Nebraska-based John Deere dealership Oregon Trail Equipment and LandMark Implement have announced the businesses will merge, according to a report in The Marysville Advocate. 

Oregon Trail Equipment owner Rick Bennett made the announcement to customers in a letter on Nov. 12. In the letter he said, “Even though the company will be going through a name change, most of the people you deal with every day, from the parts department to the sales team, will not change."

Oregon Trail Equipment was formed back in 2003 when three John Deere dealerships merged.

“Because a number of LandMark Implement dealerships are located in adjacent counties to the Oregon Trail stores, the merger also forms a near-continuous dealer network that spans from Marysville to Gothenburg, Neb.,” Bennett said in the letter. “That translates into a number of customer benefits, including an even more extensive parts supply, a larger new and used equipment inventory and specialized product support.”

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According to the report, Bennett plans to retire and his two sons, Justin and Luke Bennett, are buying his interest in the company. Mike Kongs, who has been a business partner since Oregon Trail Equipment was formed by the merger of 3 dealerships back in 2003, will remain a part of the new organization. 

Oregon Trail Equipment currently has locations in Marysville, Beatrice, Fairfield, Hastings, Hebron, Superior and Red Cloud, Neb. LandMark Implement has locations in Holdrege, Arapahoe, Elwood, Kearney, Minden, Shelton, Lexington and Gothenburg, Neb., as well as Phillipsburg and Smith Center, Kan. 

Read the full article here.