Wells Fargo 2014 Annual Report Download - page 19

Relationships
A focus on long-term relationships has
helped take Vermeer Corporation from
asingle employee to 3,000.
In 1948, Gary Vermeer started a
company with just one product idea,
one employee, and one building
he’d built himself. Today Vermeer
Corporation is a global manufacturer
of agricultural and industrial
equipment that makes 150models
of various products, employs
3,000 people, and operates out of
a 1.5million-square-foot facility in
Pella, Iowa, its headquarters.
“We develop products focused on
improving infrastructure, managing
natural resources, and assisting
working farms and ranches,” said
Mary Andringa, Gary’s daughter and
the company’s CEO. “Focusing on
niche products is part of the culture
my father established.”
WellsFargo has been working with
Vermeer since 1950, and for the past
25years, Mark Conway has served as
the Commercial Banking relationship
manager for Vermeer.
“Mark is one of the most frequent
visitors to our headquarters,” said
Mary, “where everyone knows
him by name.” Mark said Vermeer
and WellsFargo line up culturally
“because we both value long-term
relationships and trust.”
The trust Vermeer has in WellsFargo
was apparent when Vermeer began
expanding internationally. CFO Steve
Van Dusseldorp explained, “Weneeded
help understanding foreign exchange,
and WellsFargo was there—not only
with products and services but also
with education and forecasting tools.”
And when Vermeer needed to
move its China facility from one
location to another, a line of credit
from WellsFargo helped the
company maintain working capital
throughout the transition.
Steve said, “WellsFargo helps us
steward our assets and has a strong
understanding of our business and
cash management strategies—all of
which has helped us in our company’s
success. Even in today’s digital world,
relationships are still important,
and it’s clear that WellsFargo values
relationships.”
WellsFargo’s Mark Conway with Mary Andringa | Pella, Iowa
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