“The legislators, they’re like, ‘Send me to the orthodontist first,’ or, ‘Send me to the dentist without any painkillers.’ ”
— Gov. Sam Brownback, speaking Friday at a Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce forum about the enthusiasm of Kansas legislators for the upcoming debate on school finance reform
UPDATED — Foley Equipment is expanding again, this time to another state.
The company is purchasing Dean Machinery of Kansas City, Mo. The deal is expected to close in January.
“We’re very excited about it,” says Foley Equipment president Ann Konecny. “I think we’ve said that about 100 times, but we are.”
Sean Buchanan, Foley Equipment’s marketing manager, says the acquisition will give the company an additional five counties of operation in Kansas for a total of 104 out of 105 counties. The company, which is making its first foray outside of Kansas, also will now have 40 counties in Missouri.
Foley Equipment, which sells and leases Caterpillar equipment as well as a few other brands, currently has 15 locations across the state.
The company has 531 employees. Dean Machinery has 315. Buchanan can’t say how those positions may be affected.
“At this point, not all those details are worked out,” he says. “We’ve got due diligence that we’ve got to do.”