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Houma Tractor General Manager Curtis Chaisson enjoys meeting new people.
But it is when he sees someone for the second time that he feels most fulfilled.
With more than 25 years at their current location, Houma Tractor continues to plow forward with the latest and greatest offerings in the world of tractors and John Deere products.
Chaisson said the business has maintained consistent, steady growth, and it prides itself on being a place where people feel comfortable making return trips to do business.
“I’ve had customers that I’ve sold equipment to that while they were buying equipment, they were also buying their kids some toys,” Chaisson said. “Well just recently, one of those kids came in. He’s now fully grown, and he bought a tractor.
“It makes you feel so good when you have people who come back for repeat business – in this case, it is a whole different generation that shopped in our store. That feels nice.”
Walk inside the Simmons Drive store and a customer immediately becomes privy to the family-friendly atmosphere that Houma Tractor aims to have within its store.
Chaisson said the store is owned by James and Dale Charpentier.
He said that James works in the store currently, and Dale is retired, but is “an active part of our ownership.”
Several family members also work day-to-day inside the store.
Those who aren’t blood relatives have become adopted family because of their longevity within the business.
“We have a lot of actual family here,” Chaisson said. “And the ones who aren’t family, it’s almost like they’ve sort of become a part of us because they’ve all been with us so long. Most of our workers have been with us for 10 years or more. We have very little turnover. We are certainly lucky, because not many other places can say the same thing. We see these people more than we do our real families.”
Away from the friendly feel, Chaisson said Houma Tractor also succeeds because of the products.
The store offers all of the top of the line John Deere tractors, lawn mowers and utility vehicles.
Houma Tractor also offers Honda Power Equipment, and Woods Agriculture and Turf items.
Chaisson said the store provides service and repair on everything that it sells.
At this time of the year, the general manager said that caveat is one of the store’s biggest sources of business.
“This is the time of the year where people are just starting to get back into their routines with their mowing and everything,” Chaisson said. “So a lot of people are coming in looking to get their mowers and tractors working again.”
Chaisson said the store also caters to people in the commercial business, offering fast service and repair for anyone who needs to get back to work during the summer months.
“Those people can’t afford to be sitting around, because they need their equipment to make a living,” Chaisson said. “So we offer them the ability to let off their stuff with us here and we can have it back for them fixed the next day. If something is really wrong and we need to work on it for a little while to fix it, we also offer them temporary mowers so that they can get back to work.
“Anything to help people out, we have it covered.”
So with the busy summer months coming, Houma Tractor’s general manager said the store is readying itself for the blitz.
The Charpentier family recently purchased the building location next door to the store – a transaction Houma Tractor used to expand its inventory and also its showroom.
They encourage customers to come in and take a look.
But it’s when you come in for a second time that they are fully convinced that they’ve done their jobs right.
“We get a lot of business from word of mouth and people recommending us to other people,” Chaisson said. “We like that people believe we’re doing a good enough job to point their friends and their own family in our direction. We’re happy to take them.
“Once they’re here, we’ll make sure to treat them right.”
(From left) Houma Tractor Parts Manager Robert Charpentier, Controller Nonna Whitney and General Manager Curtis Chaisson smile for a photo inside the store’s location. With more than 25 years at their current location, Houma Tractor takes pride in its service.
