Chicago, Ill. – West Side Tractor Sales of Indiana Co., owned by West Side Tractor Sales in Illinois, acquired five John Deere Construction and Forestry equipment dealerships from Holt Equipment Co. The deal was finalized December 17, 2010, making West Side the largest John Deere construction dealer in Indiana.
The acquisition allows West Side Tractor exclusive rights to sell John Deere construction and forestry products in 68 counties across Indiana and three counties in Michigan. New dealership locations include Indianapolis (Indiana headquarters), South Bend, Fort Wayne, Lafayette and Bloomington.
The Indiana acquisition expanded West Side's total territory to over 80 counties spanning Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. Started in 1962, West Side Tractor Sales is a third-generation family operation, owned by the Benck family.
"After 49 years in business, we feel the Indiana acquisition is perfect timing as a recovery appears to be just around the corner. Indiana's fiscal responsibility, reasonable labor costs and rural tradition that matches well with our John Deere product line, made the state an attractive target to meet our family's growth objectives," said West Side Tractor General Operations Manager Diane Benck. "Our intent is to aggressively build a product support infrastructure to support our customer base. Increased inventory, product support investment and a general improvement in the national economy should double our employment in the state of Indiana over the next two years."
The Indiana West Side locations will offer John Deere construction and forestry equipment lines, as well as Hitachi in a limited number of counties in northern Indiana. The Lafayette location will also carry John Deere lawn and garden equipment.
West Side Tractor Sales Co. is a Naperville, Illinois-based provider of construction and forestry equipment. West Side Tractor Sales Co. and West Side Tractor Sales of Indiana Co. have 10 locations throughout Illinois and Indiana. Each location is a full-service provider of heavy equipment maintenance, repair and rental services. For more information, visit www.westsidetractorsales.com.
