Page 465 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong
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 Celebrating at Trader Vic’s (L-R) Duane Jr., Bill Doyle, Ed Rapp and Duane Sr. around 2003
As young teenagers, there was friendly ribbing, but both have grown into their respective roles accord- ing to their strengths. “Duane used to bug Erin about being his ‘numbers girl’, which didn’t go over too well,” recalls their aunt, Eileen Grafton. “We all knew that if Erin wanted to be the head, she could handle it. That’s just Erin. She can do any- thing she sets her mind to.”
And that’s where the weight of the legacy kicks in. As Peterson’s incoming fourth generation, they each recognize that this is way bigger than any one person. “We both respect this too much to squab- ble over it or go at each other,” says Erin. “We both want to be really good at what we do, but not at the other person’s expense. These businesses are way more complex than they were 20 years ago. Dealers are getting to be mega dealers. It’s just too compli- cated for one person anymore. The climate is super legalistic with all the regulations. Everything has to be air-tight, otherwise you’re not going to make it. And to think that one person can handle these billion-dollar businesses, to me, is just silly.”
THE CULTURE OF CONTINUITY
One of the best tools they have to ensure the con- tinuity of Peterson’s legacy is Brand Ambassador. Erin and Duane Jr. have been all-in since the be- ginning. “Brand Ambassador is embedding the
culture that came from Howard (first gen) and Bill (second gen) in a way that ensures the company will move through the generations to come,” says Rapp. “The fact that Erin and Duane Jr. teach it not only ensures that the culture will pass onto the next generation of leadership but it’s also reinforc- ing it in them every day.”
Brand Ambassador also gives Peterson a subtle edge in the work force. “We can’t compete with the big high-tech companies in our territory,” says Erin when it comes to signing bonuses, free lunches, sporting events, and other perks. “We give our employees something else they can’t get there. We give them a family environment. And Brand Ambassador is the starting point for that.” As the company continues to grow, transmitting the Pe- terson culture to new employees is vital. “It’s one thing if you’ve grown up here,” says Duane Jr. “You get it through osmosis. But when we started dou- bling the size of the company by acquiring new businesses, we needed to accelerate that learning curve.That’s why teaching our core values through Brand Ambassador is so important. It gets every- one on the same page.”
Today, Peterson has grown into one of Caterpil- lar’s largest US dealerships, with revenues in excess of $1 billion in 2019. It has more than tripled in size since Duane Sr. took over in 1995—not only in territory, but in the number of employees and sales volume. “Excellence is my favorite core val- ue right now,” says Duane Jr. “We’ve gotten to be a really big company. We are trying to digest all these new businesses and employees and make the entire company excellent across the board. But it’s not just about being big. We want to be the best, not just the biggest. And Excellence is the best way to ensure that Peterson will live on to the fifth gen- eration. At some point, there won’t be any more Cat dealers to acquire so it’s really about health and building up equity. We want to provide a great environment for our people and be as good as we can possibly be.”
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