Page 46 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

“We’re a big company now but our goal is to al- ways feel like a small family company.That’s where our roots are,” explains Duane Doyle Jr., who be- came president of Peterson’s Earthmoving Di- vision in February 2020. “But you can’t be small anymore and survive. To be successful, you have to work really hard to feel small and make sure that people feel like they’re part of a team. You have to bring it back to how each person in the compa- ny helps accomplish the big goal—whatever that is. Peterson is about a lot more than just selling tractors, but that’s how many people view us. The guy in IT (Information Technology), for example, might not see that what he does is crucial. But if a technician’s computer doesn’t work, then he can’t fix that tractor. So the IT guy’s part in making sure that the customer’s tractor gets fixed is fixing the technician’s computer so that he can repair the tractor, which makes the customer happy.” And so it goes across the company, from parts to account- ing to training to sales. It’s the classic ankle-bone- connected-to-the-shin-bone continuum. In short, everyone’s job is important.
IT AND TECHNICIANS TEAM UP
One of the goals of Peterson’s new strategy is to break down silos within the company and build an atmosphere of teamwork and trust. Peterson’s Information Technology group has taken that to heart. “When I first came on board, there were a lot of silos,” recalls Bill Nicholson, who hired on in 2006. “IT was one group that kind of did their own thing; it wasn’t coordinated with what the other groups were doing. When I became the IT director, I started looking at the issue of trust. The service techs didn’t trust us to provide them with what they thought they needed. And we didn’t trust them to tell us what they needed. There was a definite gap there. So I started asking the techs how we could better help them do their job. And when they identified their need, I didn’t wait to get it resolved. I took care of it right away. We started developing relationships. To this day, those tech-
nicians still come to see me, both on the Tractor and Power side.” Nicholson’s efforts touched off a grassroots awareness among the San Leandro technicians. When one of them got a frustrating computer issue resolved, they would pass the word along. And from there it started to grow.
Peterson’s IT crew began to change too. “I empow- ered my team to make decisions to facilitate what needed to get done. And to make that a part of our culture, which is a culture of service,” explains Nicholson. “Now when they’re out in the field and a technician needs a new computer, they don’t have to come back here and ask permission. We just do it and ask for permission later. Because the cost of a single computer isn’t the issue. It’s about efficien- cy and what’s going to help us make money in the long run. It’s about what’s good for our customers and the company as a whole.”
The first technician Nicholson approached was Ashley Harden, back then a ten-year tractor field tech out of San Leandro. “Sometimes the IT De-
Bill Nicholson/VP of Information Technology
44 | PETERSON: 85 YEARS AND GOING STRONG