Owner: Rob Cress
Location: Springdale, Ark.
Manager: Jared McGlothlin (pictured)
History: J.A. Riggs Tractor Company has a long history, beginning in 1927 when John Riggs, Sr.; founded the family-owned dealership in Little Rock. It gained Caterpillar franchise status for 45 Arkansas counties a year later with headquarters soon moving to downtown Little Rock.
“The Springdale branch opened in 2002,” Jared McGlothlin said. “After graduating with a (bachelor’s of science) in animal science and working first in poultry and then fertilizer, I got the opportunity to be the retail account manager in Springdale, Ark., and very much enjoy my new position.”
Products and Services: “We sell 25 to 100 horsepower LS tractors and attachments, along with the Spartan zero turn mowers, in addition to Caterpillar track loaders, skid steers, backhoes, excavators, dozers, wheel loaders and graders,” Jared explained. “Further, since the 1980s, we have rented heavy equipment, tractors, attachments, scissor and boom lifts and other specialty items like trenchers. For many farmers, renting is not only cost-efficient but also opens up many more farm improvement opportunities. Part of my job is to go to agricultural meetings, such as the local monthly meetings of the Cattlemen’s Association, as a method of explaining how our company can meet their needs more affordably than they realize. Our service department has 14 large bays and is as good as it gets, with all technicians fully certified. Ours is a full-service shop and not limited to the brands we sell.”
Philosophy and Future: All employees are trained in customer relations so customers are greeted upon entering, frequently by name.
“We keep a customer database with customer preferences so they know how important they are to us and recognize that we can help them because we already know many details about their operation,” Jared said. “Consequently, we have an extremely high repeat customer rate which is the foundation of our business A few years ago, the company recognized a need to better help our local communities and formed a 501(c)(3) called the Share It Forward Foundation. Our primary focus is organizations such as the Mayfly Project and Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs. In 2019, we added another program in which we donate 100 meals through the Arkansas Foodbank for every piece of equipment we sell with the goal of 150,000 meals for the year.”
