RDO, 4Rivers to expand in Mountain region after Honnen deals

RDO Equipment Co. came to terms on a deal to acquire Honnen Equipment’s eight John Deere construction equipment locations in Wyoming, Utah and Idaho. Photo: RDO Equipment Co.

Several Honnen Equipment locations are being acquired in the Mountain region.

RDO Equipment Co. agreed to acquire Honnen Equipment’s John Deere construction equipment locations in Wyoming, Utah and Idaho. 4Rivers Equipment, meanwhile, came to terms on a deal to acquire Colorado locations of Honnen in Commerce City, Grand Junction and Durango.

Both deals are expected to close Dec. 11.

The RDO-Honnen deal

RDO’s additions expand its footprint to 12 states and establish a presence for the company in the Mountain region.

“We are excited to welcome Honnen’s team members and customers to the RDO family while expanding our John Deere and Wirtgen construction footprint,” says Chris Cooper, RDO president. “RDO and Honnen share long histories of family ownership, customer focus and values-driven business philosophies with leading reputations in our respective markets. We are confident that our shared priorities will greatly contribute to our ability to successfully blend best practices from each organization.”

Founded in 1963 by Pete Honnen as Pete Honnen Equipment, today’s Honnen Equipment grew from a single store in Commerce City, Colorado, to three Colorado dealerships in its first nine years. From there, the company expanded to include stores in Wyoming.

In 2009, Honnen acquired Scott Machinery Co. in Utah and southeast Idaho. As the company’s territory grew, so did its product lines.

Beyond John Deere Construction & Forestry equipment, Honnen has added Hamm, Kleemann, Vogele and Wirtgen equipment lines.

“The Honnen team has built longstanding, trusted relationships with customers over the last six decades,” says Marshall Anderson, executive vice president at RDO, who will lead the additions to RDO’s portfolio. “We now have the duty to build on that foundation, committing to those team members to grow the business, strengthen resources and relationships and ultimately help customers continue to succeed.”

According to RDO, more than 150 Honnen employees will transition to RDO across locations in three states.

“We learned a long time ago that one of the most important things we can do as a business is invest in our people and our culture,” Cooper says. “That’s exactly what we’re doing here, and we’re looking forward to all the ways the Honnen team will enrich RDO culture through their depth of knowledge and experience.”

The 4Rivers-Honnen deal

4Rivers Equipment’s acquisition of the Honnen Colorado locations, meanwhile, unites two companies with deep-rooted legacies in Colorado. 4Rivers’ history traces back to 1926 in Holly, Colorado.

“This acquisition marks a significant milestone for our entire team, as well as our new team members, allowing us to expand our offerings and better address the needs of our collective customers in Colorado,” says John Shearer, CEO of 4Rivers Equipment.

4Rivers will continue to be headquartered in Greeley, Colorado.

Related: IRock continues dealer additions, partners with NED