Tom Johnston

Background

About Tom Johnston

For 14 years I worked for the family business Johnston Tractors Ltd, which has my father Howard Johnston as Managing Director/Owner and my auntie Lorna Johnston as Company Secretary/Owner. Working under their guidance, in a 60-year-old company started in 1962 by their father and my grandfather Frank Johnston; I have gained invaluable insight into the requirements of running an Agricultural machinery dealership successfully within a challenging and changeable business environment. The company operates from Carlisle in Cumbria at the far north-west of England near the Scottish border, Penrith in central Cumbria, and Dumfries in Dumfries and Galloway south-west Scotland. The farming in these areas is mostly grassland for meat production (beef and sheep) or dairy, although the dealership’s territory does extend to some more arable orientated areas. The main brand partnerships are: Fendt and Valtra tractors (both AGCO brands), Kuhn farm machinery and Suzuki all-terrain vehicles. The company was a John Deere agricultural and residential equipment dealer for a large part of its history from 1990 to 2018, and it is with that brand which I have most of my experience. In 2017 a separate business division was established with the trading name BH Plant Sales (also based in Carlisle) to specialises in the supply of plant and construction equipment. This diversification was prompted by the acquisition of the Cumbria based Takeuchi excavator dealership Bill Hodgson Sales Ltd. The division has experienced steady growth with an increased area of responsibility for Takeuchi and other products added to the portfolio. The Merlo construction telehandler range being a notable addition.