By Mike Lessiter, President
Editor's Note: The following was written for the hard-working staff of Lessiter Media for our quarterly ASPIRE meeting.
Last week at the Farm Equipment Dealership Minds Summit in Iowa City, we held an emotional Hall of Fame ceremony where Mazer Group CFO Wally Butler, and Jon and Andrew Mazer – the sons of Hall of Fame dealer Bob Mazer – addressed a crowd of Bob’s dealer peers about the impactful career of the Canadian farmer and machinery dealer.
Mazer passed unexpectedly in July, early in his bout with cancer, and it was noted that the last interview he ever granted was with Kim Schmidt for the July/August edition of Farm Equipment. Bob’s final year on earth was a big one; first with his selection for the FE Dealer Hall of Fame last winter and then earning the company-wide honor with the prestigious Dealership of the Year award.
Similarly, Christine Book wrote the last known industry article on Ray Koenig of Ohio’s Koenig Equipment, who passed days after notification of his 2025 Hall of Fame induction. His nephew and CEO Aaron Koenig surprised us Monday by registering for the Summit so that he and his wife could accept the award in memory of his beloved uncle and mentor. Aaron’s remarks, too, swelled with emotion and gratitude. You can read all 3 articles via the links above and watch the video ceremony here.
Joe Kuenzle finished off the video of the HOF award ceremony with these two greats, along with Wayne Hunt of H&R Agri-Power. It was the first time we yielded the mics to those honored, and I’m certain that we’ll do it again. A special moment for all ...
“What if this was the last article ever written on them? Don't underestimate the special moments we provide to our audiences...”
Important Lesson Learned That Made Our Work Harder. During my early days in trade media reporting 33 years ago in Chicago (covering metals manufacturing operations) I realized how important something like a feature story – in the industry’s trusted business magazine – could be for the subject. Some of these factories had never been visited by a journalist before, much less one that might frame up their work, culture, engineering innovations or disciplined operational approach in a positive way.
Many of these stories covered small, family-run businesses, and most viewed these interviews as special moments for them, their employees, their companies and even the broader community. Some humbly shared they never imagined that their business – located halfway across the country – could appear on the cover of the industry’s leading magazine.
Once that weight of this idea “took,” I admit it was a lot harder (and took a lot longer) for me to write those articles that it did prior to arriving at that notion. I felt the responsibility and duty, unaware of whether a story might ever again be written about those people or their businesses. The fact that our articles end up in frames, scrapbooks, company trophy cases and heirloom collections is not lost on us and still drives us to pursue our very best today.
Since those days, I’ve tried to meet a certain standard – and the question – “what if this was the last article ever written about them?” Some of our content – in a few remaining print copies or online – are all that remain of some businesses and entrepreneurs. This is not hypothetical; some companies were acquired or were otherwise casualties of the offshoring trend that hit North American manufacturers in the early 2000s. Darwinism is still at play in each of the niches LM covers, too, so this still applies to what we do here as well.
The Honor & Nobility in Our Work. Last winter at the International Hoof-Care Summit, farrier Kerry Haugh mentioned to Jeff Cota and I that his career dream is to be featured in the American Farrier Journal’s “Shoeing for A Living;” a standing feature that Frank Lessiter brought to the industry and remains a unique look into the trade even 30 years later. This comment is from an experienced, accomplished hoof-care pro, who is the president of the Equine Lameness Prevention Organization.
We cannot underestimate the honor attached to the career-making moments of an article or video interview, of presenting at a national conference or the acceptance of an industry award in front of one’s peers. If you've been present during these ceremonies at any of our Lessiter Media events, you’d feel, as they say, “the wind in your eye.” It’s special. And meaningful.
True of Everything We Do. Not all of us are writers or designers, but everything we do here can be viewed in a similar way. Every task you do might be the “last” for a customer. The last article they get to read, the last event they get to attend, the last chance to learn the actionable lessons of our content in any form.
For our advertisers and sponsors, we might be the “secret weapon” that gets them the business deal that buys another year of runway (advertisers have credited us for pushing them to reinvest and promote themselves – because their staff, innovations and companies “deserved it”). Or the chance to license an invention, to find a growth-oriented suitor or discover other opportunities because we made their brand known in our pages, websites and events.
And, of course, don’t forget the teammates each of you show up to support each day.
We never know when our last sunrise will be. We all hope our last day will be well-applied to the mission we pursue – and our families, our customers and teammates.
What we’ll do today impacts how we’ll be remembered tomorrow. Don’t waste it.
This marks the official rebirth of the old “Mike Drop” letters from the old Lessiter Link days. Thanks in advance for indulging in my musings, rants, raves and occasional “teachable moments” from a proud “2nd-generation trade media lifer.” --- Mike Lessiter, President, Lessiter Media Inc.
