it make sense to move north toward the growing Howard area north of Green Bay? Or should Bruggink’s expand toward Milwaukee, where the customer base might be larger but the competition would be stronger? Crivitz and other northern Wisconsin communities were also part of the discussion.

Soon, we were talking about marketing and business strategy. I’ve spent a lot of time in Crivitz and I shared what I had noticed regarding seasonal residents staying longer, building homes and eventually retiring there. I found myself joining the conversation about customer demographics, competitors and whether the region could support another location. We were all having fun in a what-if and productive dialog.

It was not the discussion I expected to have during a sales call, but it showed another side of Quinnell’s relationship with dealer customers. Bruggink truly values his distributor’s greater knowledge of the state (as he is on the road a lot), and having someone who understands his business well enough to talk through larger and more strategic plans. For Quinnell, the idea of another location is also a win in his book.

Between dealership visits, Edney Territory Manager Bryan Quinnell responds to customer messages and records notes from the day’s conversations. Jen Bradley

Bruggink did not have an order ready that day, but with his fiscal year ending in September, he promised to write up a list of inventory needs before then. Quinnell’s show-and-tell of the Wallenstein splitter worked, as Bruggink ordered one after our visit, although a larger model than Quinnell presented.

The business portion of the visit was simple. It was obvious, though, that the relationship that made it simple had taken years to build.

That trust matters when Bruggink has a customer standing in front of him and needs a price fast. Quinnell responds promptly, says Bruggink, a trait he truly appreciates

Speed matters. If the response isn’t swift, the customer may move on.

Then he looked directly at Quinnell.

“You make it easy for me to want to work with you. This guy is honest as the day is long, and he gets back to us,” Bruggink says of Quinnell. “That’s huge.”

The days of COVID changed the way many sales representatives approached their work, resulting in more acting as order takers, Bruggink remarks.  

“But I believe you still have to be in front of your customers,” he adds.

Their relationship goes back almost as far as Quinnell’s career with Edney. Brian’s father placed one of Quinnell’s earliest orders in 2009.

It was for a snowblower.

A Lunch Break

After leaving Bruggink’s, we stopped at Jersey Mike’s.

I offered to pay for lunch and then realized my wallet was in Quinnell’s truck. He tried to unlock it remotely, but when I walked outside, it was still locked. I came back inside, told him it had not worked and went out a second time. The boys were chuckling a bit. (I think Knox was embarrassed by his mother.)

When I finally returned with my wallet, our sandwiches had already been paid for.

A woman waiting to pick up a delivery order had watched the confusion and quietly covered lunch for all three of us. I purchased the drinks and chips, but I never did get to buy Quinnell lunch. This simple act of kindness says something about the business community, and how a simple lunch blunder turned into an opportunity to bless a few strangers.  

1:30 p.m.: Gibbsville Implement, Waldo

Our third stop of the day was Gibbsville Implement, located just off WI Highway 57 in Waldo.

Founded by Jerry and Jane DeBlaey in 1975, Gibbsville offers agricultural, construction, commercial and consumer equipment. The pair remain the owners, while their son, Jeff, oversees the sales team. He was the one that greeted us with a smile that day.

The dealership’s open front desk and showroom are immediately welcoming. Knox’s eyes went toward the toy farm equipment and eventually he spent $40 of his own money on a grain cart.

Farther down the hall, I found what would become one of my favorite details from the day.

The walls were covered with photographs of young people showing livestock at county fairs. There were prize pigs, steers, goats, chickens and more. Some of the photos dated back nearly 45 years.

Together, they showed decades of Gibbsville Implement supporting local agriculture and youth exhibitors at a number of county fair market animal sales.

Gibbsville also gave us a look at a different type of dealership. Schrage Bros. combines Ford vehicles with farm equipment and shortlines. Bruggink’s focuses on construction equipment, rentals and shortlines. Gibbsville is an AGCO dealer that also serves production ag, construction, hobby, lawn-and-garden and rural-lifestyle customers.

DeBlaey estimates the business is about 50% large ag, 25% construction and 25% falling into that smaller ag and consumer equipment bucket. Its JCB construction business is growing, and the dealership recently took on the Gleaner combine line.

“We try to be everything to everybody,” he explains, stating that the same customer who needs a combine may also need a lawn mower, compact machine or specialized attachment. Shortlines help the dealership serve more of those needs.

DeBlaey appreciates the speed at which smaller manufacturers can react to the market. They often respond to customer feedback, modify a product and bring the change to dealers faster than a major-line manufacturer.

When evaluating a new product, he first looks at current as well as anticipated future market share, customer needs and Gibbsville’s current inventory. He avoids bringing in a product that forces the dealership to compete against itself. Instead, DeBlaey looks for premium equipment that fills a gap.

Quinnell helps him find it.

“The good thing about Bryan is that he’s all over the place,” DeBlaey says.

While DeBlaey is running the dealership in Waldo, Quinnell is traveling throughout the upper Midwest, seeing which products are working in other markets and where opportunities may exist. DeBlaey calls Quinnell his “eyes and ears” and says he welcomes recommendations for products with limited competition that can be useful to his customers.

DeBlaey also values having Edney sit between the dealership and the manufacturers. When an issue arises, the distributor can help find information, work through the problem and make the right connections.

Two years ago, Edney added a dedicated service support specialist to the team, which this duo agrees was a game changer. He assists dealers with technical questions, product support and equipment demonstrations. Edney’s stocked warehouse also gives dealers access to equipment and parts as customers need them.

They discussed programs, pricing and winter needs for a bit, as well as market trends. DeBlaey says that the area doesn’t look the same as 30 years ago, in the number of farms and dealerships, so that dynamic makes it a bit easier to not overlap and create a niche space.

My son Knox is adopted, and DeBlaey mentioned that his is too, and had just gotten married the weekend before. It was those personal moments along the day that connected us all just a little bit more.

2:45 p.m.: One Last Stop

We left Gibbsville around 2 p.m., returned to Mount Calvary so I could retrieve my vehicle and then traveled south on U.S. Hwy. 41 to Schraufnagel Implement in Lomira.

The dealership operates from an older downtown building, reminiscent of many from my youth. The exposed stone basement walls are a sure sign of days gone by, as are the many antique signs and toy tractors lining the walls.

Tony, the person Quinnell hoped to see, had already left for the day. The office assistant tried calling but did not receive an answer. So, we shared the catalogs and program information and Quinnell said he’d be back another time.

He originally considered making another stop in Hartford, but it was getting later in the day. Knox and I needed to get home, and Quinnell had dinner plans with his family and daughter Payton, who was home on leave from the Air Force for the week.

As we stood in the parking lot, Quinnell shook our hands.

“I didn’t know what to expect today, but this was a lot of fun,” he says with a big smile. We agreed.

Having us along broke up his normal routine. For Knox and me, it had been an opportunity to step inside 3 dealerships we had driven by many times and see the inner workings of them.

Author Jen Bradley and her son, Knox, joined Edney Territory Manager Bryan Quinnell for a day on the road visiting Northeast Wisconsin equipment dealerships. Jen Bradley

Schrage Bros. is adapting a dealership founded in 1913 to a customer base that now includes more hobby farmers and rural property owners. Bruggink’s is growing a construction equipment and rental business while considering where it should expand next. Gibbsville Implement balances major agriculture with construction, shortlines and consumer equipment.

Quinnell does not approach these varied businesses in a cookie-cutter way. He knows the people, their products, their markets and how they prefer to do business and modifies his approach to what works best for them.

He also knows that long-term relationships do not require perfection, but the room to build the trust that allows grace when things happen, and to demonstrate one’s service commitment. 

“We all make mistakes,” Quinnell says. “You forgive, and you move on.”

On the way home, I asked Knox what he had learned during his day on the road with an Edney territory manager.

“Don’t finance a $100,000 boat for 20 years!” he says.

It was an inside joke from a conversation that morning at Schrage Bros., and not quite the response I expected.

But it fit the day.

We talked about equipment, programs, tariffs, dealership growth and changing customers. We also talked about tornado cleanup, dairy farming, woodworking, family, local people and, apparently, questionable boat-financing decisions.

For Edney, the result of those conversations is not always an order that day. Sometimes it is an idea for a new product, a price that helps close a sale, a problem resolved or a reason to stop again in six weeks.

After 75 years in business, that work continues one dealer visit at a time.