Perry brothers add new ONTRAC Equipment locations

Their equipment business expands -- The Perry brothers purchased two Rochester area equipment retailers, bringing the number of ONTRAC stores to five. Shown (l to r) David, Ron and Keith Perry in front of their Brockport store. The family business got its start in North Chili in 1981.

Perry brothers add new ONTRAC Equipment locations

The success of ONTRAC Equipment Corporation comes down to basic good business practice, service to the customer before, during, and after the sale. On February 6, ONTRAC Equipment Corporation purchased two new locations: 185 Route 31F in Macedon and 1802 Route 332 in Canandaigua, both former Bob James Equipment businesses. In addition to their existing stores in North Chili, Brockport and Henrietta, that acquisition makes ONTRAC Equipment Corporation the largest singularly-owned group of John Deere dealerships in the northeast.

Owned by the Perry brothers of Ogden – Ron, Keith and David – the business started out in 1981 as Hardware Haus in North Chili. Opened as a side business by their father, Oliver Perry, a local Real Estate developer, Hardware Haus was the typical neighborhood family-owned hardware store. They took on a small line of John Deere lawn mowers to help meet the needs of their customers, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Over the years the business grew and expanded. In 1983, the Perrys opened their Brockport location, and in 1993 the John Deere company came to the brothers and asked them to open a location in Henrietta to better serve the population of the Rochester area.

“We’ll take the same business approach we’ve always had in our stores into the two new stores, offering premier products at a fair price with excellent service after the sale,” Keith Perry said.

That attention to detail in business operation has earned ONTRAC Equipment the Gold Star certification from the John Deere Corporation. The program recognizes dealerships which excel in providing their customers with the total John Deere ownership experience. Each dealership is evaluated in five functional areas including sales and marketing, customer support, operational management, retail environment and employee development. All three ONTRAC Equipment locations are Gold Star certified and the brothers plan to bring the two new locations up to those standards.

The John Deere company evaluates each location on the way they do business.

“We believe in educating the customer, then they can make the right decision based on their specific price range and needs. There are lots of variables,” David Perry said. The fact that each ONTRAC Equipment location can provide the full range of lawn care equipment, not just a few choices, makes for matching the right product to fit the needs of each individual customer.

All ONTRAC Equipment locations carry a full line of John Deere lawn maintenance equipment, from push mowers to 95HP tractors, line trimmers, chain saws and other lawn and garden machinery. They also carry Troy Bilt, Scag and Echo lines of power equipment.

The business has always been a family business. “When we were young, we all went our separate ways for a while, but we all ended up coming back to the family business,” Ron Perry said.

Keeping in line with a true family business, their sister, Donna Lee Perry, also works in the business along with all of the wives of the Perry brothers, Diane, Judy and Donna Perry, as well as Ron and Diane’s son, Eric.

Each of the brothers is based in different locations and holds different specialties within the business function. Ron is in the Henrietta location, 4111 West Henrietta Road, and specializes in service and handling the line of larger tractors that are used by municipalities.

Keith is at the Brockport locations, 7689 Ridge Road West, and specializes in sales. David is in North Chili and specializes in technical support and communication.

In 2004, the North Chili business was moved from the site of the original Hardware Haus in Towne Plaza to a 13,000 sq. ft. building at 3237 Union Street in North Chili which houses the new store and warehouse facility.

With five locations, the Perrys believe the goal of service after the sale will only be better achieved. “It will really help with efficiency for pick-up and delivery for maintenance of the equipment,” Keith Perry said. John Deere believes that building the highest quality of commercial and consumer equipment is just the start of the total John Deere ownership experience; that the commitment must continue long after the sale. That is the same business philosophy adopted by the Perry brothers and ONTRAC Equipment and they sum it up in their company slogan: “The right product, right dealer, right price – you gotta get ONTRAC!”