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Drummond & Etheridge
DRUMMOND & ETHERIDGE ASHBURTON CHRISTCHURCH TIMARU
No smoke, no mirrors, no tricks, no bull
Above: Mark Etheridge, the owner and managing director of Drummond and Etheridge. Right: The main reception area of Drummond and Etheridge Below: An artists impression of the new multi million dollar building on East Street, a vision of Mark Etheridge’s, now reality and open for business.
Owner and managing director Mark Etheridge works to a simple ethic: No smoke, no mirrors, no tricks, no bull. It’s an ethic he expects his staff to follow, because credibility is a key element of success in a world where customers are increasingly tuned to the bottom line and know what they want. These customers could be buying a $500,000 combine or a ride-on lawnmower. “Either way, they put a lot of trust in us . . . that they are getting value for money, that the machine will do the job and we can support it.” Mark knows D&E’s fortunes are in-sync with its farmer customers. When times are tough, fewer tractors are sold. In boom times, new tractors roll out the door. Reflecting the growth in the dairy industry locally, turnover has gone from $20m in 2001 to $75m last year. “We rely wholly on the farming community.
We ride the waves of our customers who live off the land. When they are doing well, we do well.” Sales in the past year have contracted as the effects of the global credit crisis trickle down to rural New Zealand. But Mark says farmers here are poised to become food producers for bigger neighbours offshore and exciting times are ahead. “Our farming community is progressive and innovative and we have a large variety of crops grown here. Our farmers are always pushing boundaries.” Cue in a company that can deliver machines to match... The past nine years have been a rollercoaster ride for Mark, who at 37 is probably the youngest John Deere franchise owner in Australasia. The former adrenalin junkie entered the business as a diesel mechanic after a paragliding accident cut short a likely career
as a pro water-skier. He spent six years learning his trade, then left to see the world with wife Sonia, working their way around North America. He came home in 2000 and became a director of the company, working with his father Pete and brother-in-law Ashley Gordon on a long-term vision to continue the family business. But tragedy struck just months into the partnership, when Ashley was killed in a car accident. “They were extremely difficult times for the family and the business,” Mark said. A new focus was required and he took the helm in 2003, leading the company through the most dramatic growth period in its history. The new East Street base is a culmination of D&E’s commitment to John Deere and to the town, with some $7m invested in the new development.
The agricultural machinery maker has three business ownerships in the South Island, with D&E the main supplier of forage harvesters and combines, and golf and turf equipment. John Deere is also branching out into irrigation, and while its first range includes drip-feed systems Mark predicts it won’t be long before they will expand to centre pivots. He says that despite the machines and products on show, D&E has made a name for itself with the service side of the business. “We are very focused on not just selling the product, but servicing it. My grandfather and father had the same frame of mind, it has been the key to our company’s success.” Back-up and service is important for farmers taking delivery of hi-tech machines that run with the aid of computers. A 24-hour service operates to make sure a machine down is up and running as soon as possible.
Behind the scenes
Matt Galbraith, Matt is operations manager, and Mark Etheridge’s right-hand man.
Matt joined the Drummond and Etheridge team, as the group Operations Manager in July 2007, having spent the previous three and a half years working for another local business, the Loan and Building Society. Born and bred in Blenheim and a business graduate from Canterbury University, Matt decided to venture abroad as a lot of kiwis do after graduation and do the big OE, where he ended up working for 7 years for London Underground in Project Controls, which was responsible for the capital investment programme on the ailing Tube network. Matt is an integral part of the company, working behind the scenes to help ensure everything is flowing correctly. No two days are ever the same for him, and his varied workload is one of the features of his position he enjoys the most. He is impressed with the practicality
and innovation of their new building on East Street, from recycling the used oil from serviced tractors to generate under floor heating, to the spaciousness, light and warmth that makes it welcoming for customers and the Drummond and Etheridge team. Matt is impressed with the ethics and practices at Drummond and Etheridge, which he said have culminated from the Etheridge spirit. Staff morale is high and they have a small staff turnover, which in turn is good for their customers because the staff they retain are highly knowledgeable and experienced. The 24 hours a day, 7 days a week mantra that operates in the parts and services departments, mixed with honest salesman that know their stuff and tell it how it is, Matt believes this is why Drummond and Etheridge continue to impress their customers and retain a high market share.