The Western Equipment Dealers Assn. is pleased to announce that Harold Chapman Jr. of Crown Power & Equipment is WEDA’s 2020 Dealer of the Year. CEO John Schmeiser made the announcement at WEDA’s Annual Meeting on Feb. 4, 2021. The award recognizes individual dealers for their leadership within the industry, their dedication toward growing their businesses into a successful entity, and their commitment and legacy to their communities.

Harold Chapman Jr. was born in Essex, Mo., and he attended the University of Missouri-Columbia and graduated with a BS in Agriculture Mechanization in 1984. Growing up in the Bootheel of Missouri, where agriculture is king, this led Harold to his love of farming. While in college, Chapman worked for Case Power & Equipment, the local Case (company store) dealership in Columbia, washing tractors, painting equipment —  basically, anything that someone needed help with.

Upon graduation and marriage, Chapman briefly left the industry but returned to Case Power as a Service Manager in 1985. He worked in service, rentals, sales, and parts during those years, and in late 1989, became the store manager in Sedalia, Missouri. Through some transitions, in 1992 Crown Power & Equipment was formed with two locations. Currently, Crown Power & Equipment operates 10 locations in the heart of Missouri and proudly represents Kubota, Case IH, Case CE, Kinze, Vermeer and Cub Cadet, along with other short line manufacturers that are extremely important to the diversified customer base served at their various locations.

“The success of Crown Power and my tenure as general manager are the blessings from God that I have received throughout my life,” stated Chapman. “I have been given opportunities to grow and succeed during the last 29 years and the Lord has blessed me with the greatest employees that anyone could ask for. We try to have a family-like culture in our company. We see fellow employees stepping up to help others when needs arise. Our managers and directors are the foundation of our company; they have a very close relationship with their staff. Their leadership and dedication of all our employees is truly the reason that we are in business and still growing today.”

“My dad told me when I got my first job leading fellow employees, ‘Never ask anyone to do something that you will not do yourself. Show them you are not too good to do it yourself and you will understand their problems as they complete their job each day.’ I have tried to live those words and shared them with many of our managers throughout the years. Respect is earned not given.”

“As I look back on my career, besides the success and family we have at Crown Power, my involvement serving on the boards of the Western and SouthWestern Associations was one of the most enjoyable things I have been involved in during the last 29 years. The friendships I have gained with fellow dealers from Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, just to mention a few states, are truly special. Brand preference was not an issue. The dealers that I served with were all trying to make our industry better for all dealers, manufacturers, and for the future.”

Chapman adds “I would like to thank the staff at Western, SouthWestern, and WEDA for their dedication to our industry and the support they have given to our dealer membership and me over the years. I am not sure why Crown Power and I were selected for this award; but I truly have tried to be a good leader: honest, caring, fair, and dedicated to our employees, customers, manufacturer partners, fellow dealers, and this industry.”