Weisiger at Carolina Tractor & Equipment: laying a foundation for employee development and company values
(Photo by Peter Taylor)

The third generation to lead Carolina Tractor & Equipment (CTE), Ed Weisiger Jr. (MBA 1986) wants to rewrite the typical Hollywood script when it comes to family business: “People think of Dallas or Succession,” says Weisiger, who started out working in a company warehouse at the age of 14. While those backstabbing, dynastic stories dominate popular imagination, operating outside the pressure of the quarterly earnings report allows the privately held CTE to focus more on employee development and company values, like doing the right thing, attention to detail, and continuous improvement.

“We’re building an organization to last for the long-term, and doing it in a way that allows workers to manage their lives with some sense of balance,” says Weisiger. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and founded in 1926, CTE encompasses a portfolio of companies that sell, lease, and service heavy equipment like the backhoes, excavators, and forklifts used for everything from creating iconic infrastructure like the Blue Ridge Parkway to moving cargo through Georgia’s Port Authority.

As Weisiger approaches his 35th anniversary as CEO, questions inevitably turn to who will succeed him. While his eldest daughter is a lead candidate, family members and board and senior leadership meet regularly to assess the strategic implications of various scenarios. Also on the table? CTE’s business model. “We sell and service products that still rely on an internal combustion diesel engine,” Weisiger explains. “Our manufacturers recognize that sustainability is an issue, and so does CTE. Perhaps our business will be different 20 years from now, but what will not be different is we want to be a family in business.”

Post a Comment