Page 157 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

Peterson’s service is far superior to the competition. The other providers don’t even come close.
– Fred Biagi, owner, Biagi Bros. Trucking
Gary Ghilotti bought Peterson’s first International Truck on June 14, 2011, along with a new Cat 336 excavator. (L-R) Dave Angotti/PTI lease & sales manager; Joe Rossi/PTI salesman; John Krummen/PPSI vice president; Gary Ghilotti/owner, Maggiora & Ghilotti; Duane Doyle Sr./Peterson owner/CEO; Jerry Lopus/president, Peterson Tractor, retired; Bob Jung/VP tractor sales, retired; and Nathan Ehni/tractor salesman, Peterson
up through June 2011 when we finally opened. Even in his last breaths.” Eric Martin passed away on November 26, 2011, at the age of fifty. Peterson Trucks Inc. is his legacy.
PTI SELLS ITS FIRST INTERNATIONAL TRUCK (2011)
Four days after its launch, PTI sold its first Inter- national truck to long-time earthmoving customer Gary Ghilotti of Maggiora & Ghilotti. Ghilotti’s loyalty to the International brand goes back years. “My first pickup truck out of high school was an International. I’ve been buying International trucks for a long time. They’re known for being on the road, not in the shop.” Maggiora & Ghilotti has also been a Peterson earthmoving customer since 1964, with roots going back to the Ghilotti Bros. fame of his grandfather and uncles.
“Gary wanted to be the first to buy one of our new trucks,” says Krummen, who had dealt with
Ghilotti for years on the earthmoving side. “More importantly, he wanted to buy a truck from us. If Peterson was selling trucks, then that’s where Gary was going to buy his trucks.” He also bought the first Cat 336 excavator in Peterson territory and only the second off the assembly line. The histor- ic double sale highlights the cross-over nature of Peterson’s business divisions. “Chances are, if you own a tractor, you have a truck,” says Krummen. “Every one of our earthmoving customers has the potential to be a truck customer. And, with the relationships we’ve built through the years, we’re hoping it’s only a matter of time before we earn their trust in the truck market as well.” That’s ex- actly what Caterpillar was banking on when they
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