Podcast: Risk and reward on the road to industry success

Equipment dealers must adapt to both short- and long-term industry changes in order to meet customers’ demands and support their needs. 

As economic, environmental, political and technological changes shape the equipment industry, dealerships must continue to evolve, Todd Bachman, president and chief executive at Florida Coast Equipment and Big Orange Rental, tells Equipment Finance News on this episode of “The Dig” podcast.

“If you wake up and do business tomorrow the way you did today, you got a problem. I don’t care whether it’s a storm, whether it’s an election, whether it’s an economic issue, the world is changing, good or bad, and you can fuss about it, you can debate it, but it doesn’t matter. It’s happening.” — Todd Bachman, President & CEO, Florida Coast Equipment & Big Orange Rental

Florida Coast Equipment, which primarily trades in Kubota equipment, found itself navigating the challenges of delivering superior customer service after the recent devastation of hurricanes Helene and Milton, Bachman said. 

“You find out whether you really believe that or whether you’re able to do that after a storm because guys are putting together machines without power, you’re doing contracts without power, you have no internet, you have no phones, so you go third world country really quickly after a storm,” he said. “If you haven’t lived through a storm, when the cell towers go, you have nothing. You have Starlink and that’s it.” 

Tune in to the newest episode of “The Dig” to hear from Bachman about how equipment dealers can manage natural disasters, risk and the evolving equipment dealership landscape. 

The third annual Equipment Finance Connect at the JW Marriott Nashville in Nashville, Tenn., on May 14-15, 2025, is the only event that brings together equipment dealers and lenders to share insights, attend discussions on crucial industry topics and network with peers. Learn more about the event and register here.