James’ Seamless Start for H&P in Dubbo and Warren

Bringing another dealership into the Hutcheon & Pearce brand can be a big undertaking for all involved. Luckily for us, the teams at our new Dubbo and Warren branches are such professionals, the entire process has been seamless. We thought it was time you got to know more about our Dubbo and Warren branch manager James Niemeyer to get his take on the move and the season ahead for our most northerly customers.

James Niemeyer has a long association with agriculture.

Born in Africa to British parents, James and his family moved to Sydney when he was just three. While his father was in the airline business, the rest of his family were all farmers and James remembers having a real passion for agriculture throughout school. Eventually, this led him to a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics at UNE

Post-graduation his passion took him overseas, where we worked on various farms around the UK learning different farming systems, and 1998 to 2003 saw him join Connor Shea Napier (CSN) as a sales representative to then focusing on the Napier Mason product within CSN as product manager. Then from 2000 to 2004, James worked at BEELINE Technologies, a job that brought him to the Dubbo area, and then he moved to AGCO Australia where he was a Service Manager for NSW, covering an area from Moree to Goulburn.

“I’m not a diesel mechanic but I’ve spent a lot of time around machinery and have a sound understanding of engines and hydraulics and I built on that knowledge with the team I had with me at AGCo.

“It was while at AGCO that Martin Muirhead, who was the Service Manager with Chesterfield, happened to mention a position in their Integrated Solutions Department. Martin knew I was into GPS, and while I wasn’t actually looking for work at the time, I decided to go for the job and ended up working for Chesterfield for near on 10 years.”

In the Integrated Solutions Department for five years, James then had the opportunity to manage the Chesterfield’s Coonamble store, which was open at the time, and their Warren store. In 2017, he also took on the Dubbo store. In October 2020, James was instrumental in managing the changeover to Hutcheon & Pearce.

“I’d have to say the transition was seamless. There was a level of trust between Damien Effeney, who was our CEO, and Arron Hutcheon that extended to the fact that they were allowed to come in before it was actually signed over to Hutcheon & Pearce to set changes in motion in terms of IT, letters of offer, uniforms – all that background stuff that needed to be done. 

“The staff responded well. In yesteryear, we had always heard about this culture at H&P and you’d think, ‘Oh, it can’t be true. Surely there’s got to be some areas that need polish’, like there always are in businesses. I remember talking to a John Deere representative who used to look after Chesterfield as well as Hutcheon & Pearce. He’d been to a H&P Christmas party and said that the engagement there was palpable. And… it turns out it is that good! In fact, I think the general consensus is people can’t smile wide enough.

“Switching over to H&P has seen some changes because business here is done differently to Chesterfield but the H&P approach to sales and to people has made it so enjoyable. And having an owner like Arron that works in the businesses and is so keen to catch up with clients and employees alike makes a measurable difference.

“The changeover has been received really well by customers, who were all very understanding. We’re coming out of a horrendous drought, the worst in living memory, to the best harvest in living memory, to an amazing season and we’re doing our level best. It has been a challenge with the staffing levels we have, but people are being very understanding of those difficulties.”

James said being short-staffed is one of the most challenging parts of his role right now, with workforce shortages an issue right across the Central West.

“We are heads down just trying to get through this purple patch while at the same time trying to recruit people with a passion for agriculture, who are looking for a career, not just a job. It’s difficult to find these people, particularly in Warren and it’s hard to attract and retain people there, particularly when you have the bigger centre of Dubbo just 100kms down the road. But we will keep searching until we find the right people.

Despite some of the challenges, James says there is much to love about his job, especially when he gets out of the office.

“I love getting out on-farm. Chatting to customers about their operation, their needs and whether we can provide solutions is undoubtedly the most enjoyable part of what I do. I also really love the H&P approach to employee engagement. They make sure people are actually really enjoying what they do and that’s the focus.”

When asked what he’s looking forward to most for H&P in Dubbo and Warren, James has a few ideas. 

“I am looking forward to the day when we are at capacity and I can have more time to focus on client relations and staff have more time to focus on what they love to do, which is delivering an even better experience for the customer.

“But right now, I’d settle for an inch of rain, to join up with the subsoil moisture so our customers’ winter crops can really get underway. And fewer mice – that would be a great start!”