Business profile: Phil’s Sales and Service

COLUMBIANA, Ohio — The staff and owners at Phil’s Sales and Service in Columbiana pride themselves on service to keep customers happy.

Owners

Phil’s Sales and Service was started in 1965 by Phil Welce. Later, his daughter, Jodee Boerio would join the business and become co-owner. The business was incorporated and a limited liability company was formed in 2004.

Today, the business carries product lines from Kubota, Simplicity, Befco, Echo, Aluma trailers and other miscellaneous lines that offer products customers are looking for.

Boerio said the business demands depends on the season and the busiest time of the year is as soon as the weather turns warm.

Honors

Phil’s Sales and Service recently received an honor from the Kubota Tractor corporation. The staff earned the President’s Kaizen Award, an honor earned by dealers who demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement.

The concept of the Kaizen Award was originally intended as a model for improving the manufacturing process in Japan, but it has been extended to dealerships who show a commitment to the Kubota business model.

New construction

A new outdoor showroom was built in 2010 for the business. The 80-by-100 foot building, complete with a 50-foot overhang, displays models available for sale, including Kubota loaders, recreation and trail vehicles and mowers.

The building offers customers a chance to sit on the machines and figure out what they want to suit their needs.

Service

Besides sales, Phil’s Sales and Service offers a service and parts department.

Bummer McCoy is the service manager and has been for 22 years, and as a testament to his department’s quality of work, he currently has a two-week waiting list to get tractors in for service. The business only services lines of equipment they sell.

McCoy is known for the quality and detail he gives the machines.

“If it’s not right, it doesn’t go back out,” said Boerio. “We have an excellent service team that cares about customers.”

Parts

In addition, the parts department is lead by manager Bonnie Wittenauer, who has 20 years of experience in parts.

Harold Bates had been the former parts manager but retired in March after discovering Wittenauer’s talent for the parts industry.

Phil’s Sales and Service offers many parts in stock, but if a part needs to be ordered the turn-around time can be as little as two days.

The people at Phil’s Sales and Service is proud of their reputation for taking care of their customers and providing service for the lines of equipment they sell.

The staff and owners remind themselves of their company motto.

“We do it the old-fashioned way with a handshake and a smile. Our satisfaction comes from knowing that we took the time to find the perfect machine for your needs, and that we will be here to provide quality parts and service for that machine for years to come,” said Boerio.

Phil’s Sales and Service is open 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. They can be reached at (330) 482-5548 or check them out on the web at www.philskubota.com.

(Reporter Kristy Foster welcomes feedback by phone at 800-837-3419 or by e-mail at kfoster@farmanddairy.com. You can also follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/fosterk96.)