No matter what color the machine, deep down we all love yellow iron. Love for these machines defines us, like a family. At Green Mountain Lion Corp, we talk with folks throughout our industry every day, and it always feels just like talking with family. Maybe because so many of the folks in this industry actually are family, that sense of family extends throughout the work place. With this in mind, in honor of Father’s Day, we thought we would take a moment to share some of the Father – Son stories that are so common and representative throughout the construction machinery industry.
To start, we’d like to introduce Scott and Drew Atkinson. They are, like so many others in our industry, a multi-generational construction family through and through.
Drew Atkinson (left) Scott Atkinson (right)
Scott Atkinson, a 20 year industry pro and currently Distribution Center Manager for Husqvarna, hails from North Dakota, home to Bobcat. He, like so many in his hometown were drawn to this work from a young age. His dream to get into this industry began when his brother – who is older than Scott by 10 years – started working for Bobcat . Scott enjoys sharing the great stories his brother used to tell him about working at Bobcat, the stories that fueled Scott’s desire to get into the business. Finally, one year while working at a local bank, Scott saw an advertisement in the paper for the purchasing department at Bobcat, applied for the role thinking he was a long shot, and was humbled and happy when he was offered the position. He accepted without hesitation, went to work at Bobcat, and has never looked back.
Scott’s love for the industry has had a big impact on his children, who also have made a career out of it. He talks about how dinner conversations with his boys often included stories from the world travel his work afforded him. These stories clearly had a big influence as his son Drew Atkinson, entered the industry six years ago and now has a role as Service Training Instructor at Doosan. Getting into this industry, Drew will tell you, felt to him like a family rite of passage.
In college, Drew was working on a Human Resources major, but after taking an internship program one summer at Doosan in the Product Management department, he realized this is the sort of work that really answered something deep within him. So, when he came back to school, he changed his major to align with this type of work, and has been on his current career path ever since.
For a period of time, Scott and Drew worked together at the same facility. They commuted together everyday and grew closer, sharing stories and laughs, discussing business, customers, and products. Something about the family spirit grew beyond just the two of them, though, and soon they became the “phone a friend” family for dealers. As Drew’s reputation in the industry grew, Scott will tell you how much it meant to him as a father to hear his coworkers talk about how they enjoyed being around Drew in the office, how great of a job he did and how hardworking he was. On the other hand, Drew will tell you how in awe of his father he was, recalling vividly the way his father carried himself with poise and demonstrated great knowledge whenever he dealt with the executive leaders from Doosan.
Over the years, the Atkinson family has stayed close in their relationship and in their values. They will tell you they believe in working hard, being there for your team and customers, and maintaining a sense of humility. And, beyond that, they will tell you how much they see this industry as an extension of their family, and how grateful and appreciative they are to have found such a home in it – a home that has welcomed who they are and how they do business for so many years. Working together in this industry, Scott and Drew will tell you, is what makes the Atkinsons whole.
