2 iconic agriculture businesses announce deal sending Fisher Farm ...

Fisher Farm & Lawn, the Tangent-based John Deere retailer and seller of commercial and residential agriculture equipment, is no more.?Pap? Machinery purchased the company and its assets last week. Fisher's seven stores across the state reopened Tuesday branded with the Pap? name.?

Patrick Richards, former Fisher president and general manager, said the negotiations started about six months ago. He described the sale as a "mutual coming together."?

"Pap? is a great company, a growing company," Richards, 43, said. "We felt like it would be a great thing for our employees."?

Fisher and Pap? are two iconic names in Oregon's agriculture community. Collectively, they share more than 160 years of history as family-run businesses.?

Pap? Machinery, part of Pap? Group Inc., has 30 retail locations in Idaho, Washington, California, Nevada and Oregon. The Eugene-based company will "more than double" its John Deere sales territory with the purchase, according to a company statement.?

Founded in 1938, the Pap? Group has 1,700 employees specializing in selling, renting and servicing heavy-duty equipment for construction, agricultural, trucking and other industries.?

Pape Machinery

Who: Part of the Pape Group of companies, based in Eugene.

Founded: 1938

What: The company sells, rents and services equipment for the construction, agrioculture, trucking and other industries at its 30 retail locations in Idaho, Washington, California, Nevada and Oregon.

Employees: There are 1,700 employees in the Pape Group.

Pap? officials declined to comment on the financial particulars of the deal.?

Spokesman Pat Walsh responded to questions via email, and said the purchase broadens and diversifies Pap?'s services. He describes the deal as "an exciting opportunity to expand Pap?'s footprint to provide quality John Deere equipment and outstanding service to customers in the Willamette Valley's agricultural and turf industry."?

In a release, Ryan Pap?, director of agriculture and turf, indicated the purchase harkens to the company's roots in agriculture equipment sales throughout the Willamette Valley.?

The company did retain most of Fisher's 160 employees, according to Richards.?

The Pap? offer came at a perfect time -- a recent economic uptick helped position the company for sale, Richards said. "You don't know how long these economic opportunities are going to last."?

Harold and Floyd Fisher founded the company, known for much of its existence as Fisher Implement Company, in 1925. Floyd returned to the farming life, but Harold continued the business. Everett Richards, Patrick's grandfather, started working for the company in the mid-1930s.?

Everett and Jim Richards, Patrick's father, purchased the company from Harold's widow in 1964. The headquarters moved to Tangent from Albany in 1999. With more than 80 years of family tradition, Richards, said the sale is bittersweet. "That was a big part of not just my life but a lot of people's lives," he said.?

Fisher Farm & Lawn

Founded: 1925

What: The company specialized in John Deere sales and services for both commercial and residential uses.

Employees: 160 employees at 7 Oregon stores. The majority of those employees now work for Pape.

Geoff Horning, executive director of the Agri-Business Council of Oregon, said the deal was no surprise to industry leaders. "Word started rumbling early in the summer," he said.?

Pap? is a respected business and has strong name recognition, Horning said, but Fisher's name also carried weight. "Losing those family establishments always has its ramifications."?

Pap?'s familiarity with the Northwest and its Oregon roots was crucial to the deal, Richards said. "Certainly it's change and like most people, our customers don't like to see changes," Richards said. He expected both employees and customers will see the benefits of Pap?'s added size and scope.?

Richards said he was not retained as part of the agreement. He's still tying up some loose ends with shutting down the business operation.?

Richards donated some of the company's historic John Deere equipment and memorabilia to the Oregon Two-Cylinder Club, a John Deere museum, for posterity.?

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2012/09/two_iconic_agriculture_busines.html

beverly hilton hotel whitney houston found dead i will always love you whitney houston 2012 grammy awards powerball results pebble beach golf beverly hilton