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Up in smoke The resilience that brought Tim Brannon through the turbulence of the 1980s was put to the test in 2023 as the business literally went up in flames. The dealership fire was a total loss, with only rolling stock surviving. As Brannon and his employees stood and watched it burn, he made a decision. "I was watching the building go up in smoke and I said, 'Well, we've got the insurance. I'm 70 years old. Maybe this is a good time to quit,'" Brannon recalls. Jennifer Culpepper, B&G's office manager, says that fire was the most defining moment for this dealership. "We all realized there was nothing left to do but stand back and watch in shock as the building and our livelihoods burned to the ground," Culpepper says. "Tim almost immediately started reassuring everyone that we would rebuild and that our jobs were secure. He could have easily taken the insurance payout and retired. But he looked at each of us and, without hesitation, started making plans to get back to work." "'I know what I got to do,'" Brannon remembers thinking. "'We're going to build back better.' And we did." In just over a year, they had a new building in the same location. "I believe most men at his age and given the circumstances would be enjoying their retirement and piddling on the farm right now," Culpepper says. "But he still shows up every day, works just as hard as anyone else in the building, and made sure that his B&G family remained intact." Leading with loyalty As evidenced by his longstanding commitment to seeing B&G Equipment through even the darkest of times, Brannon says for him, it is all about the people he surrounds himself with. "I am not one who grabs the sword and dashes out ahead of the troops — that only works usually in movies," he says. "I try to surround myself with people who are smarter than I am. "When we started selling dealerships, I brought my cousin Larry Brannon back into it, and he is the best parts man, bar none, as far as order projections. "I've got really good techs, and it lets me sit back and smile a lot of times when customers or even some of the company guys refer some of those really tough cases to us and say, 'See what they can do about it.' That's a compliment to our dealership and to our people." "He wants the best for his people, and he wants the best for his customers, and he's willing to do whatever it takes at the dealership level to provide that ... ," said John Johansen, former Vice President of North American Sales and Service for Allis-Chalmers Part of growing his team is allowing people to fulfill their potential by letting them make mistakes, learning lessons from them and developing self- discipline from that. "He truly has the gift of encouragement," Larry Brannon explains. "When people do well, he thanks them. When they do wrong, he always encourages them to learn from the mistakes, and doesn't hound them about it. He believes in us." Culpepper describes Brannon as a patient and calm fatherlike figure: "Tim has taught me the value of giving second — and third and fourth — chances when I'm ready to give up on an employee or situation. He sees the good in people and wants to believe people deserve a little grace. "The way he treats his employees inspires loyalty and is why we have very little turnover. His understanding has allowed me and other employees to be more present in parenting and caring for aging loved ones." Brannon credits much praise to his wife Debbie for her support on the home front and raising their kids while he was working long hours and helping people. "I've been blessed." Dealer Hall of Fame welcomes Brannon EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is Part II in a two-part series about Tim Brannon, 2026 Farm Equipment Dealer Hall of Fame inductee. See Part I in our Spring 2026 Edition of Old Allis News. By Michelle Drewak, Farm Equipment 16 OLD ALLIS NEWS