Ross Morgan, a farm equipment dealership lifer, is a face you’ll still see at many industry events, including dealer association meetings and the Dealership Minds Summits.

Growth doesn’t come easy for a farm equipment dealership. Without strategic planning, interpersonal management and hard work, growth doesn’t come at all.

Josh Arnall is a numbers guy who likes planning and solving problems. As the finance and insurance manager for H&R Agri-Power, his day-to-day is full of managing the numbers and solving problems, but his planning usually is sacrificed to what he calls “the tyranny of the urgent.”

To be honest, I couldn’t tell you if Chief Financial Officer Ronnie Barnett can play or read a single note of music (although there are photos of Barnett, the Hunts and other H&R staff in a Lynyrd Skynyrd lip sync performance at a United Way event). But after observing Barnett and the role he plays within H&R Agri-Power, one could draw a conclusion that he could do well with a baton in his hand.

Steve Hunt holds a unique position at H&R Agri-Power of Hopkinsville, Ky., a 17-location employee-owned dealership. He’s vice president, chief operating officer, owner, son of the founder, father of a salesperson and a farmer. That vantage point helps him to be keeper of H&R’s culture and guardian of its profitability.

Upon first meeting Wayne Hunt, it’s clear he has a story to tell and wisdom to share, yet he describes himself as “just plain Wayne.” What isn’t as immediately obvious, though, is his drive and competitive nature that has spearheaded H&R Agri-Power’s incredible growth over the last 2 decades.

What sets a highly successful and profitable farm equipment dealership apart? It doesn’t have to do with size or scale. It’s not about the number of locations. “It’s a manifestation of leadership and management. It’s just that simple.

Ron Ritchie shares his approach to building a specialized sales team.