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How Hillsboro Equipment grew from a local shop to three stores
Hillsboro Farm Service began in 1948, when two local partners opened a small dealership in a building on a one-acre lot. The business’s connection to the Slama family began when Fritz Slama, then working as a plumber, handled plumbing at the dealership. Don Slama recalled to Successful Farming: “Dad basically did all the plumbing and never left after it was finished!” Fritz joined as a mechanic and later became a salesman.
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Don began working at the dealership in 1970. Fritz became a part owner in 1973, when the business bought land on a hill and built a larger location. Don invested in the business in 1976 and bought out the other owners in 1986, during a difficult period for the farm economy.
The company expanded beyond Hillsboro, Wisconsin, opening Mauston Equipment in Mauston in fall 1991 and adding a Reedsburg store eight years later. The 2023 feature also recounts unsuccessful attempts to establish locations in Bloomington and Wilton, experiences that helped the business refine its approach. Its growth was therefore neither immediate nor a simple march toward expansion.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesIn 2023, Successful Farming described Hillsboro Equipment as celebrating its 75th birthday. The feature also said it was the first Wisconsin dealership to earn Deere’s Super Service Dealer designation, recognizing service-department improvement efforts. It placed that achievement in the late 1980s or early 1990s rather than giving a precise year.
What made the dealership’s approach distinctive
Don Slama described five priorities for the business: customers, old equipment, employees, personal effort, and community. Together, they explain how a three-store dealer could serve farmers with very different budgets, machinery, and technical needs.
Fit the equipment to the customer
The feature says the dealership tried to help customers find equipment that suited both their work and their means. That could mean recommending a used tractor from another brand if it was the better fit, rather than steering a customer toward a Deere purchase. Slama summed up the approach this way: “Take care of your customers, and your customers will take care of you.”
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Keep older machinery working
Many farmers in west-central Wisconsin continued to rely on older equipment. Hillsboro Equipment reportedly maintained a large parts inventory for older tractors, and staff could sometimes find a needed component in the dealership’s own equipment “boneyard.” According to the feature, the parts team used a repeat-demand rule: if a part was ordered three times within a set interval, it stayed on the parts list.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →That practice reflects a useful kind of dealership service: treating repeat needs as a reason to keep a part available, even when the equipment is old. The feature does not provide the interval length or a present-day inventory list, so it should not be read as a guarantee that a particular part is available now.
Help customers use newer technology, too
Supporting older tractors did not mean avoiding new technology. The article describes staff helping farmers with Deere guidance, mapping, and monitoring tools, as well as helping a potato harvester communicate with Deere equipment. It also reports work with Soucy aftermarket tracks for cranberry growers operating in wet fields.
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- Multi functional space decoration: perfect for upgrading blank walls in home kitchens, garages, bedrooms, bars, or garden fences; By seamlessly integrating into dynamic gallery displays and office backgrounds.
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The dealership was responding to practical operating conditions, not just selling standard equipment. The feature also noted rising compact-tractor purchases across its three stores for acreage maintenance, a trend it described in 2023.
Put effort into the work
Slama used the phrase “GAS” to describe the effort he expected from himself and the team. As quoted in the feature, he said: “GAS stands for ‘Give A Sh*t’ and it’s the most important thing you’ll hear me say.” In context, the blunt phrase points to an expectation of personal attention and follow-through—not a technical business program.
Why employees and community mattered
The feature portrays staff continuity as part of Hillsboro Equipment’s service model. Sally Kraemer, the company’s marketing and social media lead, told author Ryan Roossinck that when asked about a technician shortage, “Ryan, we don’t have one. We’ve had a full staff for years.” She connected retention to workplace culture: “If they love where they work, it makes it pretty hard to leave.”
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- Multi functional space decoration: perfect for upgrading blank walls in home kitchens, garages, bedrooms, bars, or garden fences; By seamlessly integrating into dynamic gallery displays and office backgrounds.
- Effortless safe mounting: Engineered with smooth round corners and four pre-drilled holes; supports multi-way setups via screws rope or double-sided tape to answer durability needs without bending or rusted damage.
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Don Slama told the magazine that 80% of employees had worked at the company for 20 years or more. That figure is his reported estimate in the 2023 feature, not a current workforce statistic. General manager and vice president James Taylor was described as approaching his 35th anniversary with the business that year.
Community involvement took a particularly visible form in the Hillsboro Charity Tractor Pull. Slama and volunteers started the annual event to respond to local needs beyond conventional fundraising. The feature describes it as part of the Pro Pulling League schedule, with help from groups including the fire department, FFA, and other community organizations.
Roossinck reported that one weekend of volunteer work generated $30,000 for the fire department’s operating budget. He also wrote that the event had brought “millions of dollars of revenue” into the community over time, while noting that he did not know the charity group’s total fundraising amount as a 501(c)(3). That community-revenue description is the author’s account, not an audited total of donations raised.
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- Expressive art style: Transform any room with a variety of metal posters featuring different themes, showcasing your lifestyle and becoming the starting point for conversations between friends.
- Premium metal material: Made of durable industrial-grade aluminum, featuring a high color reproduction printing process; dimensions are 12 x 8 inches, with a slim and stylish appearance, waterproof and rust-proof.
- Multi functional space decoration: perfect for upgrading blank walls in home kitchens, garages, bedrooms, bars, or garden fences; By seamlessly integrating into dynamic gallery displays and office backgrounds.
- Effortless safe mounting: Engineered with smooth round corners and four pre-drilled holes; supports multi-way setups via screws rope or double-sided tape to answer durability needs without bending or rusted damage.
- Warm gift options: can be used as unforgettable souvenirs for family, colleagues, collectors, or close friends; It is a creative gift for housewarming, Father's Day, birthdays, or gatherings.
Slama explained the motivation in personal terms: “You know, there’s a lot of good people in this world, and a lot of sick people in this world, and some of ‘em need help. We got to do what we can to help them.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the 75-year story shows—and what it does not
Hillsboro Equipment’s history offers a specific example of how a regional dealership can distinguish itself: by matching equipment to customers, supporting legacy machinery, developing technical capability, retaining experienced employees, and taking part in local life. It does not establish that a smaller dealership is always better than a larger one, or provide measured comparisons with competitors.
The account here is based on Ryan Roossinck’s reported feature in Successful Farming, published August 18, 2023: “Beyond Big Dealerships: The 75-year Legacy of Hillsboro Equipment.” It is an interview-based feature, not an audited company history. Current ownership, store operations, parts availability, inventory, and future tractor-pull dates are not established by that article.
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