IEDA Podcast

In the early days of your journey to build up a profitable equipment business, you might not have put a lot of emphasis on what it would be like to become a leader. Now that you've got a team, whether small or large, applying good leadership skills may be on your radar, especially when problems crop up. In this episode, we welcome a professional counselor to the mic, bringing a different kind of perspective on what good leadership looks like – and how poor leadership can deeply impact the people in your company. He has spent 25 years counseling people with a wide range of stressors and problems, and for the last 11 years, he has provided counseling services to employees of the US Postal Service. Besides identifying good and bad leadership traits, our guest talks about positive ways to give work-related criticism, the importance of empathy, and inspiring employees to embrace your company's mission and find their "purpose." Connect with William: LinkedIn Connect with IEDA: Visit IEDA Group Website IEDA Events Produced By: Social Chameleon

If your equipment business struggles to find employees, you're not alone. Across all industries, businesses are battling to find anybody who will take their jobs...skilled or unskilled. And business owners are understandably frustrated. However, so are many young people. Some graduate college and can't get a job. Others can't seem to find their way, unable to connect their interests to a career and wage they can live on. Our guest expert this month, Alexandra Levit, brings fresh insight from her new book, Make School Work. This conversation will not only get you thinking about the key concept of work-based learning, it may inspire you to take action that will benefit both your dealership and your community. "Smaller companies are in the perfect place to accomplish a really meaningful work-based learning program," says Levit. If random acts of work-based learning aren't working – like doing one-off career fairs or giving one group of students a tour of your company – maybe it's time for something more intentional and long-lasting. Is this about apprenticeships? Yes, but there's so much more. Will it be work for you? Yes, but it will be a worthwhile effort. Levit hands you ideas and resources for creating a work-based learning blueprint that fits your business. But don't worry: "You don't have to boil the ocean all at once," she adds. Join us for some new perspective on a nagging problem you might finally be able to fix. Connect with Alexandra: LinkedIn Connect with IEDA: Visit IEDA Group Website IEDA Events Produced By: Social Chameleon

As the new year begins, many business owners are turning their attention to taxes. In this episode, we sit down with CPAs Marty McCarthy and Brian Marron, both directors at CBIZ who specialize in supporting construction-related companies. Together, they break down several key ways the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (OBBBA) affects independent equipment dealers. One of the most significant benefits under OBBBA is bonus depreciation, and our guests explain how dealers can use these changes not only for tax efficiency, but also as a strategic sales tool—while still maximizing advantages on the rental side of the business. The conversation also covers permanent increases to estate and gift tax exemptions, which can support long-term estate planning, as well as changes to interest expense deductions for capital-intensive operations. For IEDA members, these provisions present real opportunities to improve cash flow and make more informed business decisions. McCarthy and Marron emphasize the importance of regularly reviewing tax structures, accounting methods, and planning strategies to ensure dealers are fully leveraging current tax laws. Step one: tune in for their expert insights, practical explanations, and actionable advice. Connect with our Guests: Marty McCarthy Brian Marron Connect with IEDA: Visit IEDA Group Website IEDA Events Produced By: Social Chameleon

In this last edition of 2025, we're unpacking two of the association's most important initiatives: (1) the Foundation's scholarships for deserving technician students and (2) some exciting changes and highlights for the Annual Meeting February 13–15. If you love the IEDA and love the construction equipment industry, this is a conversation you don't want to miss. Host Kim Phelan and IEDA Executive Director Dave Gordon update you on the impressive growth of the association's scholarship program and how you can engage with the IEDA Foundation to help protect and fuel its successful trajectory. We're also throwing the spotlight on important Know Before You Go details about the grandest IEDA event of the year coming to Orlando at the Reunion Resort. Listen up for big auction news, our "killer" keynote, plus a brand-new gathering just for IEDA wives and significant others. Guys: It's Valentine's weekend, so plan now to bring the lady in your life! PS: We've got the inside scoop on IEDA's big bash at ConExpo, too. Grab your phone or laptop and join us for this light and informative December episode. Connect with IEDA: Visit IEDA Group Website IEDA Events Produced By: Social Chameleon

Mitch Helman, Sales Manager at Sandhills' AuctionTime, joins the program to talk about heavy construction equipment values, inventories, and other trends he's observing this fall. To kick things off, we're unpacking highlights from the Sandhills October Used Construction Equipment Report, and making a few predictions on how November's report will compare. Mitch talks about different types of equipment buyers and how their mindsets differ. He's also got something to say about dealers and the root cause of the current inventory situation. Tune in for clues about the stability of the used market and what he's expecting from November and December auction outcomes. You'll also hear his two pieces of advice for IEDA dealers before we cross the end zone on this month's episode. Connect with Mitch: LinkedIn AuctionTime Website Sandhills Website Connect with IEDA: Visit IEDA Group Website IEDA Events Produced By: Social Chameleon

Sarah Martin from Dodge Construction Network returns this month to share the latest activity trends and her outlook for 2026 and 2027. As associate director of forecasting at Dodge, she brings insights into sectors that are thriving as well as those showing steady momentum. So, are contractors and construction business owners confident? Not exactly. But they have grown accustomed to—and perhaps more tolerant of—the uncertainty surrounding the economy and trade policies. Projects are still moving forward, though Martin notes they're taking significantly longer to progress from planning to groundbreaking, a trend worth watching. Learn how the Dodge Momentum Index—published each month in IEDA's Scoop newsletter—can serve as a practical tool for independent dealers, along with other free data and trend reports available from Dodge. Connect with Sarah: LinkedIn Dodge Construction Network Website Connect with IEDA: Visit IEDA Group Website IEDA Events Produced By: Social Chameleon

In this episode, we're talking with Cody Bork, instructor at Western Technical College's heavy diesel program. His new fall students are wired for fixing equipment, and he's in awe of their technical savvy and thirst for learning. Bork has witnessed the effect of IEDA scholarships on several students. Thanks to the IEDA Foundation, individual merit-based scholarships of $5,000 each have a profound impact on hard-working students who are trying to clear all hurdles to achieve their goal of becoming heavy equipment service technicians. Join us as we talk about his observations on trends, the importance of company culture and communication, and what's essential to the next generation of young technicians entering the CE industry. Visit Western Technical College: https://www.westerntc.edu/ Connect with IEDA: Visit IEDA Group Website IEDA Events Produced By: Social Chameleon

Although our title may not sound like it, this month we're talking about helping new and younger sales talent succeed in your dealership so that your dealership reaps success from their work. Our guest expert is Frank Hurtte, an industrial sales pro for almost 50 years and founder of River Heights Consulting. Author of "The New Sales Guy Project" and several other books, as well as a speaker and magazine columnist, Frank recently wrote: "Sales is the only part of your company that consistently turns cost into cash. "Is your sales team an engine driving revenue?" he added. "Or are they a herd of expense-report addicts wandering aimlessly from customer to customer like stray cats? If you're just spending on sales, you're doing it wrong. Sales isn't supposed to be a warm body with a logo shirt and a business card. It's supposed to be your sharpest weapon." He doesn't mince words. In this month's episode, we explore the role of the sales manager in coaching and mentoring new salespeople, as well as the kind of structure needed to bring them along and hold them accountable. We also talk about communication and value – and what the new sales guy or gal needs to bring to the table with each customer interaction. Connect with Frank: LinkedIn River Heights Consulting Website Connect with IEDA: Visit IEDA Group Website IEDA Events Produced By: Social Chameleon

Jarrett Harris, director of research at IronAdvisors Insights, returns to the podcast to talk about the latest construction equipment industry activities and trends. How is the industry behaving so far in 2025? "Stable but careful" is his headline. Tune in to find out the surprising thing OEMs are still doing and what the real deal is with OEM-authorized dealers' inventories. Think it's a good time to be in rental? Find out what Jarrett sees from his research cockpit. And independent dealers: Discover who's stealing your playbook! We even persuaded Jarrett to make some predictions for the remainder of the year. You'll like listening to Jarrett so much you're going to want to hear more. Wish granted: He's speaking at the Midyear Meeting in Austin, Sept. 11-12 –– bringing literally up-to-the minute data and insights you shouldn't miss. Connect with Jarrett: LinkedIn Company Website Connect with IEDA: Visit IEDA Group Website IEDA Events Produced By: Social Chameleon

What if your dealership's existing systems held the key to 5x sales efficiency—and you didn't even know it? In this episode, Kim Phelan sits down with Nick Mavrick, a seasoned industry insider and founder of BiltData, to uncover how construction equipment dealers can unlock powerful customer insights already hiding in plain sight. From the early days of NationsRent and Volvo Rents to building data-driven tools exclusively for the CE industry, Mavrick has seen it all—and he's on a mission to eliminate the guesswork that keeps sales teams stuck. Discover how top reps are using precision data to dominate their markets, and why knowing your top 15 targets—by name, not hunch—is the difference between average and unstoppable. Join us for a no-fluff conversation that will challenge your assumptions and give your sales strategy a serious wake-up call! Connect with Nick: LinkedIn Company Website Connect with IEDA: Visit IEDA Group Website IEDA Events Produced By: Social Chameleon

With many mic-drop moments and a no-nonsense approach to the right to repair (R2R) movement, Gay Gordon-Byrne returns to the podcast for an update about state and federal legislative activity. Tune in to discover if the states where you do business have passed or are working on R2R bills, and consider contacting your lawmakers to weigh in on how OEM restrictions affect your ability to repair equipment in your fleet and for your customers. Join your host, Kim Phelan, for an insider's perspective and predictions on where R2R is headed next. Connect with Gay: LinkedIn Website Connect with IEDA: Visit IEDA Group Website IEDA Events Produced By: Social Chameleon

When we don't feel well, we can take our temperature or go for a checkup. When our car is not performing right, we can check different gauges and look at various fluids and things. But is it possible for a dealer to perform checks on his/her equipment business to determine if they've got any operational problems? This month's guest, Troy Ottmer, has been diagnosing and treating operational issues at equipment dealerships for about 20 years, and his overall industry experience is twice that long. He's an expert worth talking to when it comes to helping dealers identify potential areas for improvement. When you speak with Troy, two things become apparent: (1) He's all about staying customer-centric – they should feel like you're always putting their best interest first. (2) He is also about simplicity. Processes don't have to be complicated to be effective. Dealers need the occasional check-up – tune in to see what that looks like and what you should be looking for! Connect with Troy: Ottmer Consulting LinkedIn Connect with IEDA: Visit IEDA Group Website IEDA Events Produced By: Social Chameleon

Your customer is on a journey – are you helping or hindering their progress toward a sale with you? In this month's episode, our guest tells you how to attract more equipment shoppers to your business and clear the speed bumps that cause them to go somewhere else. The first thing Stephanie Smith, founder of The Grind Marketing Collective, wants you to know is that marketing doesn't have to be hard or expensive. She's going to help you tackle your marketing stumbling blocks and provide you with simple tips that produce shockingly effective results. Best of all, you've already got the most powerful tool in your back pocket: that's right, your phone. Among her many insights: Ditch the notion that only polished, perfect, and pricey videos should be on your social sites. Instead, adopt a more authentic approach that makes you, your sales team, and your equipment business more believable and trustworthy. Pull up a chair and watch your dread of digital marketing morph into confidence and excitement. Just be yourself, tell your stories, give customers the fast answers they want, and show them how easy it is to do business with. Connect with Stephanie: Grind Marketing Collective Website LinkedIn Connect with IEDA: Visit IEDA Group Website IEDA Events Produced By: Social Chameleon

Buckle up for a deep dive into management with this month's guest, Nancy Proffitt, fresh off a standout presentation at the IEDA Annual Meeting! A powerhouse in sales and operations, she's packed with management wisdom and ready to share her playbook for construction equipment dealers. As a speaker and business coach, Proffitt has helped transform businesses—including a $6-million dealer that scaled to over $200 million. In this episode, she shares invaluable insights on trust (and what erodes it), the top three reasons employees leave, and how a business coach can uncover blind spots and growth opportunities. She also reveals three actionable ways to motivate your team—reminding us that business should be fun. Get ready to rethink your approach and walk away with fresh strategies for success! Connect with Nancy: LinkedIn IEDA Profile Page Facebook Email: [email protected] Connect with IEDA: Visit IEDA Group Website IEDA Events Produced By: Social Chameleon

We're kicking off 2025 with a bang! In this episode, CE product support expert John Dowling shares game-changing tools to make your service business more efficient and profitable. Surprisingly, it all boils down to one critical element: the paperwork. Drawing from a lesson taught by a gunnery sergeant during his Marine Corps days, John highlights why same-day service reports are just as crucial as fixing the machine itself. If your business services customer equipment, chances are bottlenecks in your processes are costing you significant money every month. John's passion for helping equipment dealers streamline operations led him to write Service by the Boxes, a book that lays out the 10 absolutes for building an effective service department process. These principles, he says, can uncover "obscene amounts of money for the owner." Tune in for actionable insights and simple solutions to tackle a problem you might not even realize is holding you back. Connect with John: Website Book YouTube Email: [email protected] Connect with IEDA: Visit IEDA Group Website IEDA Events Produced By: Social Chameleon

For our final podcast episode of 2024, we welcome Mets Kramer to the mic! Mets is the mastermind behind the new IEDA app, and in this episode, he gives us an in-depth look at how this innovative tool will transform the IEDA membership directory into a powerful, user-friendly digital resource right at your fingertips. Tune in to discover where to download the app and how it empowers you to manage your company profile in real-time. Plus, find out how you can easily connect and communicate with other members with just a few clicks. Our conversation also takes a fascinating detour into key marketing strategies shared by Mets. He shares insights on how technology can enhance customer engagement, regardless of their preferred communication style. While marketing should be a team effort within your dealership, Mets emphasizes that owners hold the keys to driving the company forward. He discusses leveraging your data to deliver exactly what your customers want—on their terms—rather than sticking to "the way we've always done things." And as we wrap up, Mets leaves us with a final takeaway that just might surprise you! Download the New IEDA App Apple Google Connect with Mets: Mets' LinkedIn Vizybility Website Connect with IEDA: Visit IEDA Group Website IEDA Events Produced By: Social Chameleon

Much of Brad Spitzer's expertise can be summed up with three R's: Rouse, Rentals, and Real-Time Insights. Yet, there's so much more to the Director of Client Services at Rouse Rental Insights. Brad, a dynamic voice in the industry and a featured speaker at the IEDA Midyear Meeting in Nashville, brings an unmatched perspective on market trends in used and rental construction equipment. In this episode, we explore Brad's deep dive into the drivers behind earthmoving equipment rental utilization, the latest trends shaping rental rates, and his forward-looking insights into where those rates might be headed. Brad also shares his analysis of the used equipment market's performance in 2024 and his expectations for early 2025. Stay tuned until the end, where we learn what Brad's first moves would be if he inherited an independent equipment dealership from his uncle—offering a unique look at his strategic mindset. If you're seeking expert perspectives on the evolving equipment landscape, Brad is someone you'll want to tune in to for practical advice and a forward-thinking approach! Connect with Brad: Brad's LinkedIn Brad's Email Company Website Company Facebook Connect with IEDA: Visit IEDA Group Website IEDA Events Produced By: Social Chameleon

Much of Milissa Wise's life can be summed up with three M's: Mexico, Marines, and Machines. Yet, there's much more to the owner of Expert Heavy Equipment, an IEDA member distributor. Milissa has built a strong, well-respected brand among resellers and end-users throughout Mexico, as well as Central and South America. With 600,000 Facebook followers, her equipment ads consistently receive "overwhelming" responses. In this episode, we explore her unconventional business model, her insights into her customer base, her journey into the equipment industry, and the lifestyle-friendly approach she chose, which allows her the flexibility to buy and sell remotely from anywhere—often seaside, overlooking Cabo San Lucas. If you haven't met her at an IEDA event, she's someone worth meeting and getting to know! A smart and confident entrepreneur, Milissa specializes in lighter dirt equipment––mostly on her own terms––and sees nothing but blue skies ahead. Connect with Milissa: Website Facebook LinkedIn Connect with IEDA: Visit IEDA Group Website IEDA Events Produced By: Social Chameleon

VizaLogix Augmented reality is an actual reality for construction equipment dealers today–no big ARglasses required. This could be the disruptive service your business needs to differentiate yourself from buyers and rental customers. A software called TethrIT Now from VizaLogix uses your customer's cell phone (whether Apple or Android) to get immediate video access into a machine failure event, so your technician can either help your rental customer solve it remotely or know exactly what to bring for a field service call. Every interaction is recorded, timestamped, and archived. In this episode with VizaLogix Founder Shawn Bonnington, we also discover additional, highly-relevant applications for independent equipment dealers– including a built-in inspection system that facilitates regimented and recorded machine condition reviews for rental check-ins and check-outs. Better than a mere video or Facetime call, Bonnington explains, it's also an effective tool for assessing and verifying auction equipment you're looking at. You might even use the sequenced inspection feature for walking a long-distance buyer through machines they're evaluating on your lot. Find out the Cat dealer story behind VizaLogix, the partnership with well-known industry software maker Texada, and how Volvo Construction Equipment is now involved, too. Connect with Shawn: LinkedIn Connect with IEDA: Visit IEDA Group Website IEDA Events Produced By: Social Chameleon