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At 7:30 a.m., Houma Tractor and Equipment general manager Curtis Chaisson and his crew are getting ready for the day. Two model 5045 utility tractors with front-end loaders are strategically displayed on a tree-lined lawn between Simmons Drive and Tunnel Boulevard. Maintenance personnel organize the shop to provide oil changes, equipment checks and repairs for existing customers. Receiving crews unload and place inventory in storage slots for new and returning buyers, and sales people prepare to move product as soon as the door is unlocked at 8 a.m.
It was 175 years ago that blacksmith and inventor John Deere pounded out an idea that took shape as the first steel plow. The product changed agriculture forever and opened the door of opportunity for a business that would eventually become the most recognized name in lawn, farm and heavy-duty tractors and utility vehicles in the world.
Only 25 years ago, Dale Charpentier recognized his opportunity to became a franchise owner. He opened Houma Tractor and Equipment under the familiar green banner with a deer silhouette on yellow and it grew to be the largest full-service John Deere dealership in the Tri-parish region.
“John Deere has been our flagship, but we are also going to add Honda [products] this year,” manager Chiasson said of an expansion plan.
Operating a tractor and implement store is similar to an auto dealership. It has a showroom, parts department and even financing. Houma Tractor and Equipment handles a line ranging from the smallest lawn equipment, to recreation and work site vehicles.
American-made John Deere products are available in 160 countries with all the riding lawn equipment manufactured in North Carolina and Wisconsin, while components are made around the globe.
Houma Tractor and Equipment has established a growing loyalty, which has more than doubled six times during the past quarter century. “Our customer base is at 10,000 and about 75 percent residential,“ Chaisson said. “The other 25 percent is a share between commercial and businesses like shipyards.”
Most of the tractor dealership’s business has been built by referral, according to the general manager.
Chaisson noted that longevity among customers and employees is an indicator of a sound operation. More than 50 percent of Houma Tractor’s 13 employees have worked at this location more than 15 years. “We’ve got a really good employee base,” he said. “They are educated and trained. We actually have training through John Deere University. We have classes online, hands-on schools and sales classes. There is ongoing training in sales, marketing and service.”
Daily activity at Houma Tractor and Equipment is never routine, with special requests being a common practice. “That’s the great thing about being in south Louisiana. We will customize stuff a lot of times. We just try to find out what it is they are looking for and make it happen.”
An example of bayou ingenuity is seen when customers want sprayers mounted to the back of tractors. Many also request the mounting of a ball hitch so they can move their boats. “We will actually weld to the unit a sprayer or another product,” Chaisson said. “We will adapt it to their application needs.”
This time of year, Houma Tractor and Equipment is involved with putting out corporate quotes on tractor and equipment packages. Tractors are sold like drills – you get the basic product, but parts, like bits, are sold separately. So, attachments from tillers to trailers are added to available inventory.
Like many businesses, Houma Tractor and Equipment felt the impact of a national recession that began in 2008 and drought through 2011. Accessories filled the gap left by a decline in big-ticket sales.
The business peaked in sales during 2007, saw a slow drop then followed with a 12 percent increase. “We are diversified enough that we have been able to sustain being in the black,” Chaisson said.
John Deere dealers admit they sell a premium product that is a necessity in south Louisiana, where the average customer owns five pieces of equipment and wants that equipment to last. A maintained tractor has a life of 35 years.
“There are other stores in town that offer some of what we do,” Chaisson said, “but people come here and get everything they need. There is not a whole lot we cannot help with when it comes to caring for property.”
Maintaining successful diversity and being different in a positive way requires doing the right things on a regular basis. So, at 5 p.m. all the tractors are put away, tools are stored, inventory secured and receipts counted at Houma Tractor and Equipment. Tomorrow is another day.
Houma Tractor and Equipment general manager Curtis Chaisson attributes the success of his business to a solid customer base and longevity of employees dedicated to offering quality products and services.
