Details From the Trip
Well boys and girls, I am back from my first trip through California as a Dealer Development Consultant. As promised, you get to hear the details in this week’s story.
I flew into the Sacramento airport Monday morning and Courtney picked me up with the company car I was going to be able to drive. I spent the majority of Monday getting my new work phone and email account set up. That’s right, I am so important I need two phones now! The proper response to that is WOW!!
By the time I was ready to leave, I had enough time to make it to Yuba City and talk to one of the dealers. On the drive there, it was amazing to see so much farm ground and so many different crops. There were fields and orchards of so many different types of vegetables and fruits. This was not the California I had driven through before. I stopped in at the first dealership and introduced myself. I asked for the General Manager whose name I was given. The secretary went back to get him and said he was busy and couldn’t talk with me. I explained my role to the secretary and gave her my card to give to him. It was a little after 5:00 so I decided to get a hotel room. I thought I would try and save some money, so I booked a room at a cheaper hotel. I would tell you how bad it was, but I can’t talk about it without getting serious hotel PTSD. Simply put, don’t stay at the Econo Lodge in Yuba City.
After my experience the night before, I will admit I wasn’t exactly sure how the rest of the trip was going to go. The next day my first stop was at Beeler Tractor to talk with Mike Dihel. Mike is on the board for FWEDA and voted to hire me. He is a very nice guy and obviously a good judge of character! We talked about putting together a local dealer meeting and he gave me some good leads for new members. He spent a lot of time with me that I really appreciated. The rest of the trip some of dealers were a little cautious at first but eventually appreciated my role with the association. Other dealer knew I was coming and very supportive. The entire trip turned out very positive and I am excited for my new job.
It was great to get the feel of an agricultural dealership again. It is rewarding to know I will be helping an industry that is the heart and soul of America and responsible for feeding the world. It’s always great to come home. Thanks for reading.
Next week: Chukars Game #2
P.S. As I drove through the beautiful vegetable farms, orchards, and scenery, I found myself saying; “It’s not Utah! It’s not Utah! It’s not Utah!”