R part3atliff tribute cont #3

This dealer was fortunate to have many conversations with Mr. Bob.  We were paired several times in golf rounds, as every incentive trip and dealer panel usually involved a golf tournament. One of the early pairings resulted in a lot of dealers and company people giving me issues and talking points as being known as a vocal member of the dealers, it was assumed I would carry the mail. We never used this format for any politicizing, however on the back nine, we were backed up and Mr. Ratliff turned and said, “ok, let me have the laundry list”. I smiled and ask as to how he knew about the solicitations and he replied that he didn't get to his position without 'knowing stuff'. The man was a true leader. He also relayed at a dinner once that he had made and seen a lot of mistakes in his career and that he was forming the Agco corporation to be as free from those pitfalls as possible.  He succeeded in carrying out those goals. He created a lean, mean selling machine as described by co-founder Ed Swingle.  The founders also put their money where their company was - each put up personal collateral to secure the initial purchase - again,  unprecedented in these modern times. These guys were not just hired guns, they were the heart and soul of AGCO.  

Very interesting reads, tbran. I heard the Ratliff name brought up several times while I worked at a dealership out in Beach, ND. At one shop meeting, when Agco was suffering some huge financial growing pains, (and this dealership had turned primarily "red", due to a very bad taste in the mouth left by Deutz), it was brought up with a little sarcasm, that Agco stock was in the tank, and stockholders were on the verge of a class action law suit against them. I think stock was worth 6 bucks at the time. Now being young at the time, and every extra penny going into beer rather than stock, and not having a clue how to buy any stock, I thought to myself it would have been an opportune time to buy some agco stock. With all of the companies that Agco had purchased, I knew they couldn't go broke. If'n I'd had about 10 or 20 grand laying around, and put it into agco stock, it would have made a wealthy man out of me. Darrel