Company provides equipment at Lake Wheeler Road
Media Contact: Gary Cartwright, director, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dairy Enterprise System, 919.513.2488 or gcart@ncsu.edu
Sometimes, circumstances just seem to conspire to produce a desirable outcome.
Consider: The North American headquarters of the Kioti Tractor Division of Daedong-USA Inc. just happens to be in Wendell. And the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Lake Wheeler Road Dairy Research and Teaching Farm is in what Gary Cartwright, director of the CALS Dairy Enterprise System, calls “dire” need of tractors and other equipment.
Cartwright had noticed the Wendell headquarters of the South Korean tractor and equipment manufacturer and the beautiful new tractors parked out front, and with Keith Oakley, CALS executive director for college advancement, pursued a partnership. Cartwright contacted Kioti, which is pronounced the same way “coyote” is, and spoke with Ron Parrish, Kioti marketing manager and an N.C. State University graduate.
Active discussions with Kioti top leaders including Tony Brown, sales and marketing director, explored the mutual benefits of the Kioti-University relationship. Shortly thereafter, Kioti agreed to a no-cost lease of a 60 horsepower tractor, front-end loader and a farm utility vehicle called a Mechron 2200S to be used at Lake Wheeler Road.
Cartwright said the lease is for a year, “but we expect this to be a long-term relationship with Kioti.” Indeed, in late February, the company held its North American dealer meeting at the dairy, an event that attracted 240 Kioti dealer representatives and more than 50 tractors and assorted vehicles.
Cartwright points out that the Kioti logo touting the silhouette of a coyote looks very much like a wolf, while the company’s slogan is, “Run ahead of the pack.”
“We consider this a perfect fit,” he says.
Written by: Dave Caldwell, 919.513.3127 or dave_caldwell@ncsu.edu
