In June, big news came out of our Takeuchi US campus when Mr. Clay Eubanks, who has been our president for 17 years was promoted to director of global sales and vice chairman of the board for Takeuchi US. He has relocated to our home office in Japan. Mr. Jeff Stewart was appointed as our new president.
“I am excited for what lies ahead for Takeuchi,” says Clay Eubanks. “There are many good things happening here, and I know all of our staff in the U.S. and around the world are committed to taking the company to the next level over the coming months. I look forward to seeing Jeff implement his vision for Takeuchi US.”
Mr. Stewart has served in various roles in his extensive career with our company, from regional business manager to product support manager, general manager and more.
A Letter from Our New President, Mr. Jeff Stewart
I would like to start by saying what an honor and a privilege it is to be a part of such a great organization. As a servant leader, I take my new role as president to heart and fully understand the responsibility and accountability the Takeuchi board of directors has given me. This responsibility extends not only to our team members, but to our dealers, customers and investors as well.
When I joined the Takeuchi team in 1998, I realized soon after, that the team Mr. Takeuchi put together in the U.S. was special in their focus of product and customer support. As I moved into different roles within the company through 2010, I gained an understanding of the dealer business as parts manager, the product as excavator product manager and the inner workings of Takeuchi as vice president of operations.
Takeuchi Values
Being a part of this company has always meant being part of the Takeuchi family. And, this is what I missed most during my seven-year absence from Takeuchi. Every member of our team is focused on customer support, our brand and doing everything they can to ensure customer satisfaction.
Do we get it right 100 percent of the time? No, but I assure you our team members have tremendous heart for doing what is right for our customers and each other. They work hard each day to deliver the best customer support possible.
For the Dealer
To our loyal dealers, I want to thank you for the decades of representation in the marketplace. Thank you for the support as we rolled out new products and ideas, in addition to your patience as we continue to grow here in North America.
Just know our team members are working every day on their legacy and how they can support you better.
For the Customer
To our amazing customers, thank you for trusting Takeuchi to be a part of your livelihood. We take this responsibility seriously and work hard each day to support our products in the field and design new equipment to help you become even more productive.
Challenges Ahead
Coming in as the president of Takeuchi US, I certainly hit the ground running with the world being gripped by something unimaginable before 2020 started. COVID-19 is an issue facing everyone and continues to present us so many challenges.
To date, our team has outperformed all my expectations on providing support during this time and continues to fulfill dealer and customer requests. Being proud is an understatement.
If there is a silver lining for us during this global pandemic, it is the fact that it has caused us to reevaluate how we deliver and perform in several areas. It is challenging us to become better as a whole. We will ultimately get past this and be better for it.
The Next Chapter
As I take over as president, I am most excited for the next chapter of Takeuchi. We have spent over four decades developing a great line of products and support and our research and development teams in Japan are putting innovation back into these products. This is allowing our US team to help shape the products and services we offer based on customer feedback. We have hired a strong group of leaders who have ideas and abilities to propel us into the future of compact equipment and I am looking forward to seeing how our team will shape our products, our support and our industry.
For some people, 41 years in business seems like a lot. To us, it is only the start. For now, my focus is on putting the right people in the right positions and allowing them to flourish. My goal is to set the wheels in motion to move Takeuchi ahead for the next four-plus decades.
Jeff Stewart
President
Takeuchi-US