Butler Ag Equipment Partners on New Diesel Tech Academy

Butler Ag Equipment Partners on New Diesel Tech Academy Main Photo

7 Aug 2017


Education News

The Greater Fremont Development Council is here to support local area businesses with whatever their needs may be. Our objective is to find solutions, no matter how outside the box they may seem. This manifested itself in the creation of a new Diesel Tech Academy, an idea that arose out of conversations with Tad Dinkins and other local industry leaders. Butler Ag  Equipment is a full line AGCO dealer with stores in Fremont, Pickrell, Kearney and Chadron, NE. They take care of customers from across the area but what they don’t have is enough diesel technicians or an applicant pool to hire from. “We struggle to find good, quality techs with any kind of experience.  We have also begun to realize that we need to back-up and grow our own pool of techs before we can find experienced ones” said Tad Dinkins, Store Manager for Butler Ag Equipment in Fremont.

Mr. Dinkins said of the Diesel Tech Academy, “Our involvement initially began with a conversation with the Greater Fremont Development Council about our need for techs.  The GFDC acted on that conversation and worked to bring together partners from education and industry to discuss developing this program – all based on a conversation.  I honestly felt this was one of those conversations that would go nowhere, but they acted on it… When they approached us about needing space for the Academy, we offered our Fremont facility to be used as the main location to host it.  The DTA (taught by Metropolitan Community College) will be using our training room for class instruction and our shop space as their lab to actually work on engines and trucks for training the students.”

As students from area high schools move through the program, local industry will have access to trained diesel technicians that can easily become part or fulltime employees. This compliments some of the activities Butler Ag is already doing, such as hiring high school students who are interested in working for the company after graduation.

How Being Located in Fremont Has Helped Butler Ag Equipment Grow

Of being located in Fremont, Mr. Dinkins said, “Fremont and Dodge County are heavily reliant on the agriculture industry.    We are in the regional hub with access to people, close to grain elevators, near a number of value-added agricultural suppliers and literally next door to other implement dealers.  Our customers come to Fremont on an almost daily basis to do some type of business.  We are in the optimal spot in close proximity to our customer base.”

“The GFDC has helped businesses like ours by working tirelessly to get a national company (Costco/LPP) here that will help the local Ag industry tremendously.  This company will help our customers that will in turn drive more potential business to us.  Outside of helping to solve our shortage of technicians, their work to foster new Ag business in the region helps our business more, in my opinion, than any other support that they could offer.”

Discover How the Greater Fremont Development Council Can Help You

We invite you to have a conversation with the team at GFDC to discover how we can assist your business and help you to overcome any challenges you may be facing. You never know where the conversation may lead.