The North American Equipment Dealers Association (NAEDA) made 2023 the year of action for outdoor power equipment dealers. Not only did they breathe new life into the OPE Dealer Council, conduct an OPE Distributor Meeting, and create the OPE Dealer Management course, but they also continued to find ways to support the unique aspects of outdoor power dealerships.
Previously, many OPE dealers agreed that associations and advocates for equipment dealers tended to put a greater emphasis on large ag dealerships, but NAEDA is working to change that and make sure they support as many equipment dealers across all specialties as possible with a united voice.
“There’s a lot more consolidation within the manufacturers, and there’s more dealing direct to the manufacturer than there has been in the past which brings with it a need for more communication,” said Ken Weingartz, OPE Dealer Council Chair and President of Weingartz out of Michigan.
The council acts as a liaison between the legal team at NAEDA and the dealers. They are a voice that helps guide NAEDA on communication with manufacturers and ensure that individual dealers do not have to stand alone when major issues arise.
“It’s definitely nice to know that you have somebody’s backing that has the whole dealer network within it versus one dealer trying to go to a large manufacturer,” Weingartz said.
The council puts an emphasis on the awareness of major issues, including large battery disposal and recycling, the emergence of autonomous mowers, manufacturer relations, distributor meetings, and how the council brought awareness of the Kawasaki stop sale to NAEDA early this year.
In their first meeting last March, the council mostly brought their issues to the table and got to know representatives from NAEDA, Dealer Institute, and partner programs. They also established a chair and vice chair, discussed battery disposal issues, and determined the top three manufacturers they would like to start communicating with via NAEDA’s Industry Relations Taskforce.
Between meetings, the Industry Relations Taskforce met with five manufacturers: Stihl, Stanley Black and Decker, Toro, Kubota, and Briggs and Stratton. A major takeaway revolves around the need for more knowledge of what NAEDA does, and that more training needs to be done to meet the needs of dealers.
According to the minutes from their second meeting in October, Gary Manke, the Senior Vice President of Manufacturer Relations at NAEDA, praised the council’s work and the progress that has already been made.
“You must have contacts in these companies, and you must have relationships. As a council, what you have accomplished here in the last six to nine months has to be because you are so well respected, or you wouldn’t have accomplished this much,” Manke said.
The council also approved a Policy Statement and Guidelines Regarding Anti-Trust and Competition at their second meeting.
Additionally, they rehashed the big issue of battery-operated equipment with two focuses: battery disposal and the loss of parts and service revenue. As battery-operated equipment continues to gain traction, the council will continue to work with NAEDA as they focus on finding solutions and using the power of many to share the voice of dealers.
Going into 2024, batteries will remain at the top of their list for negotiations with manufacturers.
“There’s not much manufacturer solution for battery disposal,” Weingartz said. “But yet there’s now more and more battery products out there, and there’s not a safe, cost-effective way to dispose of used batteries. As far as general battery related topics, we’ll discuss how some dealers are able to find success and profitability with selling battery equipment.”
OPE Distributors Meeting
One unique aspect of OPE versus large ag dealerships is the use of distributors. NAEDA set the tone that they are dedicated to the needs of OPE dealers by hosting an OPE distributor meeting on September 13, 2023. Briggs and Stratton presented and sponsored the meal.
During this first distributor meeting, they established connections and educated them about what NAEDA does for dealers through training and advocacy programs. A significant point of interest revolved around the new OPE Dealer Management course now offered by NAEDA’s Dealer Institute.
This first meeting inspired the team to create yearly meetings, with the second occurring in the spring or summer of 2024.
OPE Dealer Management Course
Additionally, with the help of the dealer council, the Dealer Institute launched the inaugural OPE Dealer Management course with a goal to provide the same learning opportunities as large ag equipment dealers in a way that is geared toward the unique experiences outdoor power dealers face.
Since the inaugural course is underway, several council members are attending to help shape a better program as well as gain valuable insights.
“We’re going to recap on how effective the training was, what they’ve gotten out of it, what they see can improve, and what their dealership’s plan is to act on what they’ve learned at the Dealer Institute,” Weingartz said.
How to Utilize the Council
The goal of creating the OPE Dealer Council is to better communication between dealers and NAEDA in order to provide better advocacy efforts on their behalf.
Weingartz encourages dealers to reach out to council members if they need support or have any issues with their state governments, vendors or manufacturers.
“Even though we have a good group of dealers that are pretty in touch, it is nice to have some more voices out there for things that might be a blind spot,” Weingartz said.
Article Written by Amanda Bauman, North American Equipment Dealers Association Communications Manager and Associate Magazine Editor
