By Michael Mee
News-Aegis
Ashville —
Pat Fouts has seen a portion of the history of Fouts Tractor in Ashville, and knows that over time people come to know that quality and dependability are what makes a brand last 70-plus years.
W.O. Fouts began the branding of his family name after opening a service station and garage in the 1920s before becoming a car and international truck dealership in the late 1930s. The last cars were sold at Fouts in Ashville in 1950. By the 1960s it has transformed into a farm equipment dealership, with it remaining to sell trucks until the 1980s.
The family run operation saw current co-manager Pat Fouts’ great-grandfather, W.O., grandfather, C.P. run the businesses over the years before Billy Smith and Charles Fouts took the reigns. Currently Pat and his cousin Mark Smith oversee the daily operations of Fouts.
The company’s model has shown that there isn’t a need to branch out from its Ashville location because they stay busy during peak times in the year and the products offered are located in a convenient spot for people in this county and the greater Gadsden area.
“People can get service here and parts for most anything,” Fouts said. His staff repairs most lines of tractor equipment and sells many lines of equipment that can go behind any tractor.
Fouts primarily sells any sized Kubota tractor and Cub Cadet riding mowers. They also offer a large selection of ATV and farm utility vehicles.
When asked about the changing business climate the Fouts family has seen over its many years in business, Pat said his philosophy is simple: do things the right way. “You can’t predict the weather in business climate. If you do the right thing people will come back. If you do what you think is right and get [customers] what they want instead of selling them what you want to, you’ll see them again.
“You have to take the time to listen and help people. Sometimes, six months later they’ll come back and buy from you because you took the time to show them what you have.” He said having an informed, ready-to-serve staff helps. Fouts Tractor Supply has seven employees.
His family’s attitude of working hard has paid off, Fouts said. “You can’t get anything unless you work for it. You may not make a killing, but you can always survive. There have been times of good sales and not so good years. But I never had to lay anyone off.”
Low interest financing offered by the Kubota line helps keep Fouts competitive with other tractor retailers in the area. “People look at that and they see an advantage,” Fouts said, noting that buying a tractor is a lot like a car.
The tractor industry has grown in the area. “It used to be that you’d have one farmer with a large amount of land who’d buy two tractors. But as they sold their land, you’ll now see that land split into three, five and ten acre tracts. So, in some areas you’ll have 10 or 15 people buying from us where we used to have two tractors sold because of one landowner.
The family business continues for Fouts. Pat’s eight-year-old son, Brett, has even stepped up and helped to sell a tractor last summer.
