Photo by Howard Owens.
NOTE: This is the second of seven stories The Batavian will publish today and tomorrow (Friday and Saturday) about this year's Chamber of Commerce award winners. The awards will be presented on Saturday evening at Batavia Downs. There are tickets still available to the event.
In every sense of the term, Alexander Equipment, 3266 Buffalo St., Alexander, is a family business.
"The only problem with our industry is that it's gotten where all these big companies have gotten bigger, and people are just numbers," said Tom Gadd, second-generation co-owner. "They've lost their touch. I mean, it's really just like texting. I don't get into texting. I'd rather talk to somebody. You know, it's just because it's my age, but people like to deal with people, and people don't realize it anymore. Everybody's not just a number. I mean, I know some of these bigger companies employees that are there, they're like, 'We're just numbers there. We're a spot to fill it.’ I mean, it's just they lose that closeness, I guess. So, maybe you've seen it in your business, I don't know, but it's just nice when it's smaller and people know everybody a little bit better."
Gadd's parents, with the support of their parents, purchased Alexander Garage in 1972. Gadd and his brothers grew up in the business. Today, the business is run by Tom, his wife Tracy, and sons Spencer and Michael (Tom and Tracy also have two adult daughters, Taylor and Emily).
Spencer and Michael also grew up in the business and came back to it after graduating from college. Michael has a degree in engineering, and Spencer has an MBA.
“The boys are coming in. They've got different ideas and are much better with technology," Tracy said. "Their whole generation is good with advertising on Instagram and all of those things, and they're much better with new ideas of how to do things. But I feel like we have a pretty good mix as far as hanging on to our core values and what grandma and grandpa instilled in mom and dad and instilled in their boys, and still being able to move forward."
That attention to core values and changing with the times is among the reasons Alexander Equipment will be honored by the Chamber of Commerce on Saturday as the Agricultural Business of the Year.
Coming out of high school, Tom Gadd wasn't focused on joining the family business. He became a paramedic, a career path he enjoyed (and continued as a volunteer with the Alexander Fire Department), but 10 years into his career, his mother was diagnosed with cancer. That drew both Tom and Tracy into the business as Tom's parents stepped back.
That was in 1995. They've been running the business since.
"This wasn't the route that I was anticipating, but when mom got sick and they needed somebody, we would kind of come in and help out," Tracy said. "I did it after hours for a while, and then she decided that she probably wasn't going to come back, so I started working full time."
Tracy said Tom's grandparents always had a farm in Pembroke, and his mom grew up on the farm.
"I think they wanted to try something business-wise, a little different than farming," Tracy said. "Grandma and Grandpa, I don't think, were real involved in the day-to-day stuff. They were kind of like a silent partner. I would say Mom and Dad kind of took it and flew with it."
In the early days, Alexander Equipment was a Chalmers dealer with a focus on agriculture. Parts and repairs have always been part of the business, as well. While farmers still remain an important customer base, the residential side of the business has grown over the years, especially with Alexander Equipment carrying Kubota products.
At Alexander Equipment, employees are also part of the family.
There's Kenny, for example, in the parts department. "He's been here forever, so he's like a brother," Tom said. "A couple of his kids are Goddaughters."
For years, Alexander Equipment has had a good relationship with the high school, and some students have come to work for the shop, including one kid, now 16, who has been working there for two years.
"He's a really good kid," Tracy said.
"We have another woman who, as a young lady, helped here. She's my age, but she was in our wedding," Tracy said. "She worked here when we got married then left for a while, was raising her family, and has since come back. She works just part-time, but she knows everyone. She knows the business. She does real estate on the side. Two of their girls are our Godchildren. So it really is very family-oriented."
Tracy noted that the family feeling creates a better atmosphere for customers.
"We've got a lot of customers who have been here for a long time, and that's what we try to get when people come in. We want them to feel like they're walking into some place they know and can be comfortable at. And obviously, that's family."
The Chamber Award caught the Gadds by surprise, Tracy said.
"It was completely unexpected. We didn't know that we'd been nominated or anything else," Tracy said. "It's heartwarming. It's a little bit humbling just to know that people think of us that way and think that we're an example, I would say, or that we're good people -- it's hard to put in words. It's overwhelming, a little bit, you know. It makes you feel like you have a responsibility to do better."
