INTERVIEW

OPE + interviewed Chris Roessler, V. P. of advertising and marketing for Rotary Corp., to learn more about the parts manufacturer and supplier. Roessler has worked for the family-owned Rotary for 33 years, starting right out of college.

OPE +: Through June and July this year, parts sales through power equipment dealers were pretty strong year over year. Is that continuing? Was August good for Rotary, and what’ s your sales outlook? Roessler: We’ ve seen some positive trends in parts sales recently with performance aligning with the broader market conditions. As we approached the end of summer, the industry overall was experiencing consistent activity. While exact numbers and trends vary based upon the location, we’ re optimistic about sustaining this momentum. It’ s been a pretty good year. Of course, weather plays a big role in our industry. Parts of the west are pretty dry right now.

OPE +: Can you get a bit more specific on product segments that are doing quite well, or others that might not be? Roessler: Our strongest sales are for wearable items. Lawn mower blades, belts, trimmer line, air filters, and similar products. These are high demand parts that require regular replacement. This gives us a consistent advantage in both the performance and availabilities since you have to replace lawn mower blades and add line to your trimmers. Those wearable items are where we are seeing real good sales traction.

OPE +: You mentioned air filters. How is electrification impacting Rotary? Are you seeing a change in parts ordering for products like spark plugs or fuel delivery? Roessler: Right now, we have not seen any sales decline in air filters, spark plugs, fuel delivery systems and components. Demand remains steady. That said, we do recognize that the battery-powered market will continue to grow and have an impact on the market in coming years. But at this time, there’ s still a lot of gasoline-powered equipment that needs to be serviced.

OPE +: I saw news recently where you awarded top salespeople in the organization. Tell me a bit about the work your sales force does. What’ s a typical week like for Rotary salespeople? Roessler: Our sales force spends a lot of time on the road visiting dealers, supporting their needs, and making sure they have the right products and programs in place. A typical week includes travel throughout their territory, meeting with the dealers

Chris Roessler, V. P. of advertising and marketing for Rotary Corp., at the company’ s blade manufacturing plant in Georgia.

to review their inventory, introduce new items, and discuss opportunities to grow their business. Our chief sales officer, Mark Smith, reminds our team that it’ s not about the quantity of visits, but it’ s all about the quality and the purpose behind each visit.

We also recognize how busy our dealers are serving their customers, and we want to make sure every interaction adds value to their business. It’ s a demanding role, but also a very rewarding one. Our sales team takes part in building long term relationships, and that means being a trusted partner, not just a vendor. We recognize their hard work is important because it directly contributes to our dealer’ s success, and ultimately Rotary’ s success.

OPE +: How many dealers might a salesperson serve? Roessler: Our customer bases in our territories are very different. We sell products through a mix of independent outdoor power equipment dealers, rural hardware stores and larger equipment dealers. Each

24 OPE + October 2025 www. Ope-Plus. com