Odessa Trading Co. tops in Western Region sales

Odessa Trading Company, a division of Ritzville Warehouse Co., has been informed that it is the top sales dealer in CaseIH’s Western Region for 2011, and one of the top 28 CaseIH dealers in North America for the year.

In January, the company was entered in a national sales competition, according to OTC general manager H.P. Carstensen.

The dealership was competing in a field of 657 dealerships across nine regions. There were to be 28 winners; the top selling dealers of pre-sold orders for new equipment.

Each winning dealership was to receive an all-expenses-paid trip to “Agritechnica,” the world’s largest exhibition of agricultural machinery, held in Hanover, Germany November 15 through 19.

Carstensen learned in September that OTC had earned one of the 28 spots. The company had pre-sold 28 new units, earning the number-one ranking in the Western Region.

Carstensen, in turn, chose sales representative Don Strebeck to represent OTC on the trip. Strebeck was the top selling salesman at OTC for pre-sell units.

Strebeck, who is originally from Spokane, has worked for OTC since 1993, with a couple of years off while he ran his own combine/tractor repair business. He and his wife, April, are active in the community in many ways. Strebeck is also the town fire chief, and both he and April have been stalwart Deutschesfest volunteers for years. Sons Keith, 8 and Chad, soon to be 6, attend P.C. Jantz Elementary in Odessa. “I’m kind of nervous,” Strebeck said, when asked how he felt about the trip.

Strebeck will be traveling with 27 other salespeople, as well as the Vice President of Sales for CaseIH North America and his team.

Agritechnica is billed as “the world-wide meeting point for the agricultural machinery sector ... where innovations are launched, trends are set and visions are discussed,” according to their website. The equipment on display is the most innovative, technologically advanced equipment in the world.

Agritechnica takes up over 375,000 square yards and is housed in 24 exhibition halls.

Contest winners will arrive in Hanover November 12, and will preview the exhibition the next two days. They will then travel to Berlin, where they will visit a farm and tour the city.

Ritzville Warehouse Co. CEO, John Anderson, told The Journal he is not at all surprised by OTC achieving the top sales dealer award.

“The employees have made great efforts to achieve steady, and significant, improvement in all areas of the business. In that division, everything starts with the sale of a piece of machinery, but all departments, whether it be parts, service, trucking or administration, have done a great job of supporting that original sale. The employees’ combined efforts, coupled with a very loyal and growing customer base, have resulted in this top sales dealer award.”

Anderson further said, “Ritzville Warehouse Co. is very grateful to both our employees and customers for making this award achievable.”