By SUSAN BLOWER
Indiana Correspondent

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Closing in on 65 years, MacAllister Machinery is aggressively growing their family business one customer at a time. It is one of the fastest-growing farm equipment dealers in Indiana.

MacAllister sells and services Caterpillar, AGCO, Claas, MacDon and 50 other manufacturers throughout Indiana. The company is organized into four divisions: ag, construction, rental construction and power systems.

“We are in a strong growth mode. We’ve grown a lot in the last five years. We are always seeking out (new) business with customers,” said Jay Shininger, ag division manager for MacAllister, based in Indianapolis.

In 2005 the company traded in $6.5 million and has doubled three times to reach $55 million in revenue, Shininger said.

The overall weak economy has not stunted MacAllister’s fast pace because the farm sector continues strong. The construction side of the business seems to counter-cycle from the farm sector, Shininger said. When one is strong, the other drops off.

“In the last 50 years, we’ve seen this time and again,” Shininger said.
The construction side has nearly stopped now, but ag sales are still going strong, he said. He also believes success has come from a focus on customer satisfaction.

“We get good quality people and put the right pieces in place. We ask for customers’ business and show them we can help them. Our motto is that customers should make more money by doing business with us,” Shininger said.
Other dealers, like John Deere and CaseIH, have a set customer base and do not have to work as hard to get or keep them, Shininger said.

“We get the argument that (farmers) have to use John Deere because ‘that’s what Dad did.’ Well, you can’t farm the way Dad did. You don’t use the same amount of chemicals. You’re not working the ground like Dad did,” Shininger said.

Far from sitting on their laurels, MacAllister Machinery has a plan in place to double their business yet again in the next five years, Shininger said. That will mean hiring more salesmen, managers and technicians, he said.

MacAllister’s ag division serves seven areas of the state: Fort Wayne, Muncie, Indianapolis, Remington, Lafayette, Terre Haute, and Washington.

More information can be found on the web at MacAllister.com or by phone at 866-862-2228.

The Indiana-Illinois Farm and Outdoor Power Equipment Show is Dec. 14-16 in the West Pavilion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Ind. Parking costs $3 at the fairgrounds, but there is no charge to attend the farm show. Hours for the event are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 14 and Wednesday, Dec. 15, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 16.