This week I went to pick up my round baler at P&K equipment. Most of my life it was Spider Webb John Deere. I can remember Stanley Webb, Ron Cofer and some of the other guys I grew up seeing anytime I stopped in. There’s still some of the old crew there. I went to high school with Billy Terry, he always calls me by name anytime I stop in. He also asks about my kids and how they are doing every time I see him.
Billy Terry has been with John Deere since 2003. He’s been a mechanic, parts guy, and sales. The majority of his career has been in sales. He’s a familiar face anytime someone comes through the door.
Brian Free sits at the other desk in the front of the store. He started in 2004 started as a driver, then a service manager. Brian is sort of a relative of mine. One of his relatives married into the same family my sister married into, so even though we aren’t really related, we have a lot of the same family, if that makes sense.
When I asked Brian how long he’d been at John Deere he started laughing. He said Joe Davidson made the mistake of hiring him. Joe said couldn’t ever fire Brian or everyone would know he’d made a mistake by hiring him. At least that’s been the running joke around the store for twenty years. There is a lot of kidding poked at one another amongst the crew at P&K. As I asked my questions for the story there was plenty of ribbing and jokes. The laughter could be heard from one end of the store to the other.
Billy Terry attended Votech (KTC) automotive starting his junior year in high school. Don Schur from the New Holland tractor dealer in Poteau hired Billy as an intern while he was a junior in high school, even though juniors weren’t supposed to be interns.
Billy emphasized that working at John Deere while his kids were growing up was a good deal for his family. He said the company has always been very family oriented. Billy said he never missed a ball game while his kids were in school.
Billy also credits the automotive program at Kiamichi Technology Center in Poteau for his career success. He said the career tech program opened several doors for him over the last couple of decades.
As I pulled away with my baler several of the guys waved at me. I left with a smile on my face, and that’s worth a lot.
James Lockhart lives near the Kiamichi mountains in southeast Oklahoma. He writes cowboy stories and fools with cows and horses.