Rural Lifestyle Dealer is pleased to announce our new editorial advisory board, which is made up of a select group of dealers across North America, representing single-store and multi-store dealerships as well as a variety of manufacturers.

The board’s goal is to help the magazine’s editorial team monitor issues that dealers are facing in their own stores as well as identify the larger trends affecting dealerships across North America.

Meet our magazine’s new editorial advisory board.

  • Tim Berman owns Big Red’s Equipment of Granbury, Texas. The dealership’s lines include American Sportworks, Cub Cadet, Bad Boy Mowers, Branson, Echo, Exmark, Hustler, Massey Ferguson, TYM and Yanmar. Berman shared comments in a recent “Market Opportunities” feature story.
  • Geoff Blanco owns Rigg’s Outdoor Power Equipment, which has locations in Valparaiso, Mishawaka, La Porte and Lafayette, Ind. The dealership carries Cub Cadet, Dixie Chopper, Honda Power Equipment, Hustler, Land Pride, Kubota, Stihl, Toro consumer equipment and Western. Rigg’s was featured in our 2014 “Season-to-Season” series.
  • Ryan Johnson is regional manager of PrairieCoast Equipment and oversees store operations in Kamloops and Kelowna, B.C. PrairieCoast has 8 locations in Alberta and British Columbia. The dealership carries John Deere, Brandt, Degelman and Stihl lines. PrairieCoast was Rural Lifestyle Dealer’s Multi-Store Dealership of the Year in 2015.
  • Mike Kelly is president of Kelly Tractor & Equipment, Longview, Texas. The dealership carries Bad Boy Mowers, Bush Hog, Kuhn, Mahindra, New Holland and Top Hat Trailers. Kelly Tractor was named Rural Lifestyle Dealer’s Single-Store Dealership of the Year in 2015.
  • Doug Nord owns Nord Outdoor Power Corp. in Bloomington, Ill. The dealership carries Echo, Kubota, Stihl and Toro. Nord was featured in Rural Lifestyle Dealer’s “Best Practices” series.
  • Brent VanderPol is corporate sales manager for Brim Tractor, which has 6 locations in western Oregon and western Washington. Brim carries Bad Boy Mowers, New Holland, Stihl, Woods Equipment, Yanmar and other lines. VanderPol was featured in our “What Rural Lifestylers Want from You” series.

Rural Lifestyle Dealer expresses appreciation to the dealers who served on the magazine’s inaugural board: Rick Bailes of Bill’s Tractor, San Antonio, Texas; Alan Foy of AgriVision, Pacific Junction, Iowa; Chris Frodel of Mid-State Equipment, Janesville, Wis.; Summer King of Kingline Equipment, Cantonment, Fla.; James Little of Little Tractor, Metropolis, Ill.; Eric Roach of S&H Farm Supply, Joplin, Mo.; and Gene Saville of Lamb & Webster, Springville, N.Y.

These dealers served for 2 years on the board and regularly provided input about seasonal challenges, management issues, customer concerns and other topics.

Rural Lifestyle Dealer encourages all dealers to share story ideas and comments about the coverage in our print magazine as well as stories posted online and in our twice-monthly eBrief newsletter. Send your comments to Lynn Woolf, managing editor, lwoolf@lessitermedia.com.

Together, we can continue building and improving our community of rural lifestyle dealers.



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