As seen in the Tried & True Fall 2022 issue
Fratco always has an eye on the horizon for what’s next, and one person on the front lines of the company’s careful expansion is Jerry Weiland: a Fratco sales rep of two years serving customers across the country from North Dakota to Texas.
“My strategy has been to cover lots of territory,” explains Jerry, speaking with Tried and True over phone as he drives from South Dakota to Iowa on Fratco business. “I’m spreading out and getting lots of new things started for when Fratco becomes more concentrated in these areas.”
While the unprecedented scope and scale of his mission might deter other people, Jerry’s many years of experience as an agribusiness expert have prepared him well for the ambitious undertaking. Before Fratco, Jerry spent more than a decade working for a major seed company with over 50 locations around the country. In another past role, Jerry helped farmers grow their operations as an ag loan officer. Combined, these experiences have given Jerry a wealth of knowledge to leverage when explaining the benefits of investing in good drainage to new clients.
“Everyone in this business is looking for that return on their investment,” Jerry explains. “After all, if you’re not always looking to increase your production, you’re just doing it as a hobby–and it’s a pretty expensive hobby, right?”
For the rare exceptions where installing drain tile isn’t the right move for an interested farmer, Jerry appreciates that Fratco’s policy of unwavering integrity encourages him to tell him like it is.
“I’ve met people who were wanting to lay tile where they didn’t have excess water to leach out the salts in their soil. I told them flat out: ‘I don’t want to sell you tile because it’s not going to work for your situation.’”
The willingness to turn away eager prospects for honesty’s sake speaks volumes on the character of Jerry and Fratco alike. But as Jerry points out, it also speaks volumes about the quality of Fratco pipe.
“It makes life pretty easy as a salesman when the product is quality-driven with the reputation to match. It’s like the old sales joke goes…” Jerry says, laughing: “Stop talking unless you wanna lose the sale.”
With the incredible results Jerry has produced for Fratco during just these past two years, it’s plain to see he’s a man who knows exactly when to speak up and when to let quality speak for itself. The company thanks Jerry for the groundwork that he’s laid out all across the country and looks forward to the day when the seeds he has planted bloom to their fullest Fratco potential.