Home / Authors / Mike Lessiter

Articles by Mike Lessiter

Lessiter
To The Point

Parts Rush: Young Dept. Manager Ends Up in Music Limelight

Journey with us back to the early 1970s to the farm equipment world of Ontario. Envision a young parts manager pounding his sticks on the parts counter, on 55-gallon drums or whatever was parked out in the shop. Of course, stealing this “practice time” only between farmers’ requests for hoses, sweeps/tines and feeder chains.
By Mike Lessiter posted on October 15, 2019 | Posted in Department Management, Dealer Succession
Journey with us back to the early 1970s to the farm equipment world of Ontario. Envision a young parts manager pounding his sticks on the parts counter, on 55-gallon drums or whatever was parked out in the shop. Of course, stealing this “practice time” only between farmers’ requests for hoses, sweeps/tines and feeder chains.
Read More
Lessiter

To the Point: Better Days Ahead as Farm Equipment Changes — & Doesn’t

By Mike Lessiter posted on July 2, 2019 | Posted in Best Practices, Data & Forecasts
My last 5 business days were productive. Before and after a 26-hour conference in Colorado, I had two interviews for “Our Dealer Story,” attended a Far West Equipment Dealers Assn. board event, toured two suppliers and met with a farm machinery analyst. The road miles showed things growing again, albeit the corn was only ankle high.
Read More
Lessiter
To the Point

Better Days Ahead as Farm Equipment Changes — & Doesn’t

By Mike Lessiter posted on July 2, 2019 | Posted in Best Practices, Data & Forecasts
My last 5 business days were productive. Before and after a 26-hour conference in Colorado, I had two interviews for “Our Dealer Story,” attended a Far West Equipment Dealers Assn. board event, toured two suppliers and met with a farm machinery analyst. The road miles showed things growing again, albeit the corn was only ankle high.
Read More
Lessiter
From the Desk of Mike Lessiter

Career Outlook: ‘Yes, there’s a Lot of Room to Move Up in This Industry’

I wanted to find out what a 34-year-old thinks about young talent and today’s industry.
By Mike Lessiter posted on April 16, 2019
Last month, the new “Our Dealer Story” podcast featured a one-on-one with Landis Stankievech of Trochu Motors, a large single-store farm equipment dealer in Alberta. It was a fascinating interview, as it isn’t every day that a young Ivy League athlete, Rhodes Scholar and fast-tracked corporate professional moves back into their parents’ basement to join a farm equipment dealership.
Read More
Case_FE_0119_Art.jpg

‘Producer-First’ Partners to be Mantra of New Case IH Exec

After 12 years of dealers (partners as Scott Harris calls them) accustomed to the same personality at the top, Harris bring a familiar yet fresh approach as the new leader of Case IH Agriculture’s North American dealer network.
By Mike Lessiter posted on December 20, 2018 | Posted in Manufacturer & Dealer Issues
In this year’s series, the third such project Farm Equipment (FE) has done since 2006, Scott Harris is the newest exec we’ve sat down with and mic’d up, having just 8 months on the job. In the 14 years our company has operated FE magazine, Case IH has shown the greatest interest of all the major lines in the relationship with FE editors and the publication’s position in the dealer universe. (That isn’t to say the coverage pleased them, but dialog and the ability to pick up the phone with our staff has been important to Case IH).
Read More

Top Articles

Current Issue

FE_June_2026_BookWithPages_Curl_art.png

Farm Equipment

Farm Equipment's 100TM
100 North America's Largest Ag Equipment Dealers

View More

Must Read Free Eguides

Download these helpful knowledge building tools

View More

Farm Equipment Videos

View More
Top Directory Listings
A&I-Consumer-Large.png

A&I Products

Since 1980, A&I Products has become a leading manufacturer and wholesale distributor of aftermarket replacement parts for the agricultural, turf, and industrial equipment markets. A&I Products' experience and expertise has greatly contributed to the company's reputation as a top supplier of quality, reasonably priced parts. Founded with roots as a small machine shop and repair facility, the company made the transition by manufacturing new parts to replace those that were identified as commonly needing repair. Throughout the 1980s, the company quickly garnered a reputation for offering quality parts at a reasonable price.

Yetter farm equipment since1930 01

Yetter Farm Equipment

Built on 90 years of expertise, Yetter Farm Equipment leads the agriculture industry in designing effective and innovative equipment for residue management, seedbed preparation, precision fertilizer placement, harvest attachments, strip-tillage, and more.
Machinery Scope

Machinery Scope

At Machinery Scope, we believe you deserve the best risk management solutions for your investments in heavy equipment. Since 2013, we have been proud to offer extended warranty, appraisals, and inspections. Machinery Scope is a family-owned business built on our experience in farming and equipment dealerships. We understand your business and provide a personalized and professional level of customer service. Machinery Scope has built a strong warranty product with our customers in mind, offering the same professional level of service from the time you get a quote, through the processing of a claim.
View More