Page40 Greenwood Commonwealth PROFILE 2009 =================================================================================================================================================================================
based on his conversations The company stocked with dealers across the plantation commissaries country. They’re quick to and country stores from its embrace anything that will home on Howard Street make their operations more downtown, where Ju Sai efficient, such as global Gai restaurant is today. positioning systems. The named changed to “They use GPS to autoWade Hardware in 1913, steer, drive the tractors, and a sister store opened in where the guy who’s sitting Clarksdale four years later. on the tractor’s not touching It continued under that the steering wheel,” Wade business model for more Litton said. “The tractor’s than three decades. driving itself.” Business really took off GPS makes an average after World War II, when operator perform like a mechanization entered skilled one, Pillow said, and farming in a big way. they have another advanThe man behind much of tage of being able to functhe company’s success was tion at night. George K. Wade, G.A. He’s seen efficiency grow Wade’s son. He had come tremendously during his into the business in 1934, lifetime, and although became president in 1952 there’s still no replacement and served in that role until 1980. John Deere recently honored the founding family of Wade Inc. for the company’s 100th anniversary. From for hard work, technology “He set a course for this left is Chad Mohamed, a Belzoni farmer, and his wife, Gerard, daughter of Bill and Ann Litton; Bill Litton, has helped industrious company back in the ’50s president of Wade Inc., and his wife, Ann, granddaughter of the company’s founder; Meagan Litton and farmers get much more that enabled us to be in a her husband, Wade, general manager of Wade Inc.’s Greenwood store; and Wendi Litton and her hus- done. “The name of the game is position to grow in the latband, Powell, general manager of the Clarksdale store. going over as much ground ter years,” said Bill Litton, as you can in a day’s time,” he said. Mr. Wade’s son-in-law. “He’s responsible for positioning Clarksdale. “They both have hit the ground running,” Bill Litton Horsepower on a standard tractor has leapt from us to be the successful company that we are today.” said. “They’ve got a lot of energy that is real refreshing, 100 to 250 or 300, and today’s hoppers are the size of Wade bought another store in Indianola in 1950 and they are really adding to the company. They will the trucks they used to take grain to bins in, Pillow and moved into its current home on U.S. 82 in 1960. be the next generation to take it further.” said. Other advances in seed technology and irrigation Later in the ’60s it dropped its hardware line and Wade Litton says he shares the passion for going to have also contributed to increased yields. became a 100 percent John Deere dealer, changing its Farming is now high-tech, Bill Litton says, and as a name to Wade Inc. A store in Marks came on board in work every day that his father has. Both agree that the Delta farmers they deal with play a big part in that. result servicing equipment for the American farmer is 1967. It’s satisfying to do business with the type of people a high-tech business. After working in the service and sales departments that a handshake can seal a deal with. Bill Litton puts “If they’re going to stay in business, they’ve got to get starting in 1972, Bill Litton was elected president in Walter Pillow in that category. more efficient,” he said. “If Wade Inc.’s going to stay in 1980. George Wade became chairman at that time Pillow, a fourth-generation Leflore County planter, business, we’ve got to do a better job today than we did and remained in the role until he passed away in bought his first tractor, a 4020 John Deere, from Wade yesterday.” 1988. Inc. and still has it today. The sophisticated equipment has created a need for a Financial conservatism and a strong balance sheet “We always had a good relationship with Mr. George new type of tractor technician who is intelligent and enabled another period of rapid growth that began in electronically literate. The Littons have high praise for 1995, when the company bought the John Deere deal- Wade, Bill Litton and Wade Litton now,” Pillow said. “They’ve been good people to deal with. They have their workers in the maintenance department, as well ership in Batesville. In 2000, the dealerships in as everywhere else. “From our parts to our service, to Charleston and Webb were purchased and consolidat- always been fair in their dealings.” He remembers when Mr. Wade started Bill Litton our sales staff, everybody really, they’re the face of Wade ed into one location in Webb. Greenville and out as shop foreman and was amused to see him start Inc.,” Wade Litton said. Cleveland were the next cities to join the burgeoning Wade off in the same place. “That’s a great thing, to see The company looks for hardworking, communityWade stable in 2002 and 2004, respectively. young people grow up and step into a business like minded people who will take root in the places they Today, they are a seven-store operation, having that and do a good job,” said Pillow, who himself works work. After a century in Greenwood, the company has closed the small shop in Marks. in a partnership with three of his sons. certainly done that in its birthplace. “We’ve doubled our locations, basically, and we’ve Farmers like Pillow have access today to a level of “We’re going to participate in the Chamber of more than doubled our revenues,” Litton said. technology their forefathers never could have imagined Commerce. We’re going to participate in the Industrial Wade Inc. has also added its fourth generation of 100 years ago. Wade Litton said the growers in this Board. We encourage our employees to participate in family workers this decade. area are probably the most progressive in the nation the civic clubs,” Bill Litton said. Litton had a deal with his two sons, Powell and He’s a past president of the Kiwanis, and Wade is a Wade, that after college they would work for five years Rotarian. Mr. Wade served as president of the Chamber somewhere else. If they decided they still had a pasof Commerce. sion for the family business, they would have places “We realize that for us to have good employees, our waiting for them. employees have to have a good place to live with a good Both gained valuable and diverse experience in quality of life, so we want to do everything we can to their time away from home. improve the quality of life in the city of Greenwood,” Bill Powell Litton finished school at the University of Litton said. Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, and worked for a He compliments his competitors for what they bring cotton company down under. He then took a job with to the area, and Wade Inc. certainly feels like its future the secretary of the U.S. Senate. Wade Litton worked is bright in the Delta even as crops change. in Hawaii for a year, and then at an investment bank Mr. Wade used to tell Litton, “Bill, somebody’s going in Chicago. to farm this land. People have got to eat. They’ve got to In 2003, their father, busy with a growing business, wear clothes,” and that wisdom remains true today. gave them a call. “I said, ‘Hey, listen, there’s a lot of With a good water supply, rich soil and no threat of things going on in the business. Forget the five years; urban sprawl, acres here will remain in agriculture, if you want to come back, come on back.’” they believe. Wade Litton returned that year as service manager Wade Inc. stands ready to keep supplying their equipfor the Greenwood store, which he became general The late George K. Wade, right, served as president manager of in 2006. of Wade Inc. from 1952 to 1980. His son-in-law, Bill ment needs, hopefully for another 100 years. “It’s a passion with me,” Bill Litton said, “and I can Powell had just committed to a new position in Litton, has filled that role since then, and his grandWashington but came back about a year later, first at sons, Powell and Wade Litton, serve as general man- see that same passion not only in Wade and Powell, but in a lot of our employees.” Greenville and then as general manager in agers of two stores.