Dennis Gallagher Sr. recently accepted the position of sales consultant at Westchester Tractor in Brewster, N.Y., for Westchester and Rockland counties, replacing the retiring Frank Labarbera.

Gallagher started with Westchester Tractor in 1997, when he was hired on the spot by then Principal Owner John Apple, who needed to fill an immediate opening to do everything from basic repairs to welding and fabrication. Twelve years ago, a position opened up as a road technician, which also included doing equipment deliveries and helping customers with initial machine setup.

"I'm really enjoying this new position at Westchester Tractor, and I think a lot of my background gives me a unique perspective that will be appreciated by our customers," Gallagher said. "Not only have I serviced and repaired these machines, but in a previous life I operated them. So, I am in a great position to size up the needs of the customer and make recommendations on what equipment they should be looking at and when there are issues with the equipment, help them do some initial troubleshooting.

"I've been around equipment my entire life. I started out working on lawn mowers in 1986. The one thing I've observed and that I think is special about Westchester Tractor is that these big dealerships around us, the bigger they get, they seem to lose touch with their customers. We are a small family-owned business and to us at the end of every day the customer is the single most important part of our day.

"We've actually just gone through a transition of ownership here at Westchester Tractor with a new generation taking over, a generation that grew up in this business and it's great to know that the focus of customer first is continuing on." CEG