Trusted Dealer:Tom McAllister

There’s a certain risk to being an entrepreneur. The rewards are unquestionably great, but it’s intensely stressful getting there. It is a pursuit riddled with anxiety punctuated by bursts of jarring adrenaline. Folks who have walked this path will tell you: ‘it’s feast or famine.’

Feast.

Or famine.

That’s an especially troubling sentiment when you’re Tom McAllister with a wife and seven children at home. That’s a total of nine of mouths to feed – not exactly leaving a wealth of time to start, manage and build a new business. But that’s how it all went down back in 1984. 

“We were a family owned hardware store,” reflects Tom. “We started with four major brands and grew from there. We’ve been with Shindaiwa since the brand began. We were there at the beginning. We’ve since expanded to carrying ECHO – but that’s it. And there’s a reason for that.”

Tom started ‘tinkering’ with the equipment and liked what he saw. He saw his own determination and longevity reflected in the brand. Carrying nothing but the best is important to him.

“We’re actually a Do It Best hardware store. We are very service-oriented, and we definitely hang our hat on Shindaiwa products. We’ve got 34 feet of display in our store – we use it in our sales pitch.”

He’s excited; you can hear it in his voice. It’s obvious that Tom is a passionate person. The adrenaline from opening his own shop still courses through his veins. 

"I’m an action sports junkie." 

He’s invested almost 12 years, now, coaching and playing competitive hockey. He’s played all over the Midwest including the world famous Labatt Blue Pond Hockey Tournament. And you can bet his kids grew up carrying sticks and wearing skates, too.

Off the ice, the McAllisters spend time doing off-road motorcycle racing on their 20 acres of trails – constantly seeking that next rush. It’s hard to imagine there’s time to play hockey, coach it, handle off-road motorcycle racing and manage a successful business.

“Hey, we work hard, we play hard.”