CAZENOVIA — In March, Cazenovia Equipment Company (CEC) announced that it has agreed to be acquired by Sydenstricker Nobbe Partners (SNP), a family-owned, full-service John Deere dealer with 28 locations in Missouri and Illinois.
CEC’s 10 locations — Cazenovia, Canton, Chittenango, Clinton, Cortland, Fulton, LaFayette, Lowville, Oneonta, and Watertown — are currently owned by the Frazee family.
According to its website, CEC was founded in 1961 by Larry Love and originally served the farming community in the greater Cazenovia area.
Love’s son-in-law, Bob Frazee, joined the business in 1975, and by 2003, Frazee’s sons Jim and Mike had also come on board. His third son, Ben, joined in 2014.
CEC first expanded in 1988 with the opening of its Chittenango location, and it continued to grow throughout the years.
Today, Jim is the company’s president, and Mike and Ben are vice presidents.
SNP also has a long legacy of serving the agriculture community.
The Nobbe family founded Wm. Nobbe & Company in 1907, and the Sydenstricker family founded Sydenstricker Implement in 1944. The two groups merged to form SNP in January 2020.
The Nobbes and Sydenstrickers both have family members working in the business today.
According to a March 13 CEC press release, the transaction is expected to close on Friday, May 31. The acquisition is “a strategic move by SNP to leverage scale and experience, provide opportunities for employee development, and add diversity to their customer base.”
“We are proud to share a heritage as a family-owned business with the Frazee family,” SNP CEO Ted Briscoe said in the press release. “We look forward to carrying on that legacy with the Cazenovia team. Our mutual commitment to providing excellent customer service and outstanding parts and service will ensure the community’s needs are not only met but exceeded.”
According to the press release, Jared Nobbe will serve as the general manager, Colton Parchert will be the director of sales, and Joe McWilliams will be the service director.
On May 1, Jim stated that he and his brothers plan to work alongside SNP for 180 days to ensure a smooth transition. After that period, they individually may elect to stay on with SNP if there is “mutually beneficial employment,” or they may pursue other opportunities.
“As for the business, we have elected to entrust the legacy of our family company to the Sydenstricker and Nobbe families,” Jim said. “We believe they will carry our values into the future and serve the next generations of farmers, landscapers, and homeowners that our family has had the privilege of serving for the last 65 years. Our industry requires a certain size and scale to be able to meet and exceed the needs and expectations of customers and employees. We are proud of CEC’s performance over the last 65 years; however, we knew change was needed for CEC to continue to provide the level of service our employees and customers expect. CEC was exploring options when we were introduced to SNP, who was looking to grow their business. It seemed like a win-win situation. SNP has the size and scale, but they continue to operate by the core values that have made their family business successfully sustainable for multiple generations.”
According to Jim, SNP recently announced that it will close CEC’s Chittenango location and that most of the employees will be offered positions at other locations.
SNP anticipates branding the locations in this region as “SN Partners,” and the business will operate like the company’s current four divisions in Missouri and Illinois.
“We know they are looking to build and grow on the success of CEC,” said Jim. “[They] are much larger than CEC and offer employees and customers a host of training and support resources, especially related to precision agriculture. As far as products, SNP will be able to sell John Deere sprayers to our agriculture customers, which CEC was not able to offer.”
On April 26, Cazenovia Town Supervisor Kyle Reger recognized the Frazee family’s contributions to the Cazenovia area over the years.
“Cazenovia Equipment has been an integral part of our community over the last six decades, fostering growth and serving our greater region,” Reger said. “From sponsoring local events and supporting charitable initiatives, the Frazee family’s commitment to giving back to our area will leave a lasting impact. We are so thankful for their tremendous community partnership and wish them the best with their next endeavors.”
For more information on CEC, visit cazenoviaequipment.com.
To learn more about SNP, visit SNPartners.com.
