Growing From Within: Abilene Machine Builds on a Culture Decades in the Making

ABILENE, Kan. — When Abilene Machine introduced a new mission statement and set of core values in April 2026, the words may have been new, but much of the philosophy behind them was not.

For more than four decades, the family-owned agricultural parts company has grown from a small salvage operation along Old Highway 40 into a multifaceted business with 143 employees across 21 departments. Along the way, generations of employees have built careers there — some beginning in entry-level positions and eventually moving into leadership.

Now, Abilene Machine is taking a more intentional approach to preserving that culture while preparing its workforce for the future.

The company’s updated mission emphasizes meeting customers’ needs with integrity and honesty, listening to customers and employees, and fostering growth while recognizing that “our people, families and customers are the heart of our success.”

Five core values accompany it: Integrity, Driven, Team First, Coachable, and Humble & Confident.

Abilene Machine's five core values — Integrity, Driven, Team First, Coachable, and Humble & Confident — were formally introduced to employees in April 2026 as part of the company's efforts to strengthen its workplace culture.

Leadership introduced the values through department meetings held over two days in April, giving employees an opportunity to discuss what each value means and why it was selected.

Of those values, Marketing Manager Kenny Roelofsen repeatedly comes back to Team First.

“Team First is a big one for us,” Roelofsen said. “Everybody has a role, and it takes all of those roles working together to make the company successful. That’s part of what we wanted our mission and core values to reflect — not just what we say we are, but how we work together and how we want to continue growing.”

For CEO Tom Roelofsen, maintaining the company’s family-oriented culture while continuing to grow is an important part of that work.

“We want to continue growing and developing our people while keeping that family-value culture,” Roelofsen said. “We’re respectful that our employees have a family and a life outside of work. There are going to be school events, family events and other things they need to be there for, and we want to maintain a culture that recognizes that.”

A philosophy with deep roots

That emphasis on family predates the company’s newest mission statement.

Abilene Machine traces its roots to 1980, when Randy Roelofsen and Loren Engel began recycling used tractor and combine parts, providing farmers with more affordable options during difficult economic times. The business officially became Abilene Machine in 1989 and continued expanding into new, used and remanufactured agricultural parts.

By 1990, the company had grown to approximately 50 employees.

Speaking in a story marking Abilene Machine’s 40th anniversary, the late Randy Roelofsen described the philosophy he wanted to extend throughout the company.

“We think family all the way up and down the ranks. I preach that to my people,” Roelofsen said at the time.

Today, that philosophy is being supported by more formal efforts to connect employees, recognize their contributions and develop future leaders.

Creating connections — and listening to employees

In April, Abilene Machine also rebranded an existing employee group as the Employee Connection Committee, or ECC.

Abilene Machine employees celebrate during the company's second annual volleyball tournament, held in Solomon in October 2026. Five teams participated in the event, one of several activities organized to encourage teamwork and employee connections.

The previous group had focused primarily on events and wellness initiatives. HR Manager Priscilla Abel said leadership wanted the new committee to have a broader purpose: helping lead culture change.

Employees from nearly every department were selected to bring different perspectives and ideas to the committee.

One of the ECC’s first initiatives was a New Hire Mentor program. Every new employee is assigned two mentors from the committee, providing additional resources and familiar faces who can answer questions and help them become acquainted with the company — whether or not the mentors work in the same department.

Other improvements are coming directly from employees.

An employee in the teardown shop recently suggested creating a centralized “tool pit” where company tools could be inventoried, maintained and returned to designated locations at the end of each shift. The company is now implementing the idea.

It is a practical example of one part of Abilene Machine’s new mission in action: listening to employees and using their input to improve the business.

The ECC also continues to organize activities that bring employees together. In October, five teams participated in Abilene Machine’s second annual employee volleyball tournament in Solomon. Other activities have included team-building events such as pumpkin decorating contests.

Recognizing the values in action

Gabby Carnes (center) was recognized as Abilene Machine's Period 1 Core Behavior Spotlight Award winner. The employee recognition program celebrates team members who demonstrate the company's core values. Carnes is pictured with CEO Tom Roelofsen (left) and manager Chris Shuler (right).

The company’s new values are also being incorporated into employee recognition.

Through the Core Behavior Spotlight Award, employees can nominate coworkers who demonstrate the company’s core values and go above and beyond in their work.

The Employee Connection Committee reviews the nominations and selects a monthly recipient. Additional honorees are selected based on nominations over four-month periods, with an annual winner ultimately selected by the executive team.

Gabby Carnes was recently named the Period 1 Core Behavior Spotlight Award winner.

The program gives employees an opportunity to recognize those values in one another — reinforcing the Team First approach beyond individual departments or leadership roles.

Growing careers from within

The investment in employees can also be seen in the company’s workforce numbers.

Abilene Machine’s average employee tenure is 9.84 years, according to company HR data, and 83% of its current supervisors have been promoted from within.

Lovisa Fritts is one of the employees who has built her career alongside the company.

Fritts joined Abilene Machine in fall 2011, just six months out of college. She was initially hired to produce the company’s catalog, entering product information and creating artwork for covers and filler pages.

Within her first year, she also took on product photography. As the company’s product-data needs became more sophisticated, her responsibilities expanded into new-product review and data management. She later became a department coordinator and eventually moved into her current role as Catalog & Product Data Supervisor.

“I feel like I’ve been loyal to the company, [and] the company’s been loyal to me,” Fritts said.

She credits longtime manager Jay Russell with helping her learn and grow as the department evolved and said that investment has continued under Kenny Roelofsen’s leadership.

“For me, my journey with Abilene Machine has been a continuous journey where I have felt the company has invested in me,” Fritts said.

Bryan Cochran joined Abilene Machine as a part-time employee in 2002 and worked in warehousing, sales and product development before becoming Purchasing Manager in 2025.

Bryan Cochran’s career provides another example.

Cochran first worked for Abilene Machine part-time while still in high school from 2002 through 2004. He moved from the warehouse into sales, eventually spending more than 15 years as a sales lead representative.

When Cochran was ready for a change in 2022, the next step didn’t require leaving the company.

Abilene Machine created a new role for him as New Product Development and Forecasting Coordinator, allowing him to apply his years of company and industry knowledge in a different area. In 2025, he advanced again, becoming Purchasing Manager.

“That showed me the time and value Abilene Machine has invested in me all the years of my employment,” Cochran said.

Developing the next generation

Abilene Machine is also putting more structure around leadership development.

The human resources department provides monthly Leadership Development training for current supervisors and team leads. Topics include crucial conversations, delegation, building trusting teams, active listening, training others and interviewing.

For Tom Roelofsen, developing people internally is both part of the company culture and an investment in its future.

“At the end of the day, we like to see our employees grow,” Roelofsen said. “Development is a goal for our people. We want people who are willing to learn, who have integrity and who understand that we’re all working toward the same goal — and we want to give those people opportunities to grow with us.”

That investment becomes increasingly important as the business itself continues to change. Over 46 years, Abilene Machine has evolved from a salvage operation into a company encompassing new, used and remanufactured agricultural parts, manufacturing, e-commerce, product data, warehousing and other specialized operations.

Many of those areas depend on knowledge employees develop over years on the job — making employee development, knowledge sharing and internal advancement important not only to retention, but also to the company’s future.

The tools and technology may look considerably different than they did when Abilene Machine began in 1980. Its latest efforts suggest the company is equally focused on what it wants to carry forward.

More than four decades after Randy Roelofsen spoke of thinking “family all the way up and down the ranks,” Abilene Machine is putting new structure around that long-held philosophy — creating opportunities for employees to be heard, recognized, developed and, like Fritts and Cochran, given room to grow.

It's one example of what makes Dickinson County Roadmarkable: businesses that don't just grow here, but create opportunities for the people who call this community home.