KC Bobcat 50th Anniversary
– Tim O’Bryan, President
“We can’t talk about our 50th anniversary without remembering where we started. The first KC Bobcat store opened in December of 1974. At that time, we had just six employees, but we grew quickly. By the time Berry Companies acquired us in 2000, we had three locations in Blue Springs, Olathe, and Grandview. It’s hard to believe that we now have seven locations in Kansas and Missouri!
I’m proud of where this company began, but I’m also looking forward to a bright future for KC Bobcat. This year, we’re focused on providing excellent customer service. We want to make sure that every customer who walks through our doors knows that they made the right choice. We want to help our customers as much as we can, and we want to continue to be an active part of this community. Together, we will keep working hard to operate our business with humility, grace, and honesty.”
How Bobcat of Joplin Helps Duncan Lawn Care Finish Jobs on Time
Based in Neosho, Missouri, Rhian Duncan was just 15 years old when he started Duncan Lawn Care.
“I was just knocking on doors, getting clients,” Rhian said. “That’s how the lawn care side started. It gradually grew into the bigger things that we do now. It took a lot of hard work to get where I’m at now and a lot of long days. It’s paid off, though; it really has.”
Today, Rhian and his crew take on a wide range of jobs. “We do tree removal, storm cleanups, landscape installs, land clearing, underground drains, French drains, snow removal…you name it, we’re just an all-around outdoor service. We like what we do, and we provide good quality service.”
In his fleet, Rhian has a Bobcat T66 compact track loader, and he says that the machine works well for the majority of his jobs.
“I really like the compact size of the T66. It has the capacity to lift 3,000-4,000 lbs and move it around with ease. Every machine has a flaw somewhere, but Bobcat machines are just smooth overall, and I really enjoy that about them.”
He also recently purchased a MT100 mini track loader. “It’s nice to have a big machine to move bigger stuff around and a little one to get into tight spaces and maneuver around yards and properties,” he said. “To be honest with you, we’re on a job right now doing installs and landscaping, and I’m running both machines.”
Rhian hasn’t looked back since he purchased his first machine from sales rep Trent Brown at Bobcat of Joplin.
“Working with Trent has been great. He’s a heck of a salesman. I call him, I tell him I’m ready to buy another machine, and he says, ‘Alright, I’ll have the paperwork ready for you.’ I like a good follow-up, and I like staying in contact with the people I’m working with, but it’s never overwhelming. He isn’t too pushy-pushy, and he knows that the client is going to come to him for what they want.”
Since then, he’s developed a relationship with Parts Manager Joe Barkley as well. “Joe’s been really good. If I tell him I need something, he really gets it in as quickly as he can, or he already has it there,” Rhian said.
Rhian shared that he regularly rents from Bobcat of Joplin, and he remembers a recent time that Tracy Killion went above and beyond to get him the machine he needed.
“We were on a storm job,” he said. “A tree fell across the fence and up on a big hillside. We needed a mini excavator. I called and said I was headed up there to pick it up. Tracy was clocking out, and he still made it happen that day. They left it out for me, and I picked it up and got started on the job I needed to do.”
And he’s also had consistently good experiences with Bobcat of Joplin’s Service department.
“The pigtail broke on my soil conditioner just a couple weeks ago. When I called up there, they said they had one. Dustin Sneed looked at it, and he got me squared away. It took me longer to drive there than I was there actually getting it fixed up.”
If I were to rate them, Trent Brown would be a 10/10, Dustin Sneed would be a 10/10, Tracy Killion would be a 10/10, and Joe Barkley would be a 10/10. All those guys I deal with…whatever I need, they make it happen.
Rhian Duncan
Owner, Duncan Lawn Care
The team at Bobcat of Joplin have made a big difference for Rhian and his crew. Rhian says that he looks forward to a continued relationship with the Parts, Service, Rental, and Sales departments. “It’s really been amazing, honestly. The service has been good, and the quality of equipment has been good. I’m looking forward to the next fifty years with Bobcat of Joplin.”
We’ve been backing businesses like Duncan Lawn Care for 50 years—and we’re just getting started. Here’s to the next 50 and the stories still to come!
