Foothills Tractor and Equipment

from New Vision - July 2018

by adigeorgia

Chamber & Advertisers Directory

Growing Growing With Cherokee

“I think it is important to go above and beyond expected service. Every time we sell a tractor, our family grows.”

- David Seals, General Manager Foothills Tractor and Equipment

When David Seals graduated from college in 2013, he held a master’s degree in Wildlife Biology from Jacksonville State University. He had grown up in Piedmont, Alabama, and received a baseball scholarship to Huntingdon College in Montgomery where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Cell Biology and Chemistry. An enthusiastic outdoorsman, he had first considered a career in wildlife research, but even before presenting his thesis on the “North American Black Bear Habitat and Population Assessment in Northeast Alabama,” he found himself writing a business plan for a new company in Cherokee County. It would be called Foothills Tractor & Equipment.

The thought of a new tractor business connected to the events of the day. His father, Billy Seals, would offer experience and invaluable resources. As it was Billy who instilled a love for tractors and equipment in David from a young age, it was natural that father and son would form a good working partnership, and dad would become a silent partner for two years, until he retired from Caterpillar in 2015. They agreed the business could not be based solely on the price of the item, but instead they wanted their company to be about hospitality, sales satisfaction, and prompt service. The economic downturn of 2008 had left many excellent properties and empty buildings vacant all over the country, and Cherokee had good properties for sale, also. David chose a convenient location for the highly touted tractor brand he would offer: Mahindra – a perfect fit with an excellent track record. In 2010, the brand became the largest selling tractor of its kind in the world and continues to hold the title. The business ratio has climbed quickly. At startup, Foothills Tractor would have less than 3% of the market share. Now, Mahindra is closer to 49%. One out of every two tractors sold anywhere is a Mahindra, and Foothills Tractor now owns 40% of the market share, specializing in subcompact and compact utility tractors. “To be honest, I wasn’t prepared to be an entrepreneur. The only experience I had in sales was selling sunglasses in the mall during summer breaks,” he laughs. “My plate was full, and I had to teach myself and learn quickly. I owe everything to my parents and my college baseball coach who instilled in me that failure is not an option. Never has been, never will be.”

Initially, without employees, David started each day early and ended late, working six days every week, grabbing a PB&J for lunch. He and his father would deliver a sale after hours, (which they still do) . Working with his customers, he developed positive client relationships with people he now calls friends. “I think it is important to go above and beyond expected service. Every time we sell a tractor, our family grows.”

Foothills Tractor currently has eleven employees and displays at least 100 tractors ‘on the ground’ at all times. Their product offerings also include Toro, Echo, Spartan, Shindaiwa and Vermeer. FOOTHILLS TRACTOR & EQUIPMENT

Foothills Tractor has been well received in Cherokee County, and David says the community has been more than welcoming. David’s wife, the former Lynden Curry is a Centre native whose family has contributed to agricultural growth for generations. She has been employed by the Cherokee County board of education as a career coach for the system, helping youths prepare for successful college experiences.

In addition to his business and growing family, David opened the second Foothills Tractor in Alexandria, between Gadsden and Oxford in February 2017. As the only tractor store available there, it is designed to meet the needs of underserved customers in the area, offering a full array of products.