Officials at Tri-County Equipment in Crossville, Tenn., issued a statement regarding the loss of John Deere products. It is as follows:
“First, I want to express my appreciation to all our customers, new and old. Your continued loyalty and support mean so much to me and the Tri-County family.
"I was the John Deere dealer here in Crossville from February 1977 until March 15, 2021.
"In recent years John Deere has pushed to consolidate their single store dealers in favor of those that own multiple (corporate) locations and I have been the last single store owner in Tennessee for the last 4 years.
"On March 5, 2020, a John Deere Division Manager hand delivered a termination letter to me stating that they would close me down as a dealer on September 2, 2020 because of below expected market share performance, which is set by Deere, for the sale of “NEW” tractors.
"After lengthy negotiations with John Deere and their single, specified potential buyer, I decided not to sell and let John Deere terminate the dealership. They then told me that March 15, 2021 would be my final day as a John Deere dealer.
"On that day they brought in several trucks, loaded their equipment, took the John Deere sign down and drove away. This was of course a painful moment for the entire Tri-County family.
"Now to the future:
Tri-County Equipment Sales & Service Inc. has NO PLANS to close its doors.
"We will continue to serve our loyal customers with the same superior service they have become accustomed to, as the vast majority of our employees are staying with us and they have always been our best asset.
"We will be taking on Simplicity lawn mowers and Ferris Zero-Turn homeowner and commercial mowers. We will have the Yanmar compact utility tractors, & Schulte rotary cutters, with a few other brands in negotiation.
"The brands may be different but the service will remain the same. Nothing has changed in Tri-County Rental nor in Tri-County Parts & Equipment (Federated Auto & Truck Parts)
"So come by and see the same faces you have seen for many years now:
- Roger & his staff in Rental.
- Chris Smith in Wacker-Neuson (Compact construction equipment) sales
- Earl Reagan and his staff in Federated Auto & Truck Parts in Crossville, Monterey and Huntsville TN locations
- Link Cox in Mowers, Compacts, Tractors & Equipment
- John Hall, who has been with us for 38 years, and his staff of trained technicians.
- Marshall is now the go to for Oxbo/Pixall, plus many other products.
"And of course, myself for almost anything.
"Thank you for reading and again we deeply appreciate our customers and community of Crossville that have supported us for so many years as we look forward to the years to come."
— Clifford Pugh
