Jenner Ag was founded in 1961 by Gordon Jenner to be an equipment dealership servicing Central Illinois. Those are the facts, but what was it really like in the ag business sixty years ago to now? Let’s take an inside look back with Mike Jenner, former general manager, current board member – and son of Gordon.
“What really stood out to me about that time when my dad was getting the company off the ground, was just how monumental it was that he was really on his own. He was taking a risk and working for himself,” says Mike. “Jenner Sales began servicing Illinois, which is a very agriculturally rich state, and my dad knew he could do what we needed to do to be a success here.”
But Mike says even Gordon couldn’t have predicted what he sees today. “It was one thing to know we could be successful at what he started; it’s another to see just how much we have grown,” Mike says. Gordon would be shocked at the level it has reached in just six decades.”
When Jenner first started, farmers would rent or buy a sprayer or dry spreader. “Custom application changed the way the ag industry operated and in turn, the way dealers did business,” says Mike. “The add in of custom application I believe paved the way to change everything – that was a crucial point in ag.”
For over a decade, Jenner Ag operated above a dentist office on the top floor of a house in Decatur, Illinois. In 1977, the company moved to current location in Harristown, Illinois. “When I started in 1971, we were still a very small company with maybe 7 or 8 associates,” he says. “The moving of headquarters was a huge jump. That move was one of the first factors that allowed us in part to reach those milestones that led to Jenner Ag growing into what is today.”
After that move, the changes at Jenner Ag multiplied, as it went from a company of fewer than 10 employees with two phone lines to almost 90 employees. The company has grown to service both Illinois and Indiana, have a fleet of mobile service techs on the road throughout the territory, and operate three locations – application, ag and precision.
“If Gordon could see the company today – the expansion and innovation – he would be absolutely speechless and proud too,” Mike says.
What is the single most important decision Jenner Ag has made? “Innovation is what has allowed the company to remain successful for six decades,” Mike says. “Having members of the team not be afraid to change. When you have associates and management who support innovation and aren’t afraid to change, it allows Jenner to be a company that adapts to what best fits customer and associate needs.”