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SUMMER 2020INSIDE TRACKWE’RE HERE FOR YOUYou help keep the world running by providing the infrastructure we need,putting a roof over our heads, and keeping us all connected. We’re grateful toyou for doing your part. No matter the challenge, you find a way to get yourjob done. But in these uncertain times, it hasn’t been easy. That’s why we’recommitted to keeping you up and running.In order for you to get the equipment you need to do your essential work, we’vekept our factories running while safeguarding our employees. Our efforts toprovide a clean, safe work environment exceed Centers for Disease Control andPrevention (CDC ) and health-department guidance.In addition to keeping you going with equipment and financing, we’ve pulledtogether with our dealers so there is no disruption in service and support.Dealers may offer online portals for scheduling service from a distance, alongwith curbside pickup of parts orders. And if you need information on a product,dealers can provide walkaround videos and other materials electronically. Orthey can arrange FaceTime, Zoom, or other virtual meetings to answer any ofyour questions.During this time of social distancing, remote support and telematics are evenmore critical. Through a JDLink connection, John Deere Connected Support enables remote machine monitoring so your dealers can identify issues oftenbefore they cause costly downtime. They can even perform diagnostics andupdate software remotely without a technician visiting the jobsite.As things begin to open up again, we’re seeing projects restarting and otherpositive signs. And as you continue to overcome challenges and build the world,we remain committed to keeping you going. Because even as we keep a safedistance, we’ll continue to stand behind you. We’re proud to be your partneras we all forge ahead.Brian WellsManager, Rental MarketingWorldwide Construction & Forestry2RENTAL DIRT
CONTENTSC O V E R S T O RYTHE GROUND LEVELPAGE 4The Briar Corporation reaches for itsdreams and maneuvers through workin tight spaces with the help of anew John Deere 333G SmartGrade Compact Track Loader (CTL).TRIED & TRUEPAGE 8With Deere compact constructionequipment in his fleet, Mark Whitesellhas run a successful rental companyfor 20 years.THE ROAD TO RECOVERYPAGE 12A fleet of Deere machines helpsrestore areas of Florida devastatedby Hurricane Michael.3
The John Deere 333G SmartGrade Compact Track Loader exceedsthe expectations of experiencedBriar Corporation Team memberNelson Brothers.4RENTAL DIRTFind how John Deerecompact equipment canexceed the expectationsof your rental customers.READ ON
BOBBY GOOD CARRIES HIS FATHER’ SLEGACY INTO THE FUTUREThe Briar Corporation is one of Central Florida’s premiercontractors, with a rich history dating back to its 1984beginnings as a paving and tennis court maintenancecompany. President Bobby Good has kept his focus ondreams for the future and helping people achieve themsince becoming sole owner at the end of 2018.“Our company’s built on great people,and it’s the same thing behind the brand.The people behind it are what keeps itgoing,” says Good about taking over thereins from his father. “I’ve always wantedto chase my father’s dreams and expandon them. He told me one time that if theson doesn’t grow up to be better than thefather, they both have failed.”With almost 340 coworkers running over100 machines at up to 16 jobsites on anygiven day, it would be hard to considerthe son’s leadership of The BriarCorporation a failure by any metric.According to Good, the company hasa reputation for being a total-sitecontractor with a customer base thatknows their projects — everything fromclearing to earthwork to undergroundutilities — get done on time, on schedule,and headache free.As the company has continued to growand prosper, there has been one constantover the past three-and-a-half decades.“We’ve purchased well over a hundredpieces of John Deere equipment in thepast 35 years,” Good explains. “It’s aleading brand in the industry and a brandthat we can depend on and trust. We’vealways had great customer service andrelationships, so it’s always our go-tomachine.”IT TAKES A WHOLE TEAMThe Briar Corporation is known for itstagline “Leaders by Performance”, andit takes serious pride in everything it’sinstilled in its employees. As a profitsharing company, it’s always usedthe word “coworker” to describe themembers of The Briar Corporation family.“The word ‘employee’ never felt rightto me, because everybody has aresponsibility,” Good says. “That includesfrom me all the way down to the guywho’s on the shovel in the field.”A different field is where Good gets hissense of teamwork. “I grew up playingsports, and that takes a whole team.When you’re playing football, you needeverybody to make their blocks to springthe big run, or you need to make theBobby Good, president of The BriarCorporation, and Brett Graham, VehiclePerformance Engineer for John Deere,see the myriad capabilities of the 333GSmartGrade CTL.blocks to make the long touchdown pass.When you get into the site world and yousee that everybody has their role andtheir responsibility, you know everyone’staken care of.”“We are very family oriented when itcomes to the Briar Team because nosuccess comes without good people, andwe try to give back as much as possible,”explains Good. “There are a lot of peoplethat kind of treat their subcontractorsand suppliers a certain way, but withoutthem we couldn’t do what we do, andwe couldn’t move more dirt than thecompetition.”tight workPart of The Briar Corporation’s processfor building roads is backfilling curbsand rights-of-way, working in very tightspaces around utilities. Oftentimescompanies in a similar situation are lefthaving to choose between a smallerdozer without full capabilities or a largerdozer that can’t make a job with a tightsqueeze look appealing.–continuedlevel5
With the addition of the John Deere 333GSmartGrade Compact Track Loader(CTL) to its fleet, that tough decision hasdisappeared for The Briar Corporation.“Creating something where you can getinto what technically is a skid steer andactually feel like you’re in a dozer is prettyimpressive,” remarks Good. “Our guysare jumping in there and feeling likethey’re right at home.”“I’ve been operating skid steers about 15years at this point,” says Nelson Brothers,a finish grader/skid steer operator on theBriar Team. “We can do things with the333G SmartGrade that I didn’t think youwould ever be able to do with a regularbucket or even a box blade. The machinehas a lot of power — when it comes topushing the dirt, beyond what myexpectations were.”Brett Graham, Vehicle PerformanceEngineer for John Deere, is equallyblown away but maybe not so surprisedthat the people actually using the 333GSmartGrade are finding it to be a gamechanger. “It’s a combination of feedbackand demand from our customers,”he says. “The 333G SmartGrade is theculmination of all of the things John Deerehas learned in grade control from all ofour projects going forward from graders,dozers, and excavators, and now CTLs.We put all the things we’ve learned intothis package.”Briar Team operators KathrynHelberg and Nicole Sweat onsite and ready to work.6RENTAL DIRTThe 333G SmartGrade is purpose built,and one of the big purposes for The BriarCorporation is very precise grading.Instead of eyeballing the situation andneeding a coworker to come and checkthe work, the 333G SmartGrade preciselygrades every spot, right down to thesmallest one. When it comes to the wholejobsite, with larger areas of general work,the speed and power of the 333GSmartGrade help make everything thatmuch more clean and attractive.With a bucket, the 333G SmartGraderuns just like a CTL. With a dozer bladeand at the click of a button, it transformsinto a dozer. The blade-control patternis familiar to the operator. And thecombination of real-time correction andGPS satellite connectivity means the333G SmartGrade can achieve accuracydown to the millimeter.“It’s going to be a very universal machinethat can work side by side with the biggermachines,” says Good. “It doesn’t surpriseme at all that John Deere is kind of theleading brand when it comes to thistype of ingenuity. They’ve always beena leader in that market with a focus onthe future.”And for Good and The Briar Corporation,that future is looking better every day.The Briar Corporation is serviced by Dobbs EquipmentLLC, Orlando, Florida.
WE ARE VERY FAMILY ORIENTED WHEN IT COMESTO THE BRIAR TEAM BECAUSE NO SUCCESSCOMES WITHOUT GOOD PEOPLE, AND WETRY TO GIVE BACK AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.–BBobbybb Good,G d President,P id t TheTh BBriari CCorporationtiJOHN DEERE333GSMARTGRADE COMPACT TRACKLOADER:– Rated operating capacity: 1848 kg (4,071 lb.) at 35% tippingload, with foundry bucket– Gross rated power: 74.6 kW (100 hp) at 2,500 rpm– Net peak power: 72.0 kW (96.6 hp) at 2,500 rpm– Operating weight (including grade-control hardware andblade): 6356 kg (14,000 lb.)– Vertical-lift boom for increased lift height and reach at thetop of the lift path– SmartGrade fully integrated grade-control technologyinstalled and ready to work from the factory:– 3D grade-control system– Dozer-mode electrohydraulic (EH) joystick-controlsystem enables push-button dozer blade-control pattern– Six-way dozer-blade attachment for cutting a grade andspreading materials7
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Greensboro,N.C.NORTH CAROLINARENTAL COMPANYKNOWS IT CAN DEPENDON JOHN DEERECOMPACT EQUIPMENTTrue Value Rental in Greensboro, NorthCarolina, has so much John Deereequipment available for rental, it oftengets mistaken for a dealer. “We’ll havepeople come in and ask us to quote thema price,” says Owner Mark Whitesell. “I’lltell them, ‘Well, I can’t sell you one, butI can rent you one.’ When they comeback, I often hear, ‘Wow, I really like this.I own a competitor machine, but nexttime I’m buying a Deere.’”Whitesell’s rental company has beenthriving in recent years. A large retailerand a number of manufacturing plantshave moved into the Triad area ofGreensboro, Winston-Salem, and HighPoint. A lot of people are relocating tothe area because it’s not as expensive asthe nearby Research Triangle of Raleigh,Durham, and Chapel Hill.Whitesell loves the rental businessbecause no two days are the same.“Some days you get up and have nothingon the books, and it turns into the busiestday of the year. Other days you havea million things on the books and youalmost dread it, but everything goes offwithout a hitch and it’s the best day youever had. Each morning I can’t wait togo into the store to talk with customers.They’re looking for advice, and we’rehelping them. It’s very fulfilling.”–continued9
ICONIC BRANDSWhitesell got started in the rentalbusiness in 1997. “I was working for amechanical contractor owned by twobrothers,” he recalls. “They wanted tostart their own in-house rental companyto rent scissor lifts, pipe machines, andother things a mechanical contractorwould need. As we got into it, I thoughtwe should open up to landscapers. Thatwas our first big niche — no one elsecarried landscaping equipment. In 1999,I went to The ARA Rental Show (theAmerican Rental Association’s annualconvention) and spoke with John Deere,and that’s when we started to carrycompact construction equipment,tractors, and mowers.”In 1999, Whitesell and his businesspartners cleared five acres of land andopened Grand Rental Station on the sitewhere the company still resides today.In 2017, the company rebranded itselfunder the True Value Rental name. “Welike the True Value brand for the samereason we like John Deere. Both areiconic. Both stand on their own. Ourcustomers request John Deere by name,so we don’t carry other brands ofcompact equipment.”Over the years, the company has established a reputation for having newer,well-maintained equipment. Whitesellhas rented John Deere equipment sinceday one. “I’m really proud of our equipment and this store,” says Whitesell.“Back when we started, many rentalcompanies had old equipment. The ruleof thumb was to never replace it — justslap some paint on it. That has never beenour norm. We wanted the best brands andthe latest equipment out there. We’vehad great success with Deere machines.”EASY TO RUN AND MAINTAINIn addition to mechanical contractors andlandscapers, True Value Rental also rentsequipment to homeowners, plumbers,electricians, and other contractors. “Forcustomers like homeowners, John Deerecompact equipment is very easy to run,”says Whitesell.The company currently rents John Deere317G and 325G Compact Track Loaders(CTLs), along with 17G, 35G, and 50GCompact Excavators. “These modelscover the specs and job needs of everyone of our customers,” says Whitesell.“The two CTLs are the perfect size, andpeople love the traction in wet conditionsand how turf-friendly they are.”The compact excavators are easy totransport and excel in confined spaces.“Landscapers and other small contractorsoften work up against buildings withtight lot lines and many obstacles. Thesecustomers love them.”each morningi can’t waitto go into thestore to talkwith customers.”– Mark Whitesell, Owner, True Value Rental10 RENTAL DIRT
We wanted thebest brandsand the latestequipment outthere. We’ve hadgreat successwith Deeremachines.”317G325G17G35G50G*ijƈá Ǚr e n ta l– Mark Whitesell, Owner, True Value RentalTrue Value Rental carries numerousJohn Deere attachments for its compactequipment, including forks, a variety ofbuckets, power rakes, and trenchers.“They are extremely easy to hook upand make the machines so versatile.”Deere compact machines are easy toclean and maintain. On the CTLs forexample, two plates can be removed toflush out the footwells, and the cab sidewindows can be removed for cleaning.Tilting up the hood provides convenientground-level access to dipsticks, fuel- andfluid-filler necks, and filters.“They’re so easy to clean,” says Whitesell.“The plates come off easy, and the greasepoints are easy to get to. That’s importantin rental because we need to quicklypower-wash the machine, grease it, andturn it around for the next customer.Getting it back out is the only way we’regoing to make money.”Uptime is also very important to therental business. “If I have a customerwaiting around for a machine, he’s notgetting his job done and I’m not gettingpaid. Fortunately, we’ve had very fewissues with John Deere machines.”Whitesell’s local John Deere dealer, JamesRiver Equipment, has also been key tokeeping his machines up and running.“They are right down the road, they keepthe parts we need in stock, and they arethe friendliest people you’ll ever meet.The support is just awesome.”Whitesell is grateful for having durableDeere machines in the lot attractingcustomers and a dependable dealernearby. “John Deere equipment alongwith the service and support we get fromour local dealer has helped us stay in therental business for 22 years and beextremely successful.”True Value Rental is serviced by James River Equipment,Pfafftown and Greensboro, North Carolina.Check out the video at:JohnDeere.com/RentalDirt11
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ON OCTOBER 11, 2018, HURRICANEMICHAEL, A CATEGORY 5 STORM, MADELANDFALL ON THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE.High winds, heavy rain, andextreme surges caused massivedestruction along the coast,resulting in billions of dollarsin damages — trees uprooted,houses splintered, and shopsreduced to bare cement slabs.In Florida alone, dozens of peoplelost their lives. Thousands morelost their homes and livelihoods.Over a year later, there’s stillplenty of recovery work to bedone, especially in PanamaCity, Mexico Beach, and thesurrounding areas. Sammy Fitkin,project manager for HaulingAway, a Theodore, Alabamabased company that specializes indebris removal, grinding services,trucking, and site management,sees this kind of devastation fartoo regularly.“We came here straight from ahurricane-recovery project inNorth Carolina,” says Fitkin. “Atfirst, all we could see were the trees.We could see how the wind blewthem one way and then anotherway. Acres of trees were eithertwisted or snapped completelyto the ground.”According to Fitkin, the trees werea telltale sign of the destructionto come. “I looked around at allthe damage and figured I might aswell try to find somewhere to livebecause I was going to be here fora while. It’s going to take a longtime to clean this place up.”MICHAEL MAKES LAN“I’ve met people from all walks of life, from all over the country.Half of my guys are from Wisconsin and Missouri.They came in here just to help people.”– Sammy Fitkin, project manager, Hauling Away14 RENTAL DIRTDFALL
THE LONG HAULEach day, Fitkin sends his teamthrough neighborhoods andbusiness parks in a fleet of speciallydesigned trucks to collect debris —furniture, refrigerators, sheds, cars,and trees — bound for dumpsitesand grinding locations throughoutthe Panhandle.“When you’re on a pickup and thehomeowner is there, it’s tough.You keep telling yourself you’renot going to let it bother you, butyou see a 70-year-old person outthere and you’re picking up threequarters of their life and puttingit in the back of a truck — or yousee a lady and her kids huntingin the wreckage for a tent — it’sheartbreaking.”At the dumpsites and grindinglocations, Fitkin and his teamdeploy a fleet of John Deeremachines, including excavators,wheel loaders, and dozers, tomanage the debris and prepare itfor the landfill. “At this location, wegrind all the trees we’ve collectedon pickups. The goal is to reducethe wood by a three-to-one ratio,and we transport those woodchipswith our John Deere 624K and724K Wheel Loaders.”WORKING TOGETHERNo matter how many trees hiscompany grinds or how muchdebris it hauls, Fitkin credits thepeople around him for makingthe biggest difference. “I’ve metpeople from all walks of life, fromall over the country,” he says. “Halfof my guys are from Wisconsin andMissouri. They came in here just tohelp people.”WEATHERINGTHE STORMMichael was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike thecontiguous United States since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.Mexico Beach, Florida, experienced 155-mph winds thatflattened more than three-quarters of the city’s homes.The massive storm was directly responsible for at least 16deaths and approximately 25 billion in damage in the U.S.Destruction rated from devastating to catastrophic occurredin Bay County, Florida, where every building was reporteddamaged, with many destroyed, at Tyndall Air Force Base.Sources: noaa.gov, npr.org, and nhc.noaa.gov.A strong dealer relationship alsoplays a significant role in HaulingAway’s recovery efforts. “BeardEquipment is a real partner,” saysFitkin about the Panama Citybased dealer. “They live here.They know the devastation. Theylost part of their shop — the roofwas gone and they were runningoff generators. But they did, andcontinue to do, everything in theirpower to support us. We pick upthe phone and get the supportwe need 10 times out of 10. Thenext morning, they have our parts.They come in on weekends. Itmakes you feel good when youlook up and see everyone workingtogether.”Hauling Away is serviced by Beard EquipmentCo., Panama City, Florida.Check out the video at:JohnDeere.com/RentalDirt15
Built for the next rent.Better get used to an EMPTY LOT.Because these machines were built with durability that hhandles not onlyyour renter’st ’ ttoughesth job.butj b b your next renter’s’ toughest job, too.JohnDeere.com/rentalsalesDKMAG255RE Litho in U.S.A. (20-07)
runs just like a CTL. With a dozer blade and at the click of a button, it transforms into a dozer. The blade-control pattern is familiar to the operator. And the combination of real-time correction and GPS satellite connectivity means the 333G SmartGrade can achieve accuracy down to t
