About Us

History and More

Fifty years ago, Junior Kool was standing on the factory floor at Vermeer Manufacturing, grinding welds as one of the company’s early employees. Today he is at the head of North America’s largest Vermeer dealer, recognized as an industry leader in both environmental and underground construction equipment.

While the setting is certainly different, the spirit behind this growth hasn’t changed a bit. We’re still dedicated to doing more than anybody to get the job done right. Learn how we do it in Seven Ways Vermeer Midwest Offers You More, or get some background in our Company History.

Rather hear our story in person? Click here to make a personal contact with someone who’d be glad to put Vermeer Midwest’s value-added heritage into practice on your next equipment purchase.

 

Seven Ways Vermeer Midwest Offers You More

  1. More locations – nine sites that cover five states... plus 30 quick response service trucks... means we’re never far from your job site. Each shop shares resources, for same-day availability on virtually anything your equipment needs. Click Here to see location information and store hours.
  2. More equipment – as North America’s largest Vermeer dealer, we have it all: extensive new product, plus a constant flow of used inventory from our giant rental and trade-in fleets. If we don’t have it, somebody in our large Midwest team is likely to know who does.
  3. 30 field service trucks – in any part of our five-state area, you’re never far from a Vermeer Midwest service truck. We station trucks and service techs full time in many areas of the region not covered by a nearby Vermeer Midwest location. Each is equipped with thousands of on-board parts, specialized tools and a trained underground/environmental specialist.
  4. Millions of parts – every Vermeer Midwest location has an extensive inventory of repair parts, a capability that is multiplied ninefold in our service network. The part you need will probably be waiting when you walk in.
  5. Factory trained pros – each service technician, parts specialist and sales representative has Vermeer certified training, so they know the equipment inside and out. Many have personally learned the ropes through experience in the underground and environmental construction industries.
  6. Easier financing – get the equipment you need quickly with Vermeer Midwest’s in-house financing plans... and at competitive rates. Applying with Finance Manager Matt Knapp is faster and easier than trekking from bank to bank, so you get back to the job site a lot faster with the equipment you need.
  7. Much more – veterans in underground and environmental construction have known Vermeer Midwest since the ‘70s as a company that goes the extra mile in selection, support and successful customer solutions. It’s a tradition we don’t plan on changing anytime soon.

 

More for the Customer
A brief history of Vermeer Midwest

People who meet Junior Kool, founder of Vermeer Midwest, are sometimes surprised. Even though he is the head of North America’s largest Vermeer dealer and a nationwide leader in the underground and environmental equipment industries, Junior looks as if he’d be just as comfortable cutting stumps at a job site as he is in an executive office suite.

From the factory to the field
This dual identity comes naturally to Junior, his wife and co-founder Beverly, and to the hundreds of Vermeer Midwest employees across five Midwestern states. It’s all part of a willingness to understand customer needs better, and to deliver more than customers expect.
The tradition started more than a half century ago, when Junior took a job on the factory floor soon after Gary Vermeer started Vermeer Manufacturing Company in Pella, Iowa. He quickly graduated from grinding welds to working with customers, developing a depth of knowledge in the needs of heavy duty equipment users.

A network of locations
With Gary Vermeer’s encouragement, Junior opened the first Vermeer Midwest location in Eureka, Illinois over 35 years ago. As word spread about the company’s willingness to do whatever it takes to keep a customer’s equipment up and running, more customers in environmental and underground construction requested a Vermeer Midwest location nearby. A second location was opened in the St. Louis, Missouri area in 1977, with more added steadily until the Vermeer Midwest network included nine locations. The current network covers the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Eastern Missouri and Western Kentucky.

Still more
While our company is now the largest Vermeer distributor in North America, some things haven’t changed a bit. We’re still focused on giving customers more than they bargained for, as evidenced by a few of our capabilities:

  • 30 service vehicles in the field; more than anyone else
  • More inventory in both used and new equipment
  • More factory trained service people
  • More parts
  • More options for fast, affordable financing

If you haven’t been a part of our history, we’d love to make you part of our future. Give us a call... we’ll tell you more!