Carter Crismon: 2022 40 Under 40 Award-Winner
Our 2022 40 Under 40 Awards featured young OPE leaders from across the country. In the next couple of weeks, we’ll highlight several of our 2022 award-winners here. Our winners were chosen not only for their numerous accomplishments and individual strengths, but also for their passion for their dealerships and outdoor power equipment – and the promise they bring for the future of our industry. Of course, you can check out the entire 40 Under 40 roster in our May/June issue.
CARTER CRISMON
Sales Manager, Al’s The Chainsaw King – Murray, Utah
Carter Crismon is always looking to improve things – whether that involves boosting sales for his dealership or bettering himself in some way.
“One thing that sets me apart from most people is I try to have a growth mindset,” he says. “I seek out ways to improve and to get better. I often ask my boss how I am doing and seek ways that I can improve. I believe that we all have ways to improve, but I seek out these so that I might be a better employee and leader.
“I’m also a firm believer in continuing to learn,” he continues. “So throughout the past two years, I’ve been attending school full-time, and plan on graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business management, with minors in global supply chain and professional management.”
Carter has taken that same “upgrade mindset” and applied it to his work at Al’s The Chainsaw King: “He has shown consistent growth over the five years since he started,” said a nominator. “Every year, he has gotten better and shown improvement in key areas.”
In 2020, his leadership propelled the dealership to be part of the first-ever Walker Top 50 Dealers group, which just made Carter and team hungrier for 2021.
“We wanted to push to make that happen again,” he says. “So I led the charge, and attended the Walker Out Front Advantage sales training at their factory. From there, we pushed the machine and reached a 15-year high in sales on our way to making the Top 50 for the second year in a row. I sold all of the Walkers and was responsible for creating the sales.”
Another factor that has increased dealership sales has been Carter’s communication skills: “My greatest strength is my ability to communicate. In any business setting the ability to communicate is key – whether that’s with customers or with your fellow employees, it matters a lot,” he says.
“This year and last year, we’ve had the same supply-chain issues that have plagued the entire industry. Starting in August last year, I made sure to communicate the problems we were having to our good customers. I told them that they should order early, that way we could get in what they need for the next season. This approach worked, and has led to a big jump in sales and revenue over the previous years.”
Carter has set himself apart, notes a nominator, “because of his ability to connect with customers and sell equipment. He also has helped make key changes around the shop. He is up front and shows an openness to constructive criticism. Carter sold over $2.1 million in parts and equipment the last two years … [he] is in line to own the company one day.”
Family-owned and operated, Al’s The Chainsaw King started as an auto shop then began selling chainsaws, eventually morphing into all outdoor power equipment. Carter joined the dealership in 2017. In addition to Walker mowers, the shop sells Exmark, Honda, Toro, Echo, Shindaiwa, Husqvarna, Makita and Redmax equipment. “We are also adding Greenworks, and plan on going all in with them,” says Carter.
AL’S THE CHAINSAW KING
www.thechainsawking.net
