As summer winds down, it is time for the final pit stop on RDO’ Summer Road Trip. And for this last one, it is a two-for-one special, as we highlight two RDO Equipment Co. regions that share space in two states: Oregon and Washington.
Join Ian Carey, Vice President of RDO’s Northwest Agriculture region and Ollie Windle, General Manager of RDO’s Eugene and Portland Vermeer stores, as they discuss their regions and how two groups of RDO stores, situated hundreds of miles apart, stay connected to keep customers up and running.
Miss our first pit stop on the RDO Summer Road Trip? Catch up now with a visit to RDO stores in Texas.
RDO Vermeer in the Pacific Northwest
Small in numbers, mighty in reach – a good way to sum up RDO’s Vermeer presence in this region. Even though only two stores make up the region, Eugene and Portland, the team’s coverage extends across the entire state of Oregon and into Clark County, Washington.
The Portland store is one of the largest suppliers of arborist equipment and climbing gear in the United States. After recent, significant weather events, the Eugene store has really grown its business in the recycling and forestry industries, with both smaller equipment like brush chippers and stump grinders to the larger horizontal grinders and compost turners.
Northwest Agriculture – 10 Stores and “Growing”
In contrast, RDO’s Northwest Agriculture region is one of the largest in the RDO family, with 10 stores: Hermiston, Pendleton, and Wasco, Oregon; Coulee City, Kennewick, Moses Lake, Othello, Pasco, Sunnyside, and Ritzville, Washington.
While the region will not be growing in the total number of stores next year, customers in one community are gaining a new home, more space, and greater convenience in a brand-new store slated to open in the spring of 2022.
A New RDO Store in Moses Lake
The agriculture industry is strong in Moses Lake and the surrounding area. However, as demand has grown, the store has been unable to grow along with it – literally. According to Ian, the site of the existing Moses Lake store does not allow for the expansion the team desperately needs. So, they found a solution.
“We discovered a great property on ten acres where we are building a new store that allows us to increase our number of service bays, add office space for our team members, expand our parts warehouse, and add more space to display equipment,” he said.
In addition to offering more space, the new site is in a great location, on the northeast corner of Interstate 90 and Highway 17. There is great access for customers right off the interchange and adjacent frontage road, and plenty of space for equipment deliveries and customer parking.
Within the last few weeks, the first major, visible milestone happened: “We went vertical,” Ian said. “The store is starting to take shape and really come alive. It is creating so much excitement for our team members and we hope our customers are just as eager to get into the new store, too.”
Connecting Customers Across the Miles
Outside of them sharing a company name, culture, and locations in the same states, what do RDO’s Vermeer and Northwest Agricultures stores have in common? It might be surprising to many that there is one more very important thing these two teams share: customers.
“We have quite a few customers who work with us across both our Vermeer and Agriculture stores,” Ollie said.
These customers span industries, from a large farming and dairy operation to a full-service site development company. Especially convenient for Vermeer customers who work more on the east side of the state, RDO’s store in Hermiston, Oregon offers full parts and service support for Vermeer equipment.
The Eugene store is 300 miles from the Hermiston location. Both Vermeer stores are on the west side of the state while the Agriculture stores are closer to the east side of Oregon and Washington. The fact that Ian and Ollie’s groups are able to create a seamless experience for every customer, whether near Portland, Pasco, or somewhere in between, is a testament to the knowledge and commitment to every team member in these regions.
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