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John Parker Retires After 34 Years In Rental

John Parker, long time Rental Coordinator

After 34 years of dedicated service, Hugg & Hall Equipment Company is celebrating the retirement of John Parker!

John has been a central component of the rental team for nearly three decades. The company has grown tremendously since John first started in his role back in 1987, where he worked as the Rental Manager at our original Super Rents location. 

John and Rental Sales Manager, Ben Crone, have spent many years working together. Ben explains, “John is not only one of Hugg & Halls greatest, but a good friend as well.

John alongside Rental Sales Manager, Ben Crone

34 years ago John Hugg hired John Parker to open the first rental department in NWA.  He has been and integral part of the growth and success for the rental department and for the organization as a whole. He’s had a wealth of knowledge in the rental equipment business that he has shared and mentored others over the years and has been a great asset to the Hugg & Hall team! Thank you for your commitment, hard work, and passion you have had to make Hugg & Hall a great success. We love you John.”

Brian Robinson, Director of Rental Market Strategy adds “John Parker is the O.G.! He’s the kind of guy that comes in to work everyday and puts his nose to the grinding stone. His understanding of our industry is second to none. John was and is diligent in everything he does. Dots every I, crosses every T.. Mr. Details– That’s John Parker! Multi-tasker, Juggler, walk the deal through to the end.”

John explained he looks forward to gardening and fishing with all his newfound freedom!

The company would like to send out a huge thank you and congratulations to John Parker and wishes him a very happy retirement. John, you will always be part of the Hugg & Hall family!

Tom Ermann Retires After 40 Years

It’s a rewarding end to many years of hard work and dedicated service as we congratulate our long time Part Systems – Operations and Inventory Analyst, Tom Ermann on his recent retirement! Throughout his 40 year long career here at Hugg & Hall, Tom has held many different titles from Parts Runner, Service Manager, Branch Manager, General Parts and Service Manager, and Corporate Parts Manager– just to name a few!

“Tom has been an ever present calm and steady part of Hugg and Hall, he has guided the product support folks for many years and has instilled the Hugg & Hall spirit of service and fairness in everyone that has had the privilege of working with him,” said Jack Beckford, Springdale Parts Manager. “He has been a mentor and support post for many in his tenure and that example will be hard to match,” continued Jack. 

Tracey Gibbs, Corporate Parts Manger adds “He’s been the ‘Parts Guru’ for years and is famous for looking over the top of his glasses at you and saying ‘Parts is Easy’.  He’s mentored many parts managers over the years and we are a greater company today, because of that.  His knowledge and dedication was second to none.  He was my mentor for almost 30 years and he’s not just a co-worker, he is a great friend!”

It is easy for all of us to agree with Tracey and Jack, when they say Tom Ermann will be greatly missed by the Hugg & Hall family! 

Hugg & Hall would like to send a huge thank you and congratulations to Tom for his hard work and dedication throughout his 40 years of service. Tom, you will always be part of the Hugg & Hall family!

Suzanne Engstrom Retires After 25 Years

After 25 Years, warranty administrator, Suzanne Engstrom, is retiring from Hugg&Hall. Read about her journey!

Suzanne has played an instrumental part of Hugg&Hall’s success and has been involved in several roles in the company.

Starting in administration in our service and rental departments, she eventually transitioned into a warranty administrator role. It was her attention to detail that earned her the opportunity to move into a parts management position in the early 2000’s.

Tracey Gibbs, Corporate Parts Manager, says, “She’s now in the Warehouse Manager role and is one of the best. Her attention to detail and commitment to do things right the first time have made her the very respected person that she is today. She has been a vital part of many warehouse projects and warehouse training in the past and I’ve always been able to count on her.”

Tom Ermann, Part Systems/Operations and Inventory Analyst, adds, “Suzanne and Tracey collaborated (translation: ganged up on me) a lot over the years. Both were very instrumental in the progress we made during their tenures as Parts Managers”.

“I have worked for, alongside, and with Suzanne for the last ten years– rest assured there hasn’t been a more dedicated employee to the Fort Smith store and possibly Hugg & Hall. Congratulations and after 25 years, you have more than earned your retirement,” says Dustin Biery, Fort Smith Parts Manager.

I think we can all agree with Tracey when she says “she’s not just a great coworker, she is a great friend!”

Congratulations, Suzanne! Hugg&Hall thanks you and will miss you! Want to read more about our employees? Check out our Employee Spotlights page! 

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in July 2020. We updated it for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness in March 2023.

Donald Strassle Retires After 31 Years of Dedicated Service

After 31 years of dedicated service to Hugg & Hall Equipment Company (Hugg & Hall), Donald Strassle, Heavy Equipment Road Technician at the Little Rock, Ark. branch, has officially retired.

While employed as a technician at Hugg & Hall, Donald repaired and took care of heavy equipment. He is very experienced in Detroit engine repairs, and enjoys repairing Euclid trucks. As his career progressed, Donald became very skilled at repairing Volvo and Bobcat equipment.  

John McKenzie, Service Manager at the Hugg & Hall Little Rock branch, attested to Strassle’s character and hard work.

“When we hired new employees I would always tell them, when Donald starts talking about his cows (yes Donald raised cows as a hobby) make sure you pay attention because he is not talking about his cows he is talking about the “job”.  Donald had a way to have a story attached to his “cows” that related to every repair job, he was funny like that.” 

John McKenzie also spoke about how Strassle’s colleagues will not only miss his many contributions to the company but will mostly miss his fun spirit.

“Over the years we all learned something from Donald. Donald was one of the first technicians that I worked with and he had a way to “break in”  new employees. When I started, I was brand new to Hugg & Hall and heavy equipment repair. He put me in a hole in this very large loader and dropped oil on me all day just to show me how dirty the job could be—he laughed about this to the day he retired, which I did too!  Donald will be missed and we will talk about the stories and experiences we shared with him during his time at Hugg & Hall Equipment.”

The entire Hugg & Hall team would like to thank Donald Strassle for his hard work, dedication and contributions throughout his time with the company and wishes him the very best of retirement!