Spring Clinic Dealer Panel Offers Chance To Hear Directly From Dealers

With all of the problems and uncertainty that has faced our industry and small business in general throughout the winter months, it’s great to see that spring is nearing. From the reports that we have received, farmers are remaining positive and dealerships have seen an upswing in the number of customers over the last few weeks. That said, nothing welcomes warmer weather better than our annual Spring Management Clinic in Kansas City, April 8-10. This meeting is filled with great speakers, fun social events and of course, wonderful spring weather.

We are very pleased to announce the details of our Dealer Panel Discussion, Saturday, April 10, from 1:00 to 2:15 p.m. This is the second year we have included this type of session at our Spring Clinic and all of the dealers this year come from the Midwest. This year’s President John McCoy, President of Orthman Manufacturing, will be leading our Dealer Panel Discussion with the following dealers.

Joining the panel is Todd Kunau of Kunau Implement Company. From it’s earliest beginnings in 1936, Kunau Implement has been a family owned business with strong commitment to meeting the needs of their customer. Kunau operates out of stores in DeWitt and Preston, IA and its major lines are Chase IH and New Holland. Todd is the third generation in the family business and is focused on employee training of products and service. In August of 2007, Farm Equipment magazine bestowed “Best in Class” status on Kunau Implement from a field of peers and in 2008, they were chosen “Best in Class Dealer of the Year”.

Also on the panel, Owen Palm with 21th Century Equipment, LLC. The firm has six locations covering the western third of Nebraska and employs 180 full-time workers, and has annual sales over $125 million. The business, which started in 1996, is headquartered in Bridgeport, NE and their major line is John Deere. Specialty equipment lines represented are: Orthman, Reinke Center Pivots, Amity Technology, Art’s Way, H&S, Westfield and DuraTech (Haybuster).

Additionally, Darrell Pankratz, with PrairieLand Partners, which operates eight stores throughout Kansas, along with its central office located in Hutchinson, where Darrell is the manager. Their major line is John Deere along with 15 various shortline manufacturers, most of which are members of this Association.

Rounding out our panel is Dick Price with Price Brothers Equipment Company, also a founding member of our Marketing Section. Price Bros. Equipment Co. has had continuous Price family ownership since 1938 and Dick Price has served as President since 1976. Dick says, “ Our mission is to provide customers with products and services of superior value. We also provide our employees with an environment that rewards individual growth and helps them to seek personal satisfaction. I am very proud to be part of a company whose employee’s average age is 42 and whose average length of employment is 13 years.”

If you have not yet registered for our Spring Clinic, we urge you to do so today. Our attendance is up dramatically from last year and we now have a very limited number of rooms left. FarmEquip.org is where you will find more information and online registration for this meeting. Call us at (314) 878-2304 with any questions you may have. We are excited and ready for spring and our meeting in Kansas City. We are looking forward to seeing you there!