West Side Tractor Sales, headquartered in Lisle, Illinois, has been named the 2021 Equipment World Big Iron Dealer of the Year. 

“The fact that West Side was nominated by a customer is no surprise when you examine their absolute commitment to customer service,” says Jordanne Waldschmidt, Equipment World chief editor. “Our editorial team was impressed with how West Side’s family leadership  stays ahead of changing customer needs and yet remains focused on developing deep relationships.”

Established in 1962 by Rich and Mary Benck, West Side now serves as the John Deere dealer in more than 80 counties with 11 locations in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. Six second- and third-generation owners – all deeply ingrained in the company’s day-to-day operations – now carry on the legacy: children Steve, Diane and Tom Benck and grandchildren Brian Benck, Jen Snow and Lauren Coffaro. 

Equipment World will profile West Side in a coming article, detailing how its customer service focus has translated into its new headquarters and shop design, how it has developed technology solutions and positioned itself against supply chain disruptions.

Now in its fourth year, the Big Iron Dealer of the Year award recognizes dealers for excellence in meeting customer needs, employing technology and addressing parts and service requirements. 

West Side is one of four dealers named finalists in the 2021 Big Iron Dealer of the Year Award. The following three finalists will also be featured in profiles throughout the coming weeks:

In 1926, 4Rivers Equipment began as Romer Mercantile, a small John Deere agriculture equipment dealer in Holly, Colorado. Through partnership and acquisition, the company has expanded to 18 locations covering Colorado, Texas, New Mexico and Wyoming. The company, still owned by the Romer family, now features agriculture and construction locations and has more than 400 employees. Key brands include John Deere, Wirtgen and Topcon. 

Founded in 1983 with 28 employees, RECO Equipment now covers Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida. Brands include Bobcat (including Bobcat of Pittsburgh), Allied, Hyundai, Hitachi Loaders America, LBX Excavators, LaBounty, Liebherr and Terex. The company now has more than 200 employees. The company is owned by partners Paul DiTullio, president, and Josh Gasber, vice president.

Butler Machinery started in 1955 when founder Francis J. Butler, a contractor, was selected to be a Caterpillar dealer. The company has since expanded to 18 locations across North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska with 850 associates. Twylah (Butler) Blotsky serves as the company’s president, the second person from the third generation of the Butler family to lead the company.

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Duane Smith

www.cityheartsaberdeen.com

The world’s quickest, fastest and most powerful factory production truck has gotten even more interesting.

Mopar transformed the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX into the Ram 1500 TRX RexRunner which carries a truckload of Mopar accessories and custom parts, elevating this apex predator to even greater levels of high-speed capability and durability.

Powered by the supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V8 engine, rated at an eye-popping 702 horsepower and 650 lb.-ft. torque, the TRX RexRunner concept rides on 37-inch Goodyear tires mounted to custom-designed 18-by-9-inch Black Rhino Chamber wheels for a race-inspired appearance at all four corners.

Debuting at SEMA, the TRX RexRunner concept wears Ash Gray paint and several Mopar Blue accents, including a center stripe that extends over the hood and roof, TRX bedside graphics, Ram grille and dual tow hooks up front. A RamBar accessory bar features a pair of concept 14-inch TYRI rectangular LED lights, generating 4,300 lumens of exceptionally bright light. Just below the RamBar, a fully integrated, bed-mounted spare-tire carrier from Mopar keeps a 37-inch spare tire/wheel at the ready.

RamA Mopar bed extender flips inward for more secure transportation of tools and equipment. For bed protection, the TRX RexRunner concept features a black, Mopar spray-in textured bedliner.  Custom metal skid plates feature laser-etched Mopar lettering and protect the front and rear underside areas of the truck. Use of the front skid plate helps to increase the approach angle by 2.3 degrees up to 32.5 degrees.

Mopar rock rails also help protect the side sills from any damage, while a custom, black, flip-top, fuel-filler door adds to the rugged exterior. Just below the rear bumper, look for a pair of 5-inch black Mopar exhaust tips. A Mopar bed step features an articulating arm that lowers for easy access to the truck bed and, with a slight push, retracts to a stored, out-of-the way position.

The race-inspired interior of the TRX RexRunner concept draws on a combination of features from production versions of the Ram 1500 TRX and the workhorse Ram 1500 Tradesman.  From the award-winning TRX production model are the center stack, instrument cluster, flat-bottom steering wheel with paddle shifters, center-console-mounted floor shifter and aggressive bolster sport seats.

In addition, Mopar stainless-steel pedal covers feature black rubber pads, providing additional traction to the accelerator and brake pedals. Additionally, molded one-piece door panels and a vinyl floor from the Tradesman model allows for quick and easy cleaning. 

Ram

Ram

Ram

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Duane Smith

www.cityheartsaberdeen.com

For being the fourth-largest city in the country, when it comes to construction, Houston, Texas, often operates like a small town. Everybody knows everybody, and that suits Alicia Jimerson just fine.

Growing up the daughter of a well-known and respected Houston contractor, Jimerson had no intention of going into construction. But as fate would have it, she started helping out in the office of her dad’s company, and after she graduated from college, she decided to try her hand at the business.

Rather than run her dad’s company, Jimerson hung out her own shingle in 1989 to take advantage of minority-owned business provisions. Soon after, she hired two skilled veterans, Tony Bonner as general superintendent and Tom Nugent as project manager. Today, she has 45 employees, runs a $7 million to $10 million business in Stafford, Texas, and is one of Equipment World’s 2021 Contractor of the Year finalists.

But her first venture into the world of bid letting didn’t go exactly as she had hoped. At a meeting with Houston’s biggest general contractor, “I got my ass chewed out,” she says. “He told me my numbers were good, but next time I came in with a bid, I had better bring some men with me, that if I didn’t, somebody was going to take advantage of me on pricing.”

Jimerson didn’t win the bid that day, but undeterred, she kept her head down and worked hard. “It was difficult to get doors to open up. And I don’t think I could have done it without the support of Tom and Tony,” she says.

ssociations are gold

From the start, Jimerson knew something many contractors learn the hard way, if at all. She understood the key to getting business as a small start-up was to build relationships, to meet your peers, shake a lot of hands and pass out business cards.

Thirty years ago, Houston construction may have been a club of good ol’ boys, but that world was changing, due in no small part to the persistence of women like Jimerson. She joined the Houston Contractors Association and was elected to the board in 2008, then chosen as president in 2011. She was also a founding member of the Houston Women Contractors Association.

Just as the relationships developed in construction associations have been important to the success of Jimerson Underground, so has Houston’s Livestock Show and Rodeo. With more than 100 committees and 37,000 volunteers, it is the largest livestock and rodeo show in the world. It unites everyone from the city’s billionaire oil barons to multinational corporations, civic groups and local businesspeople in a common purpose – generating more than $500 million in scholarships for young people since 1932.

Jimerson joined one of the committees in 1989 and has steadily worked her way up to vice president. “You would be surprised at how many contractors are involved in the rodeo,” she says. 

Smooth operations

To keep up with the demand for its services, Jimerson hired Dennis Wolford in 2006 to add some bandwidth on the management side. He’s now the vice president and keeps all the different departments working together smoothly.

In addition to maintaining relationships outside the company, Jimerson Underground has done well by keeping its relationships with its employees strong. “Nurturing the relationships you have with the people who work for you is important,” Wolford says. “It’s not a one-way street. They work for us, but we work for them as well. The people who have been here 20 and 30 years know that.”

David Medrano, project manager, (left) and Dennis Wolford look over estimates.Equipment World“Your employees are not just employees, they’re family,” says Jimerson. “Yes, you’re here to make money, but you’re also here to make sure their families are taken care of. That’s what families do, and the long-term employees know this is home.”

That focus on relationships and the skill and knowledge of 30-year veterans like Nugent and Bonner have impressed Nelson Blackwell of Vaughn Construction, an earthmoving general contractor that does business with Jimerson Underground. “They’re dependable,” says Blackwell. “They’re going to be there for you year-in and year-out. To them, it’s more than just the price on the bid. They’re the people you want on your team.”

Belt-tightening

The recession of 2008-2011 was a stark reminder of just how important this philosophy was to the company. Employees went without bonuses, and executives went without pay for a period, but the company got through it without resorting to layoffs.

One thing it did change during the recession was its philosophy about equipment management. Before the recession the company would run equipment “until the paint fell off,” says Jimerson. But the slowdown in work and the lack of cash flow made it essential to sell most of the assets that weren’t vital to the work at hand. Today, equipment acquisition and disposal decisions are much more strategic, says Wolford.

Jimerson Underground has also been rigorous about sticking to what it does best. On occasion it’ll do a bit of site work for a friend or longtime customer, but the core business is underground utilities – basic water and sewer installations.

“Our guys know water and sewer,” says Wolford. “From the office to the estimator to the permits to the field, everybody knows exactly what to do.”

Proof that this philosophy works comes from customer Falin Ishee at Turner Construction. “From the start it has been a positive impression,” Ishee says. “They are great to work with, from the office staff to the field. Utilities are always a pain to deal with, but they make it easy. They are one of the contractors who stand out.”

Tony Bonner, general superintendent, (left) was the company’s first employee. Dennis Wolford, vice president, (right) joined in 2006 to help it grow.Equipment World

Volunteer to win

Having broken through the glass ceiling in one of the most male-dominated businesses in the country, Jimerson’s advice to those who want to succeed is essentially the same for men or women – build relationships.

It is essential to not just join your local construction and civic organizations, but to volunteer and get on committees in those organizations, Jimerson says.

“That’s how you meet suppliers and other contractors that you may work for someday,” she says. “Even if it’s just a 5-second introduction and handshake, they will at least know who you are. Once you get involved, you’re going to get out of it what you put into it.”

Duane Smith

www.cityheartsaberdeen.com

Western Star’s overhaul of its vocational line continues with the debut of the all-new 47X. 

With a standard 111.6-inch bumper-to-back-of cab (BBC), the 47X will usher out the Western Star 4700, and will do so by adding significant flexibility. The 4700 is exclusively available in 110-inch BBC, but for the 47X, an optional 110.8-inch BBC will also be made available for fleets that need to meet federal or local bridge laws, such as mixers or dumps.

Daimler Trucks North America Vice President of Vocational Market Development Sam Parlier called the new model a “construction powerhouse,” noting that with its shorter hood and up to 50-degree wheel cut, the 47X optimizes maneuverability for work on jobsites and congested urban environments.

The 47X is the younger, smaller and lighter sibling in Western Star’s X-Series and joins the 49X as the third and fourth trucks in the lineup (both models are available with set-forward and set-back front axles). The X-Series is Western Star’s new-generation lineup – a product suite born following a seven-year development cycle alongside customers, and the 47X was developed in unison with the 49X, which debuted about a year ago. 

Approximately 200 pounds lighter than the 49X in like-for-like spec and 10 inches shorter, the 47X is suited for weight-sensitive applications like mixers and bulk haul.

Light-weighting was a focus of the 47X engineering team. Parlier said the group “built a truck from the ground up, and they weighed every single part to determine where we were putting hidden weight.”

All X-Series trucks have a tougher but lighter single-channel frame rail option versus legacy products. The platform offers frame rails with best-in-class RBM (resisting bending moment) of up to 3.8 million inch-pounds, which increases lifecycle and offers greater payload. A new 9.5-millimeter single-channel rail option is available and features comparable strength as today’s 11-millimeter rail. Standard high-strength aluminum forward, rear and end-of-frame crossmembers further reduce mass, as does a new two-battery option.

Lighter, larger cab

The X-Series steel-reinforced aluminum cab further reduces mass by up to 8% while offering 13% more room than competitive models. An optional two-person bench seat is available, and a new space-optimized, in-cab battery box adds legroom. Feedback from early adopters of the 49X drove engineers to develop the new battery box seat, which will become the new standard across the X-Series line next year and add up to 3 inches of legroom. 

An optional roof-mounted condenser offers maximum airflow through the radiator for stationary applications like construction and mining while keeping operators comfortable.

All X-Series models come standard with a wrap-around dash that provides easy access to the driver command center and B-panel. On the B-panel, a flex panel can be prepped for a tablet or configured for an additional 12 switches or 10 gauges. The truck’s interior also includes premium appointments like metal accents, and all-metal exterior brightwork is distinctive as well as durable.

The 47X’s unique hood provides a forward visibility of 24.8 feet – an 11-inch improvement over the 49X – while its composite construction and ISO Tech suspension system resists bending and cracking by absorbing and dissipating vibrations from road inputs.

The 47X is the younger, smaller and lighter sibling in Western Star’s X-Series, and joins the 49X as the third and fourth trucks in the lineup.Western Star

Power hungry

The 47X comes standard with Detroit’s DD13 Gen 5 engine, which features higher compression ratios and a new swirl piston design to improve combustion and efficiency, matched to an Allison transmission. ThermoCoasting in the DD13 Gen 5 prevents aftertreatment cool-down during a driving regen to keep the system at its optimum temperature and reduce the need for parked regens.

Cummins L9 and X12 engines are available for weight-sensitive applications.

Optional front-engine power take-off (FEPTO) is offered on all three engine options.

Rectangular fuel tanks and a raised aftertreatment-system mounting are offered with Cummins engines for better clearance for belly plows.

The 47X is also offered with the all-new DT12-V transmission, which is built on DT12 and has more than 35 million miles of vocational-specific testing. The DT12 includes three work-ready mode applications: Rock-free mode, Off-road mode, and Paver mode for the challenges of specific vocational applications. Users also have the choice of Eaton Fuller or Eaton UltraShift transmissions. 

Any 47X equipped with the DD13 Gen 5 gets the Detroit Assurance suite of active safety systems standard, bringing active safety solutions to the vocational segment. The product suite includes active brake assist, side guard assist and adaptive cruise control.

Ease of upfit

A Flex Panel located in the dash B-panel of the 47X gives TEMs the ability to mount body controllers, freeing up the space between the seats that’s almost always been used for this function.Western StarWestern Star partnered with truck equipment manufacturers (TEMs) to ensure the X-Series facilitates easy upfits.

The 47X’s mid-chassis packaging has a number of clear back-of-cab configurations while unobstructed frame rails provide more efficient body integration. The QuickFit Interface System offers ready access to electrical architecture and was designed for quick TEM interface, programming and access to power. The CHEC Tool from DTNA enables TEMs and dealers to view and modify electrical configurations, giving them the power to customize inputs and outputs and change parameters within minutes.

A Flex Panel located in the dash B-panel of the truck gives TEMs the ability to mount body controllers, freeing up the space between the seats that’s almost always been used for this function. Parlier said safety was the primary driver of this change, noting that it’s easier to look up at the dash than it is to search for body controls in the floor. 

The Flex Panel can also accommodate additional gauges, switches or a RAM Mount prep.

The all-new 47X is available for order now, and delivery to customers begins in early 2022. Even though the industry is facing a generational shortage in parts that has hindered truck production for much of this year, Parlier said, component commonalities between the 47X and 49X help with parts procurement.

Duane Smith

www.cityheartsaberdeen.com