Down a meandering tree-lined road in the Town of Underhill, the glow of orange caught the attention of passersby.
The orange was not the turning leaves, but scores of Allis-Chalmers tractors and equipment lined up in rows.
A&W Tractor hosted its third annual customer appreciation day Oct. 4. The event took place on the shop’s property at 12802 Wiskow Road.
“The day is a great opportunity for customers to connect with one another,” business owner Alex Wocking said. “It also provides me a chance to say thank you.”
Roughly 100 people attended the event which featured a tractor show and activities for the kids.
Adults talked shop and reminisced on bygone farming days while enjoying a complementary plate of pulled pork, coleslaw, and potato salad.
Kids jumped for hours in an orange-tiger bounce house and rode the barrel train pulled by an orange lawnmower. The pedal-tractor pull and face painting were also a kid favorite.
The business services Allis-Chalmers tractors from the 1930s through 1970s, and ships new and used parts all over the globe.
“I started the business when I graduated from Fox Valley Tech in 2011,” Wocking said. “I apprenticed with my neighbor who wrenched on tractors in the 1970s.”
Wocking has a sharp mind and was pursuing a mechanical engineering degree at University of Wisconsin-Platteville, before he realized that the long hours of sitting in a chair staring at a computer was not the life for him.
“I’m a hands-on, get it done guy,” Wocking said. “The designing and creating aspect of being an engineer was fun, but I can’t sit in a chair all day, so I went to FVTC and got a degree in outdoor power technology.”
Wocking said he likes what he does and looks forward every day to going to work.
“Managing people, though, I didn’t really expect that I would be doing that,” Wocking said.
The business has seen significant growth since it began 14 years ago, recently Wocking had to hire more help.
“Last year I hired an additional full-time mechanic,” Wocking said, “and this year I’m looking to do the same. I have been blessed.”
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