Jaycox Implement, a Case IH dealer in the region for more than five decades, has added a third dealership in Luverne, Minn.

Starting in Lake Park, Iowa, in 1956, Jaycox purchased its Worthington, Minn., facility about 20 years ago and added the Luverne site earlier this year.

Store manager Mark Ommen, who grew up in Fulda, Minn., has helped make a lot of advances in the dealership just off of Interstate 90 since he started in January after 7.5 years as a regional and district representative for Land O’ Lakes.

Among the improvements are the hiring of additional employees and building and grounds enhancements.

He has hired a precision farming specialist who works with farmers on their guidance and data collection systems that are now a part of many new tractors, combines and planters.

“It’s like if your computer breaks down, you feel helpless. A specialist who can provide service for customers in their advanced farming systems can almost be more valuable than a mechanic,” Ommen said.

He also has hired another tractor mechanic and an extra diesel mechanic to work on trucks in a shop that has been upgraded with new lighting.

All of the employees of the former owner, Mark Jacobson Inc., have been retained, Ommen said. The Jacobson dealership had been operated by the late Mark Jacobson’s son-in-law, Don Amos, and his son, Adam.

“They had a great staff here, and we kept them all,” Ommen said.

Building improvements have included painting most of the store and upgrading the show lot with crushed rock and gravel to provide a more stable environment for equipment.

Plans are eventually to add onto the shop, although Ommen said he doesn’t know when it will happen.

Along with the improvements and added staff, business also has been growing. Ommen said financial statements show the store is ahead of the pace of last year and previous years.

Ommen said the Luverne store has added lines of products and suppliers to give producers more choices and more diverse lines of equipment.

The Case IH, Kubota and Bobcat equipment are the main lines and best sellers for the company. Some of the other lines of equipment include Demco sprayers, grain carts and wagons, a diverse line of Summers equipment, Brent grain carts and wagons, Parker and Unverferth grain carts, wagons and seed tenders.

Among the grain handling lines offered are Sudenga, Farm King, Westfield, Feterl, Batco, REM and E-Z Trail. LDJ fuel trailers and Patriot head trailers, while Westendorf box scrapers and loaders also are offered.

The Worthington facility also offers power sports equipment such as four-wheelers and jet skis, products that also can be purchased through the Luverne facility.

Ommen has been working in agriculture for 18 years in southwest Minnesota, southeast South Dakota and northwest Iowa, and enjoyed his time with Land O’ Lakes, but after many miles on the road, he decided he wanted to spend more time at home with his wife and three boys.

He enjoys working with Chad Jaycox, who has taken over day-to-day operations of the three-town dealership from his father, Ray, and has been involved with the company for years.

Ray Jaycox started the business in Lake Park with Dennis Puhrnam, who still manages the Iowa dealership.

Story Link: http://www.tristateneighbor.com/news/regional/article_fb966c1e-abef-11e1-8276-001a4bcf887a.html