P&Q: IRock Crushers recently announced that it partnered with Crush Mode in the Upper Midwest. How did the two companies come together?
Tysver: I met [IRock Crushers’] Nate Russell at [the Pit & Quarry] Roundtable [& Conference] this past year. We exchanged contact information. I looked him up a week or two after we left the Roundtable and started a candid, quality conversation about whether there might be an opportunity for us to partner and do something.
We had met as a group with IRock out at ConExpo-Con/Agg in Las Vegas. We had a great conversation with them and started putting things into motion. Not long after that, we had a dealer agreement proposed to me and what it would look like. We kept conversations going along the way here.
IRock is such a special brand to me. They know what they’re doing. They focus on people. They have done an excellent job recruiting people. They understand the support side. You’ve got to be there to support the dealer and customer, be willing to travel for start-ups and offer service and support along the way. They have some of the best, top-notch support staff in the industry. And they’re in growth mode. They have a lot of things in the works, as well.
It feels like an awesome opportunity. They don’t have any representation up here in the Upper Midwest. They’ve been waiting for the right partner. Now, I am their first start-up.
P&Q: What were the greatest challenges to starting up Crush Mode?
Tysver: Two big challenging aspects of this were getting investors to buy into the vision and the dream, and getting a manufacturer to believe in me and want to work with me. We crossed those two hurdles.
The third big hurdle was getting a bank to work with us as a start-up without any financial history. With the economic times we’re in, banks are getting a little more cautious with where they’re putting their funds. That was a big hurdle, and it took a while to get the senior underwriting approval. Fortunately, my investment partners and I have a good relationship with a local bank here in Minnesota and the Dakotas, and we were able to leverage that relationship.
P&Q: What’s next for Crush Mode? What’s the road ahead look like?
Tysver: Brand recognition and focusing on that with customers, as well as reconnecting with customers in the Upper Midwest. Getting their buy-in and having them believe in the company and the vision.
There are a lot of people in this industry that I would consider friends. I think that hurdle won’t be as daunting as some might expect. Ours is one of the few standing industries where people do business with people.
There’s a tight-knit relationship aspect to the industry. Customers don’t look at it as ‘just another transaction.’ They want to partner with the right people who will support them and help them through. They’re not just looking for help on the equipment side but for the operation as a whole – whether it’s start-ups on equipment, addressing bottlenecks, improving production efficiencies and even assisting on the financial side.
There’s another aspect of Crush Mode, as well: the consulting side. There are a lot of other people in the industry who don’t know what they don’t know. I’ve come across that quite often. They’re looking for some assistance in addressing those things, putting together mine plans and reclamation plans. I do see a significant need for that in the industry, and I’m hoping I can leverage my education and experience to do some consulting.
P&Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
Tysver: One of the most significant factors that got me to where I am today is getting involved in industry associations, with magazines and with organizations – from local to regional to national-type memberships. That has been instrumental to me being able to obtain some of the resources on the networking side of things and to get to where I am today.
I’ve made a lot of friends by going to places like the Pit & Quarry Roundtable. That would be my recommendation to those out there: get involved in any organization you can, because it’s extremely valuable. There aren’t many places to visit with all these people under one roof, and there are significant opportunities that can be valuable.
