Wessington Springs Implement Dealership Embarks on New Chapter with Local Couple at the Helm

After more than two decades of navigating highs and lows, triumphs and tribulations, Wessington Springs implement dealership, L Double J Implement, is gearing up for the next era under new ownership. The torch has been passed to familiar faces in the local community – Wessington Springs natives Todd and Hilary Grohs.

L Double J Implement was founded as a passion project by Lawrence Caffee, along with his son Jerry and son-in-law Jeff Reider. Initially conceived as a supplement to Springs Auto, the business grew steadily, attracting both local and out-oftown customers.

“The implement dealership really started as a hobby,” remembers Jerry, who began L Double J Implement with the other two namesakes of the business. “Springs Auto was always the number one business but we started this because we all had a love for selling and a love for farm equipment. Plus Dad and Jeff were both farming and had cattle, so it fit in with our overall operations.”

The lots were purchased on the northwest corner of Main Street East and 383rd Avenue from the Wessington Springs Development Corporation. First they built storage units then decided to construct the building that houses the implement dealership’s offices and shop.

“We built the building to store parts and clean tractors,” Kimberly, Jerry’s longtime significant other, recounted.

The business grew steadily, attracting both local and out-of-town customers. The turning point arrived in 2012 when a devastating fire razed the auto dealership on Main Street. Subsequent challenges, including a tornado in 2014 forced the family to reassess the business.

“The fire that destroyed the auto dealership on Main Street in 2012 forced us to build up on the hill,” said Jerry, recalling the arduous process of rebuilding Springs Auto at the town’s entry on Dakota Avenue and Highway 34. “Then came the 2014 tornado that took it out. With that building gone, Jeff and I bought out Dad and then moved out here (383rd Avenue and Main Street East) full time.”

In 2016, Jerry’s Dad Lawrence passed away and Jerry eventually ended up buying out Jeff’s share of the business while continuing to rebuild after sustaining the blow caused by two back-to-back natural disasters. This forced him to take a hard look at his business, his life, and his future.

“IhadlostDad,IhadlostSprings Auto, I had lost my dream,” Jerry remembers. “That’s when Kimberly asked, ‘Can you start by purchasing one tractor on your own, selling it and then buying and selling another?’ She told me, ‘I’m willing to take the risk if you are.’” Kimberly, who has been a designer for clients for many years, told Jerry she would pick up as many jobs as possible to help the couple bridge the gap while they rebuilt.

And together, they did just that, pressing on with traditional sales Jerry had been taught in what he calls “The School of Lawrence Caffee” — and what Kimberly refers to as “The School of Hard Knocks.”

Embracing traditional sales techniques and harnessing the power of the Internet, the couple transformed L Double J Implement into a larger player in the farm equipment market.

“There used to be business hours, but I remember about seven years ago when Jerry started getting calls in the middle of the night,” Kimberly recalls. “At first he was skeptical but once we figured out this was the way of the future, we decided we couldn’t not take calls from all over the country.”

During that time, Jerry recalls one particular incident that opened their eyes to the power and reach of the Internet.

“I had sold some stuff out of state here and there but this guy from New York called and asked if I could give him a best price on a Landoll drill. He said I had the only drill of that type available,” Jerry said. “I texted the guy a price and before I set the phone down, he texted right back asking, ‘How can I pay you?’ It was so quick I thought it was a scam but that same day, he wired the money.”

The couple fully embraced the possibility of selling all over the US over the next few years and then in 2020, while some businesses struggled, L Double J flourished.

“During Covid, everyone was on the Net,” Kimberly said, adding that this way of purchasing goods and services is the new norm. “With past generations, if there wasn’t a handshake we didn’t trust it. The younger generation’s norm is the Internet.”

Despite catering to a growing national clientele, the dealership remains deeply rooted in the local community. The couple acknowledges the changing dynamics of commerce, with the Internet becoming the preferred mode of transactions for this era.

“Right now we have a drill out on the lot that goes to Washington state, a piece that goes to Kentucky, a tractor going to Massachusetts,” Jerry pointed out. “But it’s not just out of town sales, there have been many local people who supported me over the years and I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart.”

Kimberly points to the recent trend of large implement dealerships buying and liquidating smaller, familyowned dealerships and the benefit of keeping the Springs dealership locally owned.

“We are a small community, we are wrapped in rural for miles. When you get a call at 8 at night from someone you know who just wrecked their loader and asks, ‘Do you have something I can use?’ it’s a blessing to still have this business here and keep it locally owned,” said Kimberly, adding that the combination of local customer service and the possibilities of growth via out of area Internet sales is exciting. “It’s exciting for the next generation. That’s how we’re going to keep young families staying in our community. You simply can’t live on how business was done with past generations.”

In a unique blend of fate and business acumen, Todd and Hilary Grohs, proprietors of Grohs Farms, emerged as the ideal successors for L Double J Implement. The Grohs family has a longstanding history of collaboration with Jerry and Kimberly.

Wessington Springs natives and high school sweethearts, Todd and Hilary both returned to their hometown after earning degrees in Ag Business and Marketing, respectively, to unite in marriage in 2000.

Todd began working in the ag industry after college and started his own custom spraying business soon after.

“I worked for a guy then did custom spraying,” he said. “I started with a pickup and a flat bed then I bought my first semi from Springs Auto.”

No stranger to partnership, the two families have a long history of working together.

“I bought one of the first blades from L Double J,” Todd said, then added that his son Carter, now a sophomore at SDSU, interned with L Double J.

Much like the growth L Double J saw over the last two decades that began with a single tractor sale, Todd and Hilary’s operation, Grohs Farms, has continued to expand from the one-man, pickup and flatbed outfit.

“I have a strong interest in equipment and mechanics and my kids do too. Carter did an internship with Jerry and enjoyed it greatly,” Todd explained “I told Jerry that Carter and I are interested if there is ever a time you wanted to think about selling.”

The synergy between the two families extends beyond friendship, with the Grohs Farms crew lending their technological expertise and support to Jerry’s business over the years.

“Todd and his crew are where I think we can grow even more. I was nervous about the new stuff I was selling but now I can sell, sell, sell. I hate the new technology but Todd’s a genius with it. I’m out there pushing buttons and Todd and Carter get in there and just know it,” Jerry said. “It’s nice if you can have someone deliver the equipment and show the customer how to use it. Plus if customers have an issue with something, Todd’s crew can support it.”

Todd’s portfolio of contacts through doing custom farming work adds another layer of possibility to the future growth of both businesses.

“We are so thankful for the customers and relationships we’ve built over the years and look forward to continue serving them through Grohs Farms and Springside Sales,” Todd said. “I like working with people just as Jerry does, it’s a business of relationships. I see this as we’re forming a partnership and I hope Jerry stays on as long as he wants to. We compliment each other very well and he and I talk daily.”

That comment was met with a chuckle from both Hilary and Kimberly.

“Can Kimberly and I weigh in on how much they talk?” Hilary laughed. “They talk to each other more than they talk to us some days.”

All joking aside, Jerry said he couldn’t think of a better couple to steer the implement dealership into the future while honoring the business’s hometown foundation.

“My dad loved this town, I love this town and these two do too. I believe in Springs and I believe in Todd and Hilary,” Jerry expressed adding that he will also be focusing on the continued growth of his other business, Seed Barn, a Rob-See-Co seed dealer, with construction underway for additional seed storage. “I’ll still be here until Todd says, ‘Hey we are ready.’ I’ll keep doing what we do under a different name and with their guidance.”

The transition marks a new chapter for the implement dealership, now operating under Springside Sales, Inc. However, both Jerry and Todd emphasize that customer service remains the cornerstone of their operations.

“If there is something a customer needs, we want to offer it to them,” Todd said. “If we don’t have it we can help you find it. We want to help you find whatever it is you need to better your business.”

As the community witnesses this change of hands, the collective optimism of the new owners, along with the legacy built by Jerry and his predecessors, paints a promising picture for the future of the implement dealership under the stewardship of Todd and Hilary Grohs.