Page 208 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

Top left, clockwise: Peterson’s Hayward store on Watkins Street from 1937-41; Asparagus chopper for working in Stockton Delta area in the 1950s; Brentwood branch from 1936-late 1950s
Then John Deere started building
construction equipment, which
put Cat dealers in a bind. In 1957,
Caterpillar made it simple with
a mandated choice—us or them.
Like most dealers, Peterson chose
Cat, which shrank its ag product
offerings even as they contin-
ued to provide Caterpillar Ag solutions. In 1982, an ag revival hit Peterson with the acquisition of Zumwalt—the Caterpillar Ag dealer for Glenn and Colusa counties.1 Peterson built a brand-new store in Willows to serve the local farm commu- nity. It offered traditional Cat ag equipment, the Steiger line of giant articulated 4WD tractors, and other allied farm implements. In 1987, Caterpillar reaffirmed its commitment to the ag market with the introduction of the Challenger tillage tractors. And ten years later, it further strengthened its po- sition in a joint venture with Claas—a German manufacturer of combine harvesters. The move sent a clear message to California farmers: “We’re here for you.”
When Cat sold the Challenger line to AGCO in 2002, Peterson signed on as an AGCO dealer, con- tinuing to offer Challengers along with a growing range of ag products. However, when Caterpillar sold the Challenger line to AGCO, they also sold their shares of the Claas combine back to Claas, signaling another message: Cat was getting out. When Peterson couldn’t sell a single Claas com- bine after a year of concerted effort, the line was handed over to Holt-Cat in the heart of the Sac- ramento Valley—California’s breadbasket.
OREGON’S AG MARKET
Oregon has its own story to tell. In 2003, Ran- dy Grimes came on board to kick-start Peterson’s ag presence in Oregon. By the time he became
1 Zumwalt’s territory was split between Peterson (Glenn County) and Tenco (Colusa County) in 1982.
206 | PETERSON: 85 YEARS AND GOING STRONG