Archives: Blogs

2019 seems like so long ago. For example: in November of 2019, Tom Brady was still a Patriot, Old Town Road was in the top 20 on the Billboard Charts, and the national average for a gallon of gas was $2.60. LS Tractor also had a big 2019.

We had just celebrated our 10^th birthday in the USA and we had our annual dealer conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sadly, we all know what happened in 2020 and how the world was forced to change overnight. One of the biggest changes was the cancelation of many in-person events, a change that continued until earlier this year.

 

Thankfully, the world has settled into a new normal (yeah, we know. We’ll put a dollar in the “Things We’re Tired of Hearing” Jar.) and we can now start having in person conferences, trainings, and events again! After searching the US, the LS Tractor Team found the perfect city to host our glorious return: San Antonio, Texas. If you have ever heard of San Antonio, you probably know it from two things: The Riverwalk, a social district winding throughout the city, or the historic Alamo, the fabled battlefield where American legends such as Davey Crockett and Jim Bowie died fighting for Texas’s freedom.

 

Our Conference officially kicked off on November 7 as our attendees arrived at the San Antonio Airport. Dealers were greeted by LS Tractor displays at baggage claim and were able to hop on the LS Express shuttle to be taken directly to our hotel, the Hyatt Regency Riverwalk. At check-in, dealers were handed specially made room keys with our LS Tractor and Slogan on one side, and a unique Mossy Oak camo pattern on the other. After visiting our conference registration booth, where they received a welcome bag and other goodies, our dealers had a few hours to explore San Antonio before our welcome reception got the night started.

 

Monday evening, our dealers walked across the block to the Alamo for a private welcome reception. Attendees sampled local Tex-Mex cuisine, drank beverages that were made near San Antonio, and rocked out with Gunpowder Soup, San Antonio’s favorite party band. During the concert, LS Tractor CEO Mike Kim and Vice President of Sales Mark Oehmke welcomed the dealers and thanked them for coming to Texas. We had so much fun that the band didn’t want to leave and played five “encore” songs to keep the party going after hours.

 

After a good nights sleep, dealers started the morning off right with a delicious breakfast before General Session started. LS Mtron CEO Mr. Shin welcomed our dealers and sponsors before debuting a brand new video highlighting the partnership between South Korea and the USA over the years. Our CEO Mike Kim then took the stage to show everyone in attendance a look into the future of LS Tractor before Finance, Dealer Development, Parts, and Product gave updates on what they are working on for 2023. Dealers were then divided up into four groups and took turns rotating through our breakout sessions, where they heard from Product, Service, Marketing, and visited with several of our sponsors at our LS Tractor Vendor Hall.

 

After breakouts wrapped up, dealers attended the afternoon slate of General Sessions. Marketing kicked off the afternoon by announcing a new partnership with Mossy Oak. More information and details will be arriving this winter, so stay tuned to the LS Tractor Blog to learn what this exciting partnership means for you! Finally, our key-note speaker Lou Mongello gave tips on how to create a platinum customer experience at our dealerships.

 

This year, we debuted a new event for new dealers. The New Dealer Reception was held before our Awards Banquet and allowed our newest dealers time to mingle and interact with LS Tractor employees and members of the LS Tractor Dealer Council. Immediately following the reception, all dealers went to the annual Awards Banquet. Be sure to catch our next blog post announcing our winners! The night ended with a magical announcement: next years conference will be held in Orlando, Florida!

 

Wednesday started off with another delicious breakfast before we loaded up the LS Express once more to head to Pedrotti’s Ranch for our hands on product day. Dealers were greeted by a trick roper and his horse before heading into the rodeo arena. On the way into the arena, dealers got a first look at our new Mossy Oak Camo Tractor! Once everyone settled into their seats, our trick roper showed everyone a few tricks before handing over the reins to our Product Team. The Product Team spent all morning showing off our tractor line up and ended the session by debuting our brand new MT2 models, arriving later next year.

 

After spending some time riding and driving our tractors, Dealers wrapped up the conference by meeting with their territory Business Managers. Once the territory meetings were over, LS Employees lined up to show our appreciation to every single one of our dealers. We know that they are an important part of our family and we can’t wait to continue partnering with all of them in the future.

 

A lot can change in three years. Tom Brady moved on and won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay and thankfully, America’s musical taste has advanced past Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus. One thing that hasn’t changed though is how much we appreciate our dealers. Events like Dealer Conference are just one way we get to see them and show how much they mean to us. Although we can’t predict exactly what the next three years will hold (Brady to the Panthers, anyone?), we can say that LS Tractor will continue to show our dealers and our customers why they should Start Blue and Stay Blue.

Have you ever heard the saying “When you marry someone, you also marry their family”? Tractor buying is no different. When you go looking for a new tractor to use around your house or farm, you are not only choosing a tractor company, you are also choosing a local dealer! Here at LS Tractor, we know that your local dealer is one of the most important people in your tractor owning life, so we make sure that our dealers are educated on our products and services and they have the support they need.

 

Throughout the year, LS Tractor offers several training classes all around the nation to help ensure our dealer network is up to date on all of our newest products. These trainings not only offer informative presentations with LS staff, they also allow your local dealer to have hands on training using our new tractors and implements so they can help you with any question you may have. Do you need to know if you need a Root Rake or a Root Grapple? Ask your dealer!

 

Are you needing to have your tractor serviced? We train on that too! Our parts and service department holds multiple service trainings to help your local dealers service staff learn the tips and tricks that can get your tractor serviced and back out working for you as quick as possible. And if your dealer needs some backup, our service department has service managers all over the US and Canada to make sure that your dealer has the support and resources they need.

 

Between Service Trainings, Dealer Trainings, and Conferences and Workshops, we offer over 11 weeks of training throughout the year! With all of this training, you can rest easy knowing that you are buying a tractor from a dealer who knows what they are talking about. After all, when you buy a tractor, you are joining their family. With our dealer support services, we make sure that our dealers are your fun cousin who you love seeing and not that weird uncle you avoid. So go pay your local LS dealer a visit and come join our family today!

A person’s worth isn’t by how much they accumulate, but instead by how much they can give back to their community and those in need. At LS Tractor, we believe that corporations and businesses should be judged the same way, which is why we are proud to announce our newest local program.

When Kawtar Lourhraz first started working at LSTA in Assembly as the Product Management Engineer, she noticed that we had a box problem: mainly that we had too many boxes and nothing to do with them. You see, whenever we get deliveries of implements or attachments, they come in wood crates. These wood crates would then sit at one of our assembly plants until a disposal company would come pick them up to recycle. However, Kawtar saw an opportunity to both help open up much needed space in the warehouse AND help out people in the Battleboro community. She realized that the boxes were the perfect size to be repurposed into garden boxes.

 

After doing some research, Kawtar contacted the Conetoe Family Life Center and talked to Reverend Richard Joyner, the Chairman of the Board and a local commissioner. After a few emails, they both agreed that the boxes would be a perfect fit and started planning the program.

 

Rev. Joyner used his contacts within the community and placed several boxes around the city for free community gardens. He also reached out to a local nursery who agreed to help modify boxes if needed and who would supply recipients with free plants so they can grow their own food. He then opened up applications for these food and garden boxes to anyone in the city and has gotten overwhelming positive feedback, especially from schools and the seniorcitizen population, who may not be able to bend over and garden.

As the growing season continues, we will keep you posted on how the gardens are doing! Special thanks to Kawtar for putting this community project together and for thinking about ways to help our community. We want everyone in our community to know that no matter what happens, LS has your back and we look forward to starting more community initiatives soon!

Did you know LS Tractor has been making tractors since 1977? It’s true! In 1977, Korea Heavy Industries and Construction Company began production of a new line of tractors in Gunpo, South Korea in collaboration with Fiat. Then, in 1983, LS Mtron acquired KHIC’s tractor division and LS Tractor was officially born. In 1997, LG Machinery took the next big step in becoming a worldwide company and started exporting machinery overseas.  In 2003, LS Mtron spun off the LG Group, which is known for their electronics, and became the best-selling tractor in South Korea in 2013. Tractors are made in our state-of-the-art factory in South Korea and then shipped overseas to plants in Brazil, China and right here in America.

LS Tractor USA, or LSTA, was founded in 2009 and we quickly signed an OEM, or Outside Equipment Manufacturer, agreement with Case/ New Holland to provide tractors for their lower HP lines. Once all the paperwork was finished, we chose Battleboro, North Carolina as our new North American Headquarters and main assembly plant.

Once the tractors arrive from South Korea, they head to one of our three assembly plants: North Carolina, Louisiana, or California. Once at their respective plant, our assembly team works tirelessly to get the tractors ready for their new home. Our assembly teams do everything from putting on the needed tires, to installing cabs or ROPS systems, to adding any extra accessories, such as our front-end loaders or mid-deck mowers. Once the tractors are ready to go, they are shipped to your local dealer where you can pick up the newest member of your team!

Finding a dealer in your neck of the woods won’t be a problem either! LS Tractor USA has a dealer network of over 350 independently owned and operated dealerships across the United States and Canada, so chances are you have a friendly face right down the road who can answer any of your LS Tractor questions. If there isn’t a dealer located near you, don’t worry! We are constantly adding new, qualified dealers who can provide our legendary LS Service.

LS Tractor USA also has a robust parts network for your local dealer. Our parts department, headquartered just a few miles away from our Battleboro HQ, prides itself on quickly getting your dealer the parts they need to keep your LS Tractor in top shape.

Although most of our full-time staff works out of our Battleboro HQ, in 2021 we opened a new Sales and Marketing Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, just minutes away from RDU Airport and the famed Research Triangle Park. This new location allows us to recruit new team members from areas such as Duke University, NC State University, UNC Chapel Hill, and from the many tech companies that call the region home.

As you can see, with dealers in every state and throughout Canada, a parts network that ensures your tractor stays ready for whatever you need it for, and assembly plants across America, LS Tractor USA is well equipped to help build America’s future: one project at a time.