RDO Equipment Co. has announced the acquisition of Washington-based equipment dealership Evergreen Implement, a provider of equipment for agriculture with a special focus on potato crops.

The acquisition adds stores in CouleeCity, MosesLake, Othello, Pasco, and Ritzville to RDO Equipment Co.’s existing network, which includes Pasco and Sunnyside in Washington.

While the addition of new locations and expanded solutions is a benefit to both Evergreen Implement and RDO Equipment Co. customers, the most significant advantages of the partnership lie in the longtime relationship, similar histories, and shared visions between the two companies.

Throughout the years, Evergreen Implement grew – in team members, locations, and solutions offered. 1989 saw the first expansion, with a new store in MosesLake. During the years, Evergreen Implement was continuing to seek opportunities to diversify and expand in strategic ways and one of the biggest opportunities the company identified since the mid-80s was potatoes. Rich Mollette, Evergreen Implement CEO and 40-year employee, explained the energy behind the interest in adding equipment, parts, and service for potato growers: “The customers we were serving primarily operated on a spring-planting to fall-harvest schedule so our business wasn’t as busy in the late fall and winter months.” Mollette continued to explain that this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, saying, “Our service shop stayed busy and we had years we were still profitable all 12 months,” but the company wanted to better utilize all its resources and meet the needs of the large number of potato and row-crop growers in the Pasco area.

In 2005, after 20 years of learning the industry and customer, and working with suppliers, Evergreen Implement entered the potato equipment business with one store and one salesman. That store, located in Pasco, now has five dedicated employees serving the potato industry, and the complete Evergreen Implement company includes 85 team members across its five locations.

This year, after more than 50 years in the dealership business, the founder Roger Thieme made a choice that would set the tone for the next 50, when he decided it was time to retire. Because of a longtime friendship with RDO Equipment Co. founder, Ron Offutt, and encouragement from John Deere, Thieme chose to partner with RDO Equipment Co. to transition his business. In addition, there were several, deeper factors that motivated Roger’s decision to sell Evergreen Implement to RDO Equipment Co. One of the biggest: again, potatoes.