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From the Desk of Mike Lessiter

Showing Off the ‘People’ Side of the Farm Equipment Business

By Mike Lessiter posted on August 1, 2016 | Posted in Best Practices
With Lessiter Media’s 35th anniversary celebration next week (we’re taking our staff and their spouses out for an overnight stay in the city), our team has been working on some special things here to commemorate the milestone. They’ve been chronicling memories, philosophies and visions from that tough start-up by my parents (Frank and Pam) in 1981, and how they got through that daunting first decade during a horrendous ag economy.
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2016 Equipment Dealers Assn. Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey

Dealers ‘Grade’ Their Equipment Suppliers

EDA’s 2016 Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey rates equipment manufacturers on 12 categories of dealership operations and support.
By Mike Lessiter posted on July 18, 2016 | Posted in Manufacturer & Dealer Issues, Dealer News, Manufacturer News
In June, the Equipment Dealers Assn. (EDA) released the results of its annual Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey. Through this study, equipment dealers rated the companies whose products they represent on 12 key categories of dealership operations and support.
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Lessiter
To the Point

Another Major Line No Longer Mere Talk

By Mike Lessiter posted on June 11, 2016 | Posted in Manufacturer & Dealer Issues
To complement this SHOWCASE’s report on what happens after the ink dries on a dealer acquisition (Dealer Acquisitions Report), I’d been exploring the major lines’ resources, checklists and protocols to help dealers integrate newly acquired stores. With the exception of John Deere (declined to participate), the majors supported the topic and cooperated with materials.
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Acquisition Journal
Special Report: After the Ink Dries

One Dealership’s ‘Acquisition Journal’

New manager Davin Peterson recalls the first few months following an acquisition — in which he was getting to know both parties.
By Mike Lessiter posted on June 11, 2016 | Posted in Best Practices, Operations & Finance
Davin Peterson joined California-based Kern Machinery Inc. (KMI) in April 2015 in advance of the acquisition of Hollingsworth Inc., a 3-store John Deere dealer group with stores in Ontario and Burns, Ore., and Weiser, Idaho, that would be renamed Camp Equipment.
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Consultants
Special Report: After the Ink Dries

Consultants Offer ‘Post-Deal’ Insights

Professional management advisors share top tips on how to integrate store cultures, operations and systems on ‘Day 1’ of an acquisition.
By Mike Lessiter posted on June 11, 2016 | Posted in Best Practices, Department Management
You know that you’ve got a complex subject when a canvassing of experts stirs up an array of answers to identical questions, even from professionals in the same organization.
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Lessiter

To The Point: Another Major Line No Longer Mere Talk

By Mike Lessiter posted on June 11, 2016 | Posted in Manufacturer & Dealer Issues
To complement this SHOWCASE’s report on what happens after the ink dries on a dealer acquisition (Dealer Acquisitions Report), I’d been exploring the major lines’ resources, checklists and protocols to help dealers integrate newly acquired stores. With the exception of John Deere (declined to participate), the majors supported the topic and cooperated with materials. Their viewpoint seemed a fitting introduction for this month’s “To the Point” column.
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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.

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