Grayson Haenig is part of the School to Work program at MHS. Lora Parcel coordinates this valuable work-experience for students. Grayson job shadowed workers at Birkey’s in Mattoon during the summer of 2023 and enjoyed the experience so much that he asked to be placed there for the school year as an intern. While a student at MHS, Grayson took a small engines course at the Forsythe Center through LLC; however, he contributes his personal experience working on tractors and cars for giving him confidence to do the job he’s doing currently at Birkey’s.
Birkey’s supervisors said that Grayson is “hard-working, eager to learn, asks questions, and doesn’t stand around”. “He’s always looking for something to do and learn more about” said Clay Berner, Service Manager-Mattoon. Before Grayson was able to work alongside the Birkey’s crew, he learned safety procedures. His supervisors explained that safety is first and foremost. They look for students like Grayson who have a farm background, common sense, and have a sense of curiosity of how things work.
The company offers full time employment for students who complete a two-year associate’s degree at Parkland College that Case helps to sponsor. There are over dozen stores and each offers this program.
Grayson said he loves his job at Birkey’s and plans to begin working there full time after graduation. The only drawback of him working in Mattoon is the long drive, which means he uses lots of gas getting to and from the job-site. He said that the School to Work program has “built me up for the career I’ve chosen.” He added that “the good people he works with and having fun on the job are the best parts about working at Birkey’s.”
Birkey’s has a long history of service to the community. Management said that they have a great team of people who highlight the features of the business and directed me to the website that includes information on how it all started…
“Sixty years ago, Birkey’s Farm Store began with a very simple seed—the mechanical ability of a couple of farm boys, and their desire to fix things. This is the humble beginning that set Birkey’s on its course, growing from one small shop in Fisher to 16 stores and more than 400 employees throughout Central Illinois and Indiana.
Ellis “Turk” Birkey was a mechanical genius who created a variety of mechanical and electric contraptions while still a youngster on the family farm. He aspired to be a service technician, and, following his example, three of his younger brothers aspired to be mechanics, too.
Turk and the second oldest brother, Marvin, left the farm while they were still teenagers and started Birkey’s Service in Fisher, where they built a solid reputation for repairing equipment. Before and after World War II, a third brother, Floyd, went to work for the local Allis Chalmers dealership, just down the road from his brothers’ shop.
In 1954, the International Harvester dealership in the area went out of business, and the three Birkey brothers joined with a partner, Jack McJilton, to open Birkey’s Farm Store in Fisher as the new IH dealer. A younger Birkey brother, Kelly, was hired as a mechanic, making him the very first Birkey’s store employee. He later went on to become an owner.
Just two years later, the Birkey brothers acquired the IH franchise in Thomasboro. “Because there was a lot of talent among the four of them, they had the ability to grow,” said Ron Birkey, Floyd’s son, who served as president & CEO of the company from 2000 to 2012. Three years later, the Birkey brothers consolidated their two locations into a new store they built in Rantoul. That was a key decision in the company’s history, Ron Birkey said, because it demonstrated the company owners were able to recognize opportunities, and how to grow their business. They realized that the heart of the customer base was in Rantoul, and they would be better able to serve customers and to grow from Rantoul. “The move to Rantoul redefined them … from small-town boys to visionaries who respond to opportunity.”
In 1969, Birkey’s was again receptive to opportunity’s knock as it became the first Steiger tractor dealer east of the Mississippi River. “We had decided we needed a big tractor, and IH didn’t have one,” Hedge recalled. The Steiger was a four-wheel-drive (4WD) tractor and was the basis for the 4WD tractor Case IH sells today. Adding the Steiger line allowed Birkey’s Farm Store to achieve greater penetration and fuel growth while providing customers an important product.
Birkey’s added the Case Construction Equipment franchise in Urbana in 1988. “Even though it’s a different customer base, the business is very similar. It’s delivery of equipment, parts and service to customers, executed in essentially the same way we deliver and support ag equipment,” said Ron Birkey. Today four Birkey’s stores handle construction equipment.
In 1991, Birkey’s merged with Oakland Farm Supply, turning the store in Oakland into a Birkey’s Farm Store. The store had been in the Campbell family since 1947, but “We needed accounting help, and Birkey’s had what we needed,” said Jim Campbell, who joined Birkey’s as an owner in the merger. In 1992, Birkey’s then merged with McGrath’s who had two stores in Gibson City and Hudson, IL. Bob Carley became an owner at that time, later retiring in 2001.
“The move to Rantoul redefined them … from small-town boys to visionaries who respond to opportunity.” – Ron Birkey, former President & CEO. However, when the company went from four stores to seven in the space of a few years, “It caused us to sit back and re-evaluate. All of a sudden we were a big business,” said Mike Hedge, president & CEO of Birkey’s since 2013. While Birkey’s owners have always run their stores like entrepreneurs, there was a need for some centralized structure. The company added an administration office to handle functions such as human relations, taxes, and accounting. “By taking care of administrative tasks, we enable our store personnel to stay close to, and focus on, what’s important … the customer,” Hedge explained.
The company was able to vastly improve parts service by instituting a centralized Parts Distribution Center in 2000. Thanks to computers and a company-wide parts shuttle service, parts managers can move parts from the warehouse or one store to another in a matter of hours, replenishing the stock of commonly used items and providing easy access to less frequently used inventory.
In 2001, Case IH lost a multi-dealership complex in western Illinois. Case IH equipment owners were having to drive 100 miles to find a dealer when they needed parts or service, so Case IH suggested Birkey’s open a store in the western part of the state.
The request caused some serious soul-searching among Birkey’s owners, Ron Birkey recalled. Until then, Birkey’s has always acquired dealers in the contiguous territory, and now the company was being asked to go 100 miles beyond where it normally did business. Eventually, Birkey’s accepted Case IH’s offer, and opened a store in Galesburg in 2002.
In recognition of Birkey’s successful growth and unique management style, Farm Equipment Magazine named Birkey’s its Dealership of the Year in 2007 out of nearly 7,000 dealers in North America. The magazine praised the owners for their “teamwork and ability to pull together” for the good of the organization, while utilizing sound business practices.
As it celebrates 60 years in business, Birkey’s is poised to continue business as usual—serving the needs of our customers by providing exceptional equipment and service. “Over the last 60 years, we have done a good job in managing changes in our environment, be it changes in equipment or in technology,” said Mike Hedge. “We have always been an organization that values relationships with customers above all. We will continue to be committed to satisfying needs in the context of building those relationships.”
It is clear from the long rich history of this company why Grayson considers it a privilege to be a part of their workforce. MHS is proud of Grayson and the hard work he has put in to prepare for his future career!
Representatives from Birkey will visit Martinsville High School soon to promote their free college tuition program and present information to prospective employees who might want to share in the positive experience that Grayson Haenig has had this year in the School to Work Program.