Premier Tillage in Quinter established strong roots in 1985 when founders and owners Dan and Darlene Chupp planted the first seeds of their agriculture implement business. This Northwest Kansas venture has since flourished, selling new products and replacement parts for conventional tilling in seven states and two foreign countries.
With 28 full-time employees and an annual payroll of more than $1.1 million, the home-grown company has yielded much success. Yet, even successful businesses face challenges. Such was the case in 2018 when Premier Tillage’s bank was put under a cease and desist order.
“When that happens, it basically takes a business and puts you in concrete – you can’t move,” explained Monte Keller, Premier Tillage CFO. “A bank that doesn’t have any authority, can’t lend money, can’t give up collateral – you’re just stuck.”
For a brand known for literally breaking ground, Premier Tillage immediately began looking for options to keep production moving forward while they transitioned from a troubled bank to a solid lender. That’s where the working relationship with NWKEICI began.
“We needed to acquire a loan to buy raw materials and keep building sweep plows and not have to lay people off,” said Keller. “We needed to find a lender for inventory and working capital.”
Financing from the NWKEICI Business Loan Program allowed Premier Tillage to do just that.
“That’s where NWKEICI came in,” said Keller, adding that the foundation was able to step into a situation that would have been difficult for other traditional lenders to manage. “Finding a bank to cover a business our size in western Kansas – especially with everything going on during a pandemic – would not have been easy.”
Working with NWKEICI was one of the more seamless solutions to the challenge facing Premier Tillage.
“Without them, we had minimal funding options,” Keller said. “It was a really good working relationship. The fact that they were able to step in, and we were able to keep our doors open and not close one day – that’s huge.”
The highly-skilled workforce that keeps the business forging ahead comes from Gove County and the surrounding area. Having a stable, solid employer like Premier Tillage is vital to the area.
“It’s all about keeping quality people in rural America – not just numbers,” Keller said. “We all need people who are productive … and ‘good follows good.’ Our turnover is minimal.”
Premier Tillage’s impact goes beyond paychecks, as they utilize local suppliers as much as possible.
“All of our steel comes from Salina Steel, the tires we buy are local,” Keller noted. “If it can be bought local – it is.”
Keller said Premier Tillage is grateful that NWKEICI was there to support the business during a difficult time and that the foundation’s impact is quite simple.
“NWKEICI allowed us to remain here,” he said. “We never missed a business day, our employees all kept their jobs, and we kept producing plows.”
