Death of a Company

In a few weeks, Topeka will lose a long-time employer...a great corporate citizen...and a stalwart of the Topeka scene for nearly 100 years. Martin Tractor Co. has been sold to Foley Tractor Co. of Wichita. On the surface, this seems like a simple deal with one company acquiring another. This happens throughout America every day.

But, the impact of this deal on Topeka will be significant. Sure, there are a few jobs lost. But more important to the community is the loss of a good corporate citizen. Martin Tractor Co. supports the United Way, Junior Achievement, the American Cancer Society, the Heart Association, Habitat for Humanity, the Boy Scouts, Sheltered Living and many, many more charities. Any project undertaken in Topeka, from the construction of a new building at the Zoo to the Children's Discovery Center has Martin Tractor Co. and its people to thank. Their Board of Directors, Officers and employees are involved in these projects that make Topeka such a great place to live and work. Foley's attention will be on Wichita, not Topeka, and that is a huge loss for our town.

I once had a local CEO tell me he had lived around the world in a half dozen towns, and Topeka, in his opinion, was "the pan-handlest town" in which he had ever lived. He said there was someone in his office every week asking for money for this project or that cause. I took his comment as a compliment. Topekans don't do it alone. The entire community is involved, and in the future it will remain involved, but without Martin Tractor Company. Too bad for us.