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Mar. 10, 2010
By Chris Umscheid
NORTH LIBERTY LEADER
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City Tractor is located at 645 Penn Ct. in North Liberty, just off I-380. The doors opened for business Feb. 3.
(Chris Umscheid) |
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NORTH LIBERTY - Despite several inches of snow still sitting on the ground, a lot on Penn Ct., near I-380, has gone green. John Deere green, that is.
After seven years in Coralville, City Tractor Company has moved into a brand new, state-of-the-art dealership in North Liberty.
It was a move born of necessity.
"They (General Growth) were very good people to work with," owner/manager John Conrads said of his landlord in Coralville. "For seven years, they gave us the visibility we needed"
However, City Tractor Co. needed other things as well, things which just weren't possible at that location.
"We needed extra storage (for parts and equipment), we needed parking for trucks with trailers, and we didn't have a warehouse," Conrads explained. Being land-locked in the Coralville location, Conrads and his partners Phil, Warren, and Myron Ropp, acquired a 2-1/2 acre parcel of land on Penn Ct.
"Moving to North Liberty was the next logical step," he said, explaining that the site is centrally located between Solon, Amana, Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. Ground was broken in August, 2009, and Conrads and crew moved into the facility six months later. City Tractor closed its Coralville doors on Feb. 2 and opened for business in North Liberty on Feb. 3. City Tractor remained open for business even while moving thousands of parts and other inventory items.
City Tractor Co. is primarily a John Deere dealer specializing in residential and commercial equipment such as lawnmowers, lawn tractors, and utility tractors. The dealership has earned Gold Star certification from John Deere in recognition of "all things to make a complete dealership," Conrads said, which includes such things as the training of the service department, the number of parts on hand, and the dealership's service to customers. The Gold Star certification is the highest level of recognition offered by Deere to its dealers.
In addition to Deere products, City Tractor is an authorized dealer for Stihl, Honda, Gravely, Mantis tillers, Bluebird landscape equipment, Billy Goat vacuums and blowers, Earthway spreaders, Newton battery-powered lawn mowers, and Ariens lawn mowers and blowers.
City Tractor also has a full line of supplies and accessories, as well as John Deere toys and collectibles.
The parts department, which was designed for ease and efficiency, boasts an inventory of 15,000 parts in a space double the size of the original location. Conrads described the shop as "leading-edge," as highly trained professionals service and repair the equipment. Hydraulic hose fabrication and repair are available, while you wait. In addition, a mobile service van is also available for making repairs at the customer's location.
On the sales floor, customers benefit from the Quick Quote pricing system.
"It saves customers' time by providing easy-to-scan pricing of various machine configurations," Conrads explained. "Quick Quotes allow a customer to zero-in on a desired product, or a desired price range. We can normally price a complicated tractor package in the time it takes to open a flip chart"
Targeting a customer's need is key to City Tractor Co.'s operation.
"It's easy to sell a piece of equipment," Conrads said. "but it's more work to sell the right piece of equipment"
For customers, the buying process boils down to what Conrads calls a good, clean deal, a transaction done correctly from start to finish. He explained eight specific steps, from greeting the customer and determining their needs, to correct set-up and timely delivery of the machine to service after the sale.
"We enjoy the business, we've been in it for many years," Conrads said. "We have a good staff, we've got professionals in all areas and the customers will be able to recognize that"
City Tractor Co. is located at 645 Penn Ct., just off of Exit 4 of I-380.
Hours: Monday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Conrads added during the busy season of April, May, and June, they will be open until 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
Telephone (319) 665-6500 for more information, or visit www.citytractor.com.
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