Founded 61 years ago, Birkey’s Farm Store is a 13-location Case IH dealer group in Illinois and Indiana whose 415-employee operation generated $315 million last year. President/CEO Mike Hedge, a CPA, joined the dealer group in 1992. Birkey’s was the 2007 Farm Equipment Dealership of the Year, and in fact grew 600% during a 12-year period without outside capital by diligently managing the balance sheet and the activities that drive cashflow and asset turns. On numerous occasions, Birkey’s recently retired CEO, Ron Birkey, referred to Mike as “the best financial mind in all of the farm equipment industry.” An “evangelist of balance sheet management,” Hedge is known for an ability to connect financial principles to employees across a spectrum of disciplines and backgrounds.