Ag-Turf
Co-Owners: Gary and Sandy Kestner
Location: 2902 Wheeler Ave, Fort Smith, Ark. Just north of the Phoenix Mall.
Company History: "Ag Turf was established in 1999. Gary had worked at a John Deere dealership for 15 years, and when the opportunity presented itself to own a John Deere dealership in the Fort Smith area, we jumped at the chance," Sandy said.
What products and services do you offer?
"Ag-Turf is a full-service John Deere dealership offering all John Deere products, warranties and services, as well as Adams spreaders and chicken house cake-out machines. They also handle warranties for John Deere products sold at Lowes and Home Depot."
What is your biggest challenge?
"Advances in new technology are changing so fast these days, it is a challenge to stay current with those changes. We provide training for our employees through John Deere education programs, which help keep our employees knowledgeable and informed," said Sandy.
How do you stay ahead of your competition?
"We strive to keep good employees with good attitudes, who are well-trained and do a better job of talking to customers," said Gary. "When you put good employees and quality equipment together, you have high customer satisfaction."
What is unique about your company?
"We sell John Deere equipment. They are the only major agriculture equipment company left who is American-owned. That fact should be shown in big, blinking lights," said Sandy.
By Roy Hill
