Author Archives: vlm
Why Lee Rain is more than just another Irrigation Company!
Being that we have been in the irrigation business for over 75 years now, irrigation is still our core and always will be but we have grown to be so much more. I consider myself lucky being that my brother and I have grown up in this business and was lucky enough to have the opportunity to become the third generation family members to own and operate this company that our Grandparents started.
Since we have all these years of history and experience of being around agriculture all of our life’s it is no wonder why the agriculture industry has become a passion for us. At a young age, 13 and 11 we even had our own “neighborhood” landscape irrigation business where we would design, sell and install lawn sprinkler systems. I guess this is where our desire to be diverse started from.
Being involved in the design and sales side of the business I quickly saw that we needed to provide more than just selling good products at a reasonable price while also servicing what we sell. I wanted to really be able to help make difference to our customers operations. This meant that we need to take on more of a “trusted advisor” role. We needed to understand how what we sell actually helps our customers in improve their business.
Once I had this mentality it really changed my outlook of our business. I found myself doing more research on our customers and really discussing with them their pain points. Surprisingly to me, the conversations were very common. We now began taking on more of a role in presenting possible “solutions” to these issues. This also meant that we had to expand our offering.
Lee Rain has somewhat always offered more than just irrigation goods. Things like Sprayers, Fertilizer Injection systems, Transplanters to name a few. But this new concept of “supplying solutions” meant we really needed to expand. I will be explaining these solutions and outcomes over the next communications/blogs and hope they resonate and help others learn the possibilities of what is out there and how that they may help their operations become more efficient and/or profitable.
Lee Rain Welcomes Three New Employees to Its Team
The Irrigation Industry Leader Expands Team at Vineland Headquarters
Lee Rain, the largest supplier of irrigation equipment and solutions on the Eastern Seaboard, is pleased to announce the addition of three new employees to meet the growing demand at their Vineland, NJ headquarters. Joining the Lee Rain team are Mary Ennis, as Accounts Receivable Manager; Frank Charles Lupperger, as Customer Relationship Manager; and Amanda Smith, as Administrative Assistant.
Mary Ennis comes to Lee Rain with 12 years of experience in accounting positions, including serving Vineland Construction as Property Accountant and Comcast as an accounting supervisor. Ennis praises the collaborative team culture at Lee Rain, saying, “It’s great to be working for a company that values their employees and their opinions.” Ennis’ responsibilities as Accounts Receivable Manager will include the processing of sales and service orders and management of collection activities. A graduate of Shepherd University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management, she currently lives in Buena, NJ with her husband and two sons.
Frank Charles Lupperger steps into the role of Customer Relationship Manager to maintain and extend the Lee Rain reputation for exceptional client care. His duties include servicing current accounts, building new client relationships, and forging strong, productive partnerships between Lee Rain and growers. Lupperger has a deep appreciation for the needs, concerns, aspirations, and contributions of farmers, both locally and across the country. A resident of Buena, he lives on a 5-acre property where he raises chickens and goats. Lupperger has an Associate of Arts degree in Criminal Justice.
Amanda Smith joins Lee Rain as an Administrative Assistant, providing office support and handling a variety of clerical and customer service duties. Smith has 9 years of experience in administrative positions in both the law and medical and worked as a Business Development Specialist at Seabrook House, Inc. prior to joining Lee Rain. She expresses enthusiasm about working with the Lee Rain family, saying, she’s “very grateful to be part of such a wonderful company and an even more wonderful team.” A graduate of Wilmington University, Smith has Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science. A lifelong resident of Vineland, Smith’s family has a long history as small business owners in area; her grandparents owned Casey’s Market, a fixture of downtown Vineland, and her father operates United Lawn of Millville.
