PETERSON GREATS

Holm's Historic Scraper Sales

Bob Holm (C) poses with Jerry Lopus (L: Peterson Tractor/Pres)

and Duane Doyle, Peterson/Owner (R)

In April 1998, DeSilva-Gates purchased eight new 657 scrapers – an historic event for everyone involved. According to Ernie Fierro, VP of Product Support at the time, “It’s the largest scraper fleet sold from Peterson since the Warm Springs Dam project in the late 70s.” And from DeSilva’s vantage point, it was the single largest fleet purchase of new machines for them – ever.

According to Bob Holm, legendary Peterson salesman (retired 02/08), DeSilva had been renting scrapers from a Southern California outfit for several years because they were available and cheap. Back in the mid-90s, Southern California’s construction market had dried up so the machines were available. But when construction finally revived in the south, availability of their rental machines evaporated so DeSilva had to buy their own. Thus, the 8 new 657 scrapers.

Fast-forward six years to 2004 and an even bigger scraper sale by Holm that locked up Caterpillar’s scraper factory production for 6 months. This time, DeSilva bought twenty-four 657E scrapers and Independent Construction bought 4. As Bob Holm puts it: “In one afternoon, we got orders from two contractors for 28 scrapers. Before that, I’d sold a total of 8 scrapers in my entire career.” Besides Holm’s awesome salesmanship, it took the foresight, nerve and gut-instinct of Peterson Tractor President, Jerry Lopus, to order that many machines on a say-so instead of a signed order. But he was right. The machines were sold the minute they arrived and helped fuel the housing construction boom that held strong until late 2005.

RELATED STORIES:

Largest Scraper Sale in Peterson History - 2004