Rural Lifestyle Dealer congratulates Alex Power Equipment and Jacobi Sales Inc. on achieving 2019 Dealership of the Year status. They join 13 other elite dealerships that have earned this recognition since the program was started in 2007.

Alex Power Equipment, based in Alexandria, Minn., is the single-store recipient. The dealership was founded in 1921 and carries Kubota, Bobcat, Land Pride, Bush Hog, Cub Cadet, Husqvarna, Honda Power Equipment, Felling Trailers, DCT Trailers and ABU Trailers.

Jacobi Sales has 7 locations in the Louisville, Ky., area, and is the multi-store recipient. The dealership was founded in 1928 and carries Kubota, Case IH, Cub Cadet, Kawasaki, Woods Equipment and Land Pride.

Extending our Appreciation

The 2019 recipients were chosen from an impressive group of dealerships by our panel of industry experts. The judges take into consideration a variety of factors, including financial performance, customer satisfaction, training, succession planning, community involvement and more.

Mark Foster
Retired Farm Equipment Dealer, Attica, Ind.

Foster spent close to 40 years in the farm equipment industry. First working for a major manufacturer then transitioning into becoming a partner in a multiple store operation. He was active in a variety of roles in the dealership organization including store manager, sales manager and regional manager. Foster served on the Board of Directors of the Mid-America Equipment Retailers Assn. for several years and became president of the organization in 2004. He was also a former member of the Board of Directors of North American Equipment Dealers Assn. (now the Equipment Dealers Assn.) and served a term as vice president. He is a former member of the Farm Equipment editorial advisory board.

Gord Thompson
Retired Dealer, Consultant & Trainer, Western Equipment Dealers Assn. Dealer Institute, Prince Albert, Sask.

Gord joined his family’s Case IH dealership, Moker & Thompson Implements, in Prince Albert, Sask., in 1986. He was dealer principal and general manager of the two-store dealership in Saskatchewan until 2014. At that time, he sold it to Redhead Equipment, and in 2015 retired from Redhead. As a dealer he served on the board and as president of the Canada West Dealers Assn., now part of the Western Equipment Dealers Assn. (WEDA). In 2016 he joined WEDA’s Dealer Institute as a management consultant. He specializes in dealership financial management and training dealer staff on understanding and utilizing financial information.

Stan Jackson
Consultant, Jackson Consulting, Layton, Utah

Jackson has over 40 years of experience in the ag equipment industry. He worked in dealer development and financial management for John Deere before retiring. After retirement he started Jackson Consulting and has served on four consolidated dealership group boards of directors as well as financial advisor to several dealerships and other businesses outside the industry for the past 12 years.

Charles R. Glass
President, Glass Management Group, Arlington, Texas

With more than 4 decades in the industry, Glass produces an annual tractor and combine forecast and provides technical assistance to various investment groups. A former director of Farm Equipment Manufacturers Assn., he is also a frequent presenter and author of several white papers on the future of farm equipment distribution. He was a long-time chairman of FEMA’s Dealer Relations Committee.

Reflections about Alex Power Equipment

Here’s an excerpt from the judges’ comments about the recipients:

Alex Power led all dealers in the categories of return on assets, absorption rate and revenue per employee. They had a well thought out succession plan, did an admirable job in training for their employees and measuring their customers’ level of satisfaction.

Jacobi Sales represents a resiliency necessary to change with the changing markets they serve. They managed to produce an increasing profit each year on a smaller total sales volume. Their revenue per employee ranked the highest among the multiple-store candidates and they were among the top in every other category.

READ 2019 DEALERSHIP OF THE YEAR SINGLE-STORE DEALER ALEX POWER EQUIPMENT FULL ARTICLE

READ 2019 DEALERSHIP OF THE YEAR MULTI-STORE DEALER JACOBI SALES FULL ARTICLE