Page 260 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

We thought Halton took good care of us but
it’s nothing compared to Peterson. It’s a whole step up. There’s a real partnership between us.
– Kerry Kuenzi, co-owner & president, K & E Excavating
“When it works, it’s great. But the technology sup- port sucks.”
With that, Duane Sr. and Goggin knew they’d just been handed a golden opportunity. Six months earlier, Peterson had acquired the Trimble fran- chise—Spectra 3D—from the Larsson family, now branded as SITECH. Duane Sr. picked up the phone and called the general manager, Johan Larsson. He was their ace in the hole. The next day Larsson called Kerry to discuss the problem. They had it resolved in a matter of minutes. “I remem- ber thinking, Wow, these guys are serious,” says Ker- ry. “Once he started in, the machine control just took off. And from that point, it started paying off. Before that, it was a pain in the neck.”
Since then, the SITECH team has played a sig- nificant role in supporting K & E’s GPS technol- ogy. “SITECH has been a huge benefit to us. We thought Halton took good care of us, but honestly, it’s nothing compared to Peterson,” says Kerry. “It’s a whole step up. We’re extremely happy with them taking over. There’s a real partnership between us and Peterson.”
Today, the heavy equipment industry is living the future with machine control technology and smart tractors. It’s becoming increasingly clear: if you don’t have it, you’re going to be left in the dust sooner than later. Early adopters like K & E are reaping the benefits of smarter practices, tighter bids, larger profits, and more work, for being on
Top left, clockwise: Kerry Kuenzi/K & E president; K & E equipment on the job at PDX; SITECH service truck out on a repair job
258 | PETERSON: 85 YEARS AND GOING STRONG