In 2013, Martin Deerline purchased Ross Ag Equipment and welcomed the entire Falher team into our work family.
The group in Falher was positive, energetic, passionate about John Deere and taking care of their customers. And leading the charge was Dennis, who was excited about joining a larger dealer network and the opportunities it would bring for both the staff and clients.
Dennis was hired at Dave Ross Equipment in August of 1999 as a Parts Technician and a year later became a partner in the rebranded Ross Ag Equipment. As the newly named Parts Manager, Dennis was actively involved in the day to day operations, along with partners and mentors Dan Fontaine, Roger Dickner and Al Ross. They referred to themselves as being “lean and mean,” as money was tight and they worked hard to aggressively grow their business in the Peace Country.
Over the next decade they achieved their goals as they went from being the underdog to the main agriculture dealership in Falher. But as they grew, new challenges arose. They saw the value in becoming a part of a larger organization to continue to support their customer base.
Dennis recalls the transition to Martin Deerline was not always easy, “we were happy to amalgamate with Martin Deerline but the new processes and procedures were a bit challenging to get use to as we no longer answered to ourselves!”
In 2018, Dennis moved into the role of Branch Manager but has continued to share these duties with Service Manager, Dan. They have always taken a team approach to managing their staff and creating a fun work environment that people want to show up to. Dennis looks at the Branch Manager role as being there to help all staff find the best solutions for the customer as well as to sell the benefits of the dealership and the quality of the John Deere brand.
Dennis has greatly enjoyed working for a John Deere dealership: the travel and networking opportunities over the years and all the memories created delivering new pieces of equipment to families and seeing the smiles on their faces. And while he will not miss the times he got 2 AM parts calls from his days in parts, he will miss the feeling that came with finding a solution for a customer to get back up and going during the busy harvest season.
As Dennis gets set to retire, we asked what advice he has for his fellow co-workers. He passed on advice he learned from his farther-in-law, “Eight hours of work per day will make you living, if you want extra out of a job you have to put extra into a job. Show up early so your ready to go when the doors open, stay late when you need to, people will notice. Be patient and advancement will come.”
As for plans for retirement, Dennis says, “My plan is to have no plans!” But he and wife Anita will definitely be keeping busy with all their hobbies including woodworking, travelling, horseback riding, camping, bargain hunting for antiques at thrift stores and flea markets, restoring old John Deere equipment and of course spoiling their 13 grandchildren!
Dennis - we thank you for your leadership and always being a friendly face to greet customers and co-workers in Falher and congratulate you on your retirement. We wish you all the best and look forward to you dropping in from time to time to say Hi!