What a tractor dealership can teach you about leadership and brand building.
Purpose — Integrity — Teamwork — Service. These words are synonymous with nearly every mission statement I have read. More often than not, they are given token lip service during annual corporate meetings or simply occupy a page in the company handbook that no one reads. The exception to this rule is Hoober, Inc., a family owned farm and construction equipment dealer founded in 1941 in Intercourse, PA.
I had the pleasure of attending Hoober’s 75th Anniversary Customer Appreciation Event and trade show. Together with manufactures, vendors and Hoober staff, the company rolled out the red carpet at three separate locations to acknowledge their customers and pay tribute to the visionary leadership of its founder C.B. Hoober. During the daily presentations, second generation owner and son of the C.B., Charlie Hoober spoke about the history and early years of the organization. He joined the business in 1963 as a Service Manager. Charlie commented,
it was clear that the only way to truly grow the business and sustain it during volatile times was to do it on the back-end through service.
The company’s early commitment to service firmly established the dealership as a premier provider of farm related equipment. With dedicated technicians, a fleet of parts and service trucks, and inter-company communication tools, Hoober created a full service support team to keep customers operating and profitable. When customers purchase from a Hoober salesperson, they don’t just get a new machine, they get a trusted business partner and the unwavering support of the entire company. Everyone from parts, service, and the front office are committed to serving the customer. Their motto is Together We Serve — By Service We Grow.
The Hoober group is almost dogmatic in aligning their people to that motto. With over 26 employees having 30+ years of service, their success rate is impeccable. “Together we serve” speaks to the teamwork value of serving each other. As Sir Richard Branson said, “The way you treat your employees is the way they will treat you customers.” Having spent the week with Hoober staff from their 9 locations in 4 states, the camaraderie and connectedness among them is infectious. There is a family bond between them that is authentically Hoober and roots back to the leadership of C.B., Charlie and now the 3rd generation of Hoober — Chuck and Scott and their brother in-law and partner Rod Lefever.
The future of the company is bright and full of promise. They continue to invest in technology, people and products that align with their values and vision. They have taken a disciplined and principled approach to succession planning by establishing a Family Employment Policy with the desire to raise up future generations who understand and embrace the importance of Integrity, Teamwork and Service; who share a common Faith in Christ and who understand the stewardship responsibilities of ownership, work and lifestyle through faith.
Most impressive to me is the heritage of leadership and the vision to create a culture of excellence and virtue. While today’s start-up culture and modern business management theory is viewed as aspirational and trend setting, credit must be given to the trailblazers like Hoober who have set the gold standard of what it means to be “customer-centric” and put “people over profit.” When I spoke with Charlie about his success in the business he never reflected on the trials and sacrifices he endured during the early years, he always came back to the unrelenting commitment of over-delivering on service before, during and after the sale. In modern business speak we call that creating the customer journey. To Charlie Hoober and now the 3rd generation of leaders, it’s just how they do business.
Peter Drucker’s famous quote, “The best way to predict the future is to create it”, encapsulates the Hoober success story and serves as a bellwether to all brands, start-ups and established companies searching to attain their future legacy. Beyond your idea, product/market fit, sales structure and marketing mix, lies culture. And I’ve been told it eats strategy for breakfast.
Learn more about Hoober, Inc here.
