Success in business is often defined by choices. That’s doubly true at Wieland International.
Sam Wieland opened his business buying and selling used farm equipment in 1946. Wieland purchased equipment in major crop-producing states like Iowa, Illinois and Indiana, where inventory was high, and refurbished it before selling it into the smaller agriculture market in Michigan.
The business thrived, and in the 1950s Wieland was approached by Allis-Chalmers and then International Harvester to join their growing dealer networks. Sam Wieland’s son Merle joined the business soon after, and after Sam retired it was Merle who added IH trucks to the company’s offering in 1972. It also was Merle who set the company on its current path, deciding in 1985 to exit the agriculture business and concentrate fully on the truck market.
Nearly 40 years later it’s clear that choice was a good one. Wieland International has expanded to three locations, still serves as one of International’s long-running dealer partners and in 2021 is a first-time finalist for the Successful Dealer Award.
Wieland International recently completed a major overhaul of the parts and service operations at its Saginaw, Mich., headquarters to increase operational efficiency and reduce customer downtime. The redesign has paid major dividends to date.
“We’re a little bit of a non-traditional dealership when you look at our history,” says Rob Cleary, president and dealer principal, who purchased the dealership from Kirk Wieland (Merle’s son) in 2018 after years of working as a truck salesman with the company. “We’ve been a family-owned business for more than 75 years but not all in the same family. Still, being a 75-year-old company, there aren’t many dealers who can say that and we’re pretty proud of that.”
[RELATED: Announcing the 2021 Successful Dealer Award finalists]
