Page 53 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

We enjoy what we do
it was sad to see the project end because it was so much fun. One incident that stands out for me was getting the second Challenger—Northwind—ready for the Salem Ag show in 2014. Five of us—Mike Stubb, Bill Roberson, John Hainley, Taylor Koch, and myself—were at the shop until 2:00 a.m. the night before, trying to get it ready for the show. It was super intense, but we absolutely loved it. We had the music blasting, and everybody was focused on finishing their particular part of the build. We were like bees swarming all over that tractor. When we finally finished and started it up for the final test, everything worked. And we all started hooting and hollering because we’d done it. And it was flawless. There’s a personal satisfaction you get from being part of something new and exciting and bigger than yourself. We were all involved in a piece of Peterson history and proudly put our names to it. We each had a specific tractor that we liked the most—that we had a special bond with. That was an experience that none of us will ever forget.”
CREATIVITY ADDS FUN: TERESA DIAS, PETERSON-IDEALEASE
(L-R) Michael Cancelliere/VP of Navistar, Mike Waller/Reliance Steel, operations mgr, and Teresa Dias
Four months after Teresa Dias joined Peter- son in 2013, she was asked to lead a Jump- Start meeting where the company owner and the COO were in attendance. In her typical fun, sassy style, Dias started off the warm-up exercises by flapping her arms like a chicken. Someone asked her what that exercise was good for. She responded: “it’s how you get the owner to do the funky chicken. How many company presidents can you say that about?”
As lease sales manager for Idealease, she was also able to turn around a disgruntled custom- er after several visits listening to his concerns. During one meeting at the customer’s office, she overheard someone tease him about his love of Twinkies. On her next visit, Dias brought him a customized Peterson Trucks survival kit, complete with several Twinkies and a carton of
milk. “Now he’s our go-to guy if we have a problem with any United Rentals locations, since he’s the regional service manager,” says Dias. “He thought that Twinkie box was the coolest thing ever. He’s still got it on his desk.”
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