In just five short years since they made the decision to purchase the machinery business located at the front of one of their farm fields, Greg and Steve Boyd have worked to revive what was destined to become just another statistic related to the economic down turn. Applying the same mentality they carried in establishing a successful farming operation and trucking company, the Boyds focused on listening to their customers, surrounding themselves with driven people to represent their brand and ultimately packed the shelves of their facility with inventory to allow the sales staff to do their job. Boyd and Sons Machinery began to gain momentum in the industry and became known as a go to supplier of parts for those in need of components to complete their undercarriage, truck and field service, and equipment sales.
“It was our goal to provide the foundation the company needed in order to reach the potential it presented. The partners we have aligned ourselves with supply the best parts in the industry and thus we are able to sell a product to our customers that we believe in, while applying the highest attention to customer service,” said President Greg Boyd.
In the years since they joined the business, there have been many additions to Boyd and Sons Machinery in the form of more staffing, a renovation to the headquarters in Washington, Ind., an increase in the field service trucks in the fleet, as well as an Indianapolis, Ind.-based location. The company’s goal in having more people and space to carry products is to increase the opportunity for a customer to order the parts they desire to complete their project and have them quickly from the inventory.
The additional staffing enhanced the already vast knowledge the employees at Boyd and Sons Machinery possessed. With hundreds of years’ experience now working with the customer base, general manager Kevin Stephens was able to execute even more of his vision in the business growing outwardly to increase its footprint beyond the state of Indiana and its surrounding communities. The company invested in marketing to reach potential end users that might be looking to find a better deal on a higher quality product.
“Our additional staffing allowed for our salesman to broaden the territories they covered, while working to execute our sales platform. Having a stationary location in Indianapolis with a staff devoted solely to covering the territory gave us increased visibility in a large metropolitan area but also allowed us to have a second hub for shipping to our customers,” said Stephens.
With the increased demand on its business, Boyd and Sons Machinery further worked to find a means of differentiating itself from competitors in the industry. The goal was to develop and build a dealer network that would team up to sell products in cooperation with the employees at Boyd and Sons. In order to fully execute the vision, Stephens’s staff scoured globally for new vendors for parts and components of steel undercarriage. Finding the best potential partners was paramount for the executives as they knew durability and bottom line price were two keys to making the sale and that those keys would further inspire outside commitment. A comprehensive Web site was constructed and dealers from around the Midwest began to join the network to take full advantage of the utility that Boyd and Sons had created.
Continuing with the same philosophy of listening to the demand for a high quality, economically friendly rubber track, sales staff within the company set off to find a means at which they could bring a more viable solution to the industry that they could put their name behind and stand for. The final outcome was for the company to private-label its own track with the intent of exceeding its customers’ expectations while saving them as much money as possible.
In developing its own track, Boyd and Sons Machinery had a chance to begin an all-new marketing campaign to promote this private label. To do that, it wanted to find a charitable partner that would be a benefactor of the brand. After hours of research, the Independence Fund stood above all others. The organization, which inspired the name of Warrior Tracks, is a Florida-based non-profit organization made up of an entirely volunteer staff and board of directors comprised of combat veterans. The Independence Fund invests 99 percent of every dollar received directly in the veterans, which leaves 1 percent or less toward administrative costs. To learn more about the Independence Fund, visit www.independencefund.org.
In September, staff members of Boyd and Sons Machinery were invited as VIP’s to the annual Independence Fund event, the Lieutenant Dan Weekend. The event is held to bring veterans together in a means of fellowship and further growth. As part of the weekend, Boyd and Sons Machinery presented the first donation from the proceeds of tracks sold since the launch of the brand.
“What an amazing experience it was to be there with our veterans and truly experience the weekend. The representatives from the Independence Fund should be beyond pleased with their execution,” said Stephens.
The weekend was highlighted by a concert from Lieutenant Dan himself — Gary Sinise — and his Lieutenant Dan Band.
Looking forward, Boyd and Sons Machinery is excited for the coming years might bring, as it works to establish a dealer network and grow the Warrior Track brand. In addition to its vision for growth with the rubber track line, Boyd and Sons aspires to maintain the forward momentum it carries with exceeding its customers’ needs for the undercarriage business.
Today's top stories
