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Jan. 17, 2024 Source: Farm Equipment magazine
And at 34, he was identified as a prodigy within International Harvester's (IH"s) headquarters. But after 13 years with the OEM, he left a promising and impactful career to join the dealers he'd coached during his blockman days. Despite an earlier than desired exit, Wallem is a Hall of Famer not just for his pioneering advancements in technology and best business practices but for what he did to help other dealers survive. His peers recall an outstanding leader, manager and communicator who ushered a new era of business metrics into the industry, long before Deere or Caterpillar earned world-class status in this area. In addition to championing the XL program for IH dealers - which Mike Silberhorn, retired IH territory manager and Cub Cadet executive, says were the only thing that saved many dealers in the 1980s, he was an innovator in leasing/rental and shared the knowledge and economics of the practice with other dealers. His leadership helped other dealers survive by prepping them for the business smarts necessary to weather the storm ahead. True, his business didn't survive the crippling crises of the 1980s, but such is often the outcome of the pioneer. The Rockford, Ill.-based Wallem is now a book writer who has visited Lessiter Media offices several times. In fact he participated in a special visit to Racine, Wis., to meet one-on-one with Case IH executive Scott Harris, 30-some years after the 1985 merger. And he's as dialed in to the industry of 2024 as full-time dealer-principals half his age. A Prodigious Start The son of a dairy farmer in Ransom, Ill., Wallem leveraged a high school program to work as an apprentice mechanic at the local IH dealership. Later, while studying ag mechanization at the Univ. of Illinois, he worked a summer as an in-field salesman for the same dealer and the following year, interned at the IH district office. Following graduation and military service, he landed as an assistant zone manager for IH in Sterling, Ill. in 1958. Three months later, he moved to Madison, Wis. as zone manager, and then to sales promotion supervisor. In 1962, Wallem went to Peoria, Ill., as the youngest sales manager in the country, exposing him to the best and the worst of dealerships, and learning how to deal with problems. In 1964, he moved to the IH general office as product supervisor. Back in those days, OEMs invested deeply in their staff's know-how. "I went into a General Management Training (GMT) program, in which a team of 20 did nothing for a year but visit locations throughout the country for IH trucks, farm equipment and construction equipment, learning everything there was to know about the company and its dealers." To read entire report, Click Here Tweet |
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