Manufacturer executive Jim Wessing of Kondex Corp. sat down with Doug Griffin, former AGCO vice president and current principal of Context Network, a consulting firm that works with full-line manufacturers. They discussed the lack of experience and availability of skilled workers, knowledge voids, unique challenges of suppliers and manufacturers, and also offered advice for anyone entering the ag market.

In mid-April, Chris Frodel, Mid-State Equipment (John Deere) drove over from her store to meet in the conference room at Johnson Tractor (Case IH), Leo Johnson’s store. The length of Frodel’s drive on Highway 14 was a full 4 minutes. That’s how close these two dealerships are in the rich agricultural region of Janesville, Wis. Both are second-generation dealers with siblings as partners (Chris runs the business with her brother Bryan and father Curt Hanson, while Leo does the same with brother Eric) and steadily collected additional stores from small-operation origins. Frodel (44) and Johnson (62) also found a lot of similarities and values in their businesses as they dug in for a candid discussion and what the future may look like.

Shortlines Help Quincy Tractor expand into new customer bases that have introduced sustainable revenue streams.