Even before the Ford Motor Co. began or before the Wright Brothers defied gravity at Kitty Hawk, Billy McKay Began serving retail and wholesale customers in Wisconsin. For the record the year was 1897.

Implementing sound business practices that gave his nursery a strong foundation in trade, McKay's business would thrive even during the economic hard times of the Great Depression, during World War II and in the six decades that have since followed. Continuing their long standing policy of remaining debt-free, today McKay's Nursery serves 20,000 homeowners a year and 400 wholesale accounts across the United States...and to get the job done McKay's Nursery uses Kubota tractors.

McKay's Land and Equipment Manager, Tom Hoesly, explained to Kubota Country that the management style of those who own McKay's is one of the reasons it remains successful. "McKay's Nursery is employee owned and operated," explains Hoesly. "We have 55 full-time employees, 150 seasonal workers and 200 independent sales people that make this business what it is." Employees are offered shares in the nursery after completing 1,000 hours of service per year. "We have the same number of employees we had 10 years ago and we continue to hold our operating expenses to less than five percent," said Hoesly.

McKay's Nursery has 12 Kubota B- and L-series tractors and several M-series units that are equipped with cabs. "Our switch to Kubota is due in part to our dealer, Mid-State Equipment," Hoesly explained. "They called one day and suggested that I check out the Kubota compact line. They loaned me several models to test and I was immediately sold", said Hoesly. He lauds their ease-of-use. "Our workers get on and off these tractors up to 50 times a day, especially during the busy season," Hoesly explained. "Kubota tractors are easy to operate and less expensive to buy and maintain than the other brands we have in our tractor pool." Hoesly went on to say that the relationship they have with Mid-State Equipment and the service support Mid-State Provides is essential to their continued success.

"Mid-State Equipment always seems to go the extra mile with us. Don't get me wrong...we're a good customer, but they don't have to do everything that they do. Service reps and sales managers come out to our operation and learn what our business is in order to help better serve us and anytime any of us go into the dealership, we are greeted by our first name. Little things like that are important to making everyone successful," explains Hoesly. Mid-State Equipment is a family owned and operated company, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

McKay's Nursery grows 400 varieties of trees, shrubs and perennials on 1,700 acres of land. They will continue to buy Kubota equipment from Mid-State Equipment because, as Hoesly explains, "We must perform our job efficiently and always with an eye to cost and Mid-State helps us do exactly that."

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