Larson Farm and Lawn
Owner: Glen Larson
Location: Harrison, Ark. (Bellefonte, Ark.)
Location manager: Phillip Branch (pictured)
History: Glen Larson bought John Deere dealerships in Missouri in the early 2000s to add to his Peterbilt holdings, later purchasing the Harrison, Ark., dealership in 2006.
“We moved to our current location in Bellefonte, (Ark.) in November 2007,” manager Phillip Branch said. “I was hired in as a salesman January 2007, and was promoted to manager five years ago. Our business has almost tripled in size in terms of staff, facility and sales.”
Products and Services: The dealership specializes in John Deere equipment for lawn and garden, as well as agriculture with tractors from 18 to 180 horsepower.
Larson’s also carries a full line of Stihl equipment, as well as Honda mowers, generators and tillers.
“Our service department is an important component of the business. We have seven certified technicians and field servicemen with a broad range of experience on a variety of makes and models since we will work on whatever the customer brings in,” Phillip explained. “We maintain a mobile truck to accommodate our servicemen. In addition to three salespeople and myself, we have a parts department with four full-time employees and a manager providing parts for all makes and models.”
Philosophy and future: “When purchased, the dealership was not doing well. We were able to bring the business back because of our customer service,” Phillip said. “We help customers understand that they need to think in terms of a return on the original investment for equipment because the right piece of equipment can make back that initial investment in four to five years. Another part of my job is to help employees learn how to create a friendly and inviting environment while providing support and education to our customers. The last two years we’ve had the number one producing service department in the company, based on labor performance and expect our dealership to continue to grow.”
