West Side Tractor Sales Co 50th Anniversary by Construction Equipment Guide

Naperville, IL 60563 630/355-7150

Rockdale, IL 60436 815/730-9011

Wauconda, IL 60084 847/526-7700

Lafayette, IN 47905 765/447-6933

South Bend, IN 46619 574/232-1461

South Holland, IL 60473 708/331-6362

Rockford, IL 61102 815/961-3160

Indianapolis, IN 46219 317/544-3411

Bloomington, IN 47403 812/333-9677

Fort Wayne, IN 46825 260/482-8576

www.westsidetractorsales.com

A Supplement to Construction Equipment Guide

Imagine The Next 50 Years... KǀĞƌ ƚŚĞ ƉĂƐƚ ϱϬ ǇĞĂƌƐ ŽƵƌ ƉĂƌƚŶĞƌƐ ŚĂǀĞ ƐĞĞŶ ďŽƚŚ ŐŽŽĚ Ɵ ŵĞƐ ĂŶĚ ŚĂƌĚ Ɵ ŵĞƐ͘ dŚƌŽƵŐŚ ŝƚ Ăůů͕ ĐŽŶƟ ŶƵĞĚ ƐƵĐĐĞƐƐ ŚĂƐ ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞĚ ĚĞĚŝĐĂƟ ŽŶ͕ ŚĂƌĚ ǁŽƌŬ͕ ŝŶƚĞŐƌŝƚǇ͕ ůĞĂĚĞƌƐŚŝƉ ĂŶĚ ĞŶƚƌĞƉƌĞŶĞƵƌƐŚŝƉ͘ KD ' ǁŽƵůĚ ůŝŬĞ ƚŽ ĞǆƚĞŶĚ ŽƵƌ ŚĞĂƌƞ Ğůƚ ďĞƐƚ ǁŝƐŚĞƐ ƚŽ tĞƐƚ ^ŝĚĞ dƌĂĐƚŽƌ ^ĂůĞƐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞŝƌ Į Ō ǇͲǇĞĂƌ ŵŝůĞƐƚŽŶĞ͘ tĞ ĂƌĞ ƉƌŽƵĚ ƚŽ ďĞ Ă ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ǇŽƵƌ ĂĐŚŝĞǀĞŵĞŶƚ͘ KǀĞƌ ϱϬ ǇĞĂƌƐ ĂŐŽ KD ' ƌĞǀŽůƵƟ ŽŶŝǌĞĚ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌůĚ ŽĨ ĐŽŵƉĂĐƟ ŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ĐƌĞĂƟ ŽŶ ŽĨ Ă ĚƵĂů ĚƌƵŵ ǀŝďƌĂƚŽƌǇ ĐŽŵƉĂĐƚŽƌ ŝŶ ϭϵϱϳ͘ dŽŐĞƚŚĞƌ͕ tĞƐƚ ^ŝĚĞ dƌĂĐƚŽƌ ĂŶĚ KD ' ǁŝůů ĐŽŶƟ ŶƵĞ ĂƐ ŝŶŶŽǀĂƟ ǀĞ ůĞĂĚĞƌƐ ƐĞƌǀŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƌŽĂĚ ĐŽŶƐƚƌƵĐƟ ŽŶ ŝŶĚƵƐƚƌǇ͘

Proud to work side by side with West Side. Congratulations on 50 successful years, West Side Tractor. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been a great partner with John Deere, and we look forward to many more years of working together.

West Side Tractor’s Golden Anniversary Grant Park, Ill., spending lots of time using John Deere machinery. He subsequently became a skilled diesel mechanic for International Harvester in Kankakee, learning the craft well enough to become an Air Force diesel engine instructor in 1952. Re-entering civilian life four years later, Benck took his mechanical skills to work at Calumet Industrial and Farm Supply, a Ford dealership that later took on the John Deere product line, in South Holland on Chicago’s south side. Over the next half decade, he worked his way through dealership roles at Calumet as mechanic, parts manager, service manager, and, finally, salesman. So in 1962, when a Deere dealership opportunity surfaced in Lisle, a western suburb of Chicago, Benck felt prepared for the ultimate business role: owner. “My wife, Mary, and I scraped together $15,000 and purchased the dealership,” the senior Benck recalls. The couple partnered with the Calumet owners in the deal that created West Side, an arrangement that ended a year later when the Bencks bought out their partners. (They eventually would buy out Calumet itself). “We opened the doors with three employees total and

ifty years and three generations ago, West Side Tractor Sales Co. dedicated itself to the proposition that John Deere customers shouldn’t have to travel to the south side of Chicago for sales and service. Turns out, Rich and Mary Benck had a viable idea. The dealership not only has endured, it has grown far beyond perimeter towns of Chicago. The company now operates in 10 locations stretching 300 miles from Rockford in northern Illinois to Bloomington in southcentral Indiana. “Even though time and technology has changed how we do business, it hasn’t changed the way we do business,” says Steve Benck, the firms’ president and one of the constants in the evolving company: Benck family leadership. His father started and developed the company and 25 years later handed the reins to Steve and his two siblings, Diane and Tom. Now three of the founder’s grandchildren, Jen, Lauren and Brian, have professionally come home to West Side to further enrich the company story.

Farm Machinery Roots Rich Benck grew up on a farm on the Illinois border in

Richard Benck founded West Side Tractor in 1962.

Congratulations To West Side Tractors Sales Co. On Its 50 th Anniversary

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Paladin Authorized Dealer WEST SIDE TRACTOR SALES CO. Joliet, IL 815-730-9011 Naperville, IL 630-355-7150 Rockford, IL 815-961-3160 South Holland, IL 708-331-6362 Wauconda, IL 847-526-7700 Bloomington, IN 812-333-9677 Fort Wayne, IN 260-482-8576 Indianapolis, IN 317-544-3411 Lafayette, IN 765-447-6933 South Bend, IN 574-232-1461

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no credit available,” Benck says of the 1962 business venture. “We learned quickly how to manage our money.” The slim staff — Benck and two mechanics — was matched by the dealership’s similarly slim line-up of construction equipment. Precisely six Deere products were offered — three backhoe models, two crawler dozers, and a scraper. Today, Deere dozer models alone exceed that number. “We grew here with Deere,” says Diane Benck, the founder’s daughter. She joined the company in 1987 and is vice president responsible for general operations. “It has dramatically expanded its product line and become a viable alternative to Caterpillar. That wasn’t the case even 25 years ago. Every year we go down the road, it gets better.” Being the “new kid on the block,” Rich Benck realized

‘

In the late 60s, the Company coined the West Side motto “Whatever the Work.” Things have changed through the years, but West Side’s commitment to its customers has and will always remain the top priority. “Whatever the Work” means West Side will do whatever it takes to earn the opportunity to obtain a customers business and loyalty; offer the highest levels of sales expertise and product; find the most productive and cost effective solution possible for our customers; and strive to exceed customer expectations.

the fledgling West Side dealership needed a competitive edge. He found his inspiration in the rental car business. After studying the industry, he concluded the rental model ought to work with construction equipment, and created a separate West Side rental division with a fleet of machines. “The equipment was available daily, weekly, and monthly. It was a great new business tactic: We got paid for customers to demo our machines,” says Benck. Rental is a ubiquitous industry practice now, but in the 1960s it was a stark departure from the business model. Brian Benck calls his grandfather a pioneer. “He was the first person in our market certainly and across the U.S.

Diane Benck is a second-generation leader of West Side Tractor. 10

Tom, Brian and Steve Benck

Rockdale, Ill.

Indianapolis, Ind.

who was really engaged in the rental business. That was how West Side became known. It really kind of changed the perception of what a dealer was.” One legacy of that innovation is West Side’s flourishing rental / consignment sales / auction operations. Unlike the Illinois-Indiana footprint of the 10 dealerships, this part of West Side straddles the nation and globe.

World Marketing Tom Benck, like all of Rich Benck’s children, grew up in the dealership. He sorted parts at 14 and picked up mechanical skills during his high school years before moving into product sales. Today as vice president of used equipment and facilities, he is riding herd on a division that incorporates second-hand equipment rentals, consignment sales, and auctions. The interrelated business activity grew 30 percent in the last year. “We didn’t start out to say we are going to have a standalone used equipment business,” Benck says from his office north of Chicago in Wauconda. “It started in figuring how to deal with trade-ins for new John Deere equipment. Then, we got into advertising on the Internet, which was all new.” The Internet connection, along with widespread presence in trade publications and aggressive remarketing plans, has produced a truly international operation. “We’ve sold excavators and dozers to China, motor graders to the Middle East, a lot of stuff to South America,” Benck says. “Foreign buyers are coming to us now.” The consignment sales are viewed as another service for West Side customers. Contractors who are liquidating or shrinking inventory in a struggling economy have another option beyond directly retailing their equipment or resorting to a pure auction. West Side consigns the equipment and packages for remarketing through the company’s various sales outlets. Still other dealers call on West Side to auction their surplus equipment. So West Side’s expansion into Indiana means, among other things, a larger pool of used equipment. Tom Benck sees continued growth of the operation. “We have more new and used equipment available which provides additional options at all different price points for our customers.” The dealership now has five equipment outlets in Illinois — Naperville, Wauconda, Rockford, Joliet, and South Holland — and five in Indiana — South Bend, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Bloomington, and Lafayette. The last dealership specializes in Deere lawn and garden equipment, compact tractors, Gator utility vehicles, and similar machinery. While this sprawling presence across state lines puts the company at a scale that opens the door to opportunity, it also exposes the company’s flank to battering from economic ill winds. If history is any guide, West Side will ride out future storms and end up in a better place. “We’ve been through multiple low economies,” Rich Benck says from retirement, looking back on his half century of business experience. The worst one, he says, was the 1980s triple slam of recession, inflation, and high interest rates. “We were hurting, but other dealers were hurting more.” Benck responded to the challenge by cutting expenses

— “that was when interest was up over 20 percent” — and, of all things, expanding! West Side added north, west and south Chicago locations during that tumultuous period. The same opportunistic philosophy informed the decision to expand into Indiana during the current downturn. “The Indiana opportunity just kind of came up in a meeting,” recalls Steve Benck, the first of Rich Benck’s children to succeed him in tandem. “We really weren’t aware of it. You don’t advertise that kind of opportunity. But when the economy is bad is when opportunities are there.” Holt Equipment Company wanted to divest itself of construction and forestry equipment dealerships in Indiana, while continuing in business in Kentucky. West Side seized the chance to move into Indiana, instantly becoming the state’s largest Deere construction equipment dealer, serving 68 counties. The deal had the blessing of the company founder. Rich Benck calls the eastward expansion “a smart move” and hopes his successors will follow that business model. “The opportunity for West Side to continue its success is there,” he says, and counsels the company’s leadership to build on its heritage. “Keep growing and making smart moves.”

Congratulations to West Side Tractor RQ \RXU ƟUVW 50 years of success! We’re proud to congratulate you on your 50th anniversary. This is a special milestone that doesn’t just happen. An achievement like this takes dedication, expertise and an unwavering commitment to doing business the right way. By working with a solid foundation of trust, integrity, respect and professionalism you continue to build a special level of success for the future. We truly enjoy working with your world-class operation. We look forward to the next 50 years as we grow our relationship together! Your friends at John Deere Financial

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West Side Tractor Congratulations on your 50th Anniversary West Side Tractor celebrating 50 years of sales and service! MB Financial Bank Locations throughout Chicagoland, including: 800 W. Madison Chicago, IL 60607

www.mbfinancial.com 1.888.i bank mb (1.888.422.6562) Member FDIC 15

THANK YOU For 50 years, our customers have been the focus of everything we GR $V ZH FHOHEUDWH WKLV PLOHVWRQH LQ RXU FRPSDQ\ÂˇV KLVWRU\ ZH would like to thank all of our customers for helping us grow. We look forward to another 50 years of service and commitment. Thank you for being a part of the West Side family.

Atlas Copco Salutes West Side Tractor Sales 50 Years of Industry Leadership

West Side Tractor Sales became an Atlas Copco construction equipment dealer in the spring of 2010. We congratulate West Side Tractor Sales on two successful years as part of the Atlas Copco family, and an impressive half-century of service to northern Illinois and the rest of their growing sales and service region.

West Side Tractor Sales is a full-line Atlas Copco construction equipment dealer, offering the full range of hydraulic attachments, including small, mid-size and heavy breakers, like the MB 1700 featured in the photo above. They also sell and service the full line of Atlas Copco portable compressors and generators, as well as gasoline-, pneumatic- and hydraulic-powered handheld tools.

Atlas Copco Construction & Mining 800-732-6762 www.atlascopco.us

(L-R): Lauren Coffaro (Marketing Manager), Jen Snow (HR Manager) and Brian Benck (Sales & Marketing Manager)

Steve Dillon, Sales Manager

Steve Deller, Product Support Manager

Kip Bancroft, Sales Manager

Tom Stern, Sales Manager 20

A West Side Tractor customer tests out John Deere’s first Interim Tier IV machine, a 744K wheel loader, during a demo event two years ago and was the first to the market with a production loader. West Side Tractor provides customers with the newest technologies and capabilities available to enhance their business.

1980

1962

1969

Rich and Mary Benck open West Side Tractor Sales Co. for business! The first location opens in Lisle, Ill., on the “west side” of Chicago. Soon thereafter, the Company moves operations to the Naperville location, which remains the cornerstone of the business today.

A second branch opens in Wheeling, Ill. (now the Wauconda facility).

During the downturn in the early 80s, Rich buys out the Rockford, Ill., John Deere dealer and expands west.

1984 Purchases the South Side dealership in South Holland, Ill. (originally where Rich started as a technician). 21

West Side Tractor has supported projects in all different settings and areas, from the heart of downtown Chicago to rural Indiana.

1987 Second generation of the Benck family, Steve, Diane and Tom, take over every day control of the company.

1989 Rail Construction Equipment Co. (â&#x20AC;&#x153;RCEâ&#x20AC;?), a sister company of West Side Tractor Sales Co., opens for business as a John Deere sponsored rail equipment dealer. RCE is a diversified construction equipment manufacturer which specializes in high-quality railroad construction equipment. 22

2007 RCE brings manufacturing and assembly in-house with a new 90,000 square foot facility located in Rockford, Ill.

RCE’s Railavator with Hank, a concrete tie, tower-knocking device. RCE has developed and put into production 26 highly-specialized models to support the railroad industry.

2010

2008 A West Side branch opens in Joliet, Ill.

Steve, Diane and Tom announce the acquisition of five construction and forestry equipment dealerships located in Indiana through an affiliated company, West Side Tractor Sales of Indiana. New dealership locations include Indianapolis, South Bend, Fort Wayne, Lafayette and Bloomington. The Indiana acquisition expands the West Side territory to serve more than 80 counties with 10 locations spanning across Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. During this time, Steve’s son, Brian, joins the company representing the third generation of the Benck family. RCE builds the 300th machine. 23

2012 50th Anniversary of West Side. Steve’s two daughters, Jen and Lauren, also join the company representing the third generation of the Benck family.

Synergistic Service in Indiana Illinois-based West Side Tractor Sales Co. didn’t look Deller is one of several nonfamily members in a leadereastward and expand into Indiana from happenstance. The ship role at West Side. He acknowledges “100 percent” chance to acquire several Indiana John Deere construction Benck family support in his work. “They make a lot of what and forestry equipment dealerships was taken because it we do a whole lot easier.” made sense. The regard is mutual. “It is very important for our compa“One of the reasons we were very interested in Indiana is ny that we have major positions available for nonfamily because there is synergy between members,” Diane Benck says. The Illinois and Indiana,” says Diane resulting culture is stable: West Side Benck, West Side’s vice president for has 22 employees who have worked operations. One of her responsibilities there at least 25 years. is product support and she recognized Benck children and grandchilcommonalities in the two states that dren who grew up around West Side play to West Side’s strengths. were encouraged to develop careers “They are both Midwestern states elsewhere before considering joining with cultural and machine application the family business. Most did. similarities. What works in Illinois Among third generation members, probably is going to work in Indiana,” Brian worked in banking and finance she says. “Down in Kentucky, or in for three years, his sister Lauren Ohio, for instance, there are different Coffaro spent six years in PR and soil conditions.” Providing sterling service in Indiana was the marketing, and sister Jen Snow was On the other hand, though both highest priority when West Side Tractor expanded a health care HR executive for nine states are agricultural, the Illinois to the state. years. Coffaro now is West Side’s dealerships operate in the Chicago marketing manager, and Snow its human resources manager. metropolitan environment, unlike anything in Indiana. The Both specialties are more urgently needed with West same products, but much different market segments. Bridging Side’s expanded employee base and need for more diverse those market differences would be helped by the durable repmarketing. The latter is wholly different than in 1962, when utation of Deere products and other West Side allied lines. Rich Benck relied on word of mouth and a few direct mailStill, West Side leadership understood that turning the company into a successful two-state dealership would require ings. Coffaro will be deep into e-marketing and similar continued service excellence and smart marketing. strategies in a 21st-century marketplace. “I think dealerships all basically offer the same type of In the end, though, customer service will determine sucservice, but West Side’s commitment to a customer really sets cess, which hasn’t changed much over 50 years, Rich Benck it apart from the competition,” says Steve Deller, product says. “Service is always number one.” support manager. “If a machine is down and inoperable, we are committed to having a presence there within four hours. That means a lot to our customers. We are letting them know we care about them when they are in a bad situation. We are willing to go that extra mile. People just don’t get that anymore.” Deller has technicians scattered among the 10 dealerships. He “bounces” from location to location to ensure local parts and service managers are maintaining West Side standards in Illinois and successfully introducing them in Indiana. He also periodically trains fleet customers on safety and technical concerns, a seminar program that is part of the John Deere local support structure. To succeed in these management and training tasks, Deller calls on 25 years of experience in the industry, the last seven at West Side. He notes that the set-up of shops hasn’t changed a lot over a quarter century, but training has become more central. “Because of the changing technology curve, our technicians are in a constant training mode,” he says. “We demand it of ourselves. It used to be new machines came out every five or six years. These days it seems like it’s every three or Downtime is costly, but West Side Tractor ensures it is always there for four years; with new emissions, it’s every two or three years. its customers in time of need. We are constantly staying up on products.” 24

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Best Wishes Wishes sW West e est Side!

CELEBRATES SUCCESS We congratulate West Side Tractor Sales for 50 years of excellence in business. For information about our services, please contact Bob Bidinger at (614) 463-7308 or robert.bidinger@pnc.com or visit pnc.com/cib.

ACHIEVEMENT is a registered mark of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. Â©2012 The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. All rights reserved. PNC Bank, National Association. Member FDIC CIB PDF 0312-022-78111

Celebrating 50 Years in Style More than 300 employees and guests attended West Side Tractor Sales’ 50th Golden Anniversary celebration on January 28, 2012. The events were held at Blue Chip Resort and Casino in Michigan City, Ind. Guests were invited to participate in an afternoon bags tournament, followed by an evening reception with dinner and dancing. The country band Bella Cain performed live following dinner. During the evening program, employees with more than 25 years of service were honored. Rich Benck, the founder, received a custom John

Deere Gator with commemorative 50th anniversary decals. West Side will continue the 50th anniversary celebrations with special customer appreciation events throughout the year at each location. “This is a year for celebration and reflection — a look back at how West Side has evolved,” said President Steve Benck. “But we’re also looking towards the future. There is a lot of excitement for what the next 50 years will bring.”

(L-R): The Benck family, Tom, Steve, Diane, Mary and Rich gathered for a family photo during the event.

Art Below Zero of Gurnee, Ill., designed an ice sculpture for the occasion that featured a John Deere excavator.

CONGRATULATIONS

TO ON

50 Y E A R S O F S U C C E S S !

On your 50th Anniversary From all of us at the InternaƟonal Union of OperaƟng Engineers Local 150 ApprenƟceship & Skill Improvement Program

It’s been a pleasure being your Commercial Fleet provider for so many great years of business.

Keep up the great work!

Naperville, Ill. 60540

ASIP Local 150 19800 W. South Arsenal Rd. Wilmington, IL 60481 (815) 722Ͳ3201 WWW.ASIPLOCAL150.ORG James M. Sweeney Ͳ Chairman Michael Rorex Ͳ Coordinator / Administrator

Phil Parker - Business Development Manager Office # 630-357-2200 Ext.6153 Cell # 630-624-2251 E-mail: pparker@villagebuickgmc.com 28

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Attorneys at Law

CONGRATULATIONS WEST SIDE ON YOUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY

10 S 290 Schoger Drive • Naperville, IL 60564

630-961-9484

1900 Spring Road, Suite 200 Oak Brook, Illinois 60523 (630) 571-1900 www.lilliglaw.com

Fax: 630-898-2707

www.NapervilleTowing.com 30

Congratulations on Your 50th Anniversary

18702 US 31N â&#x20AC;˘ Westfield, IN 46074

317-896-3206 31