Lumbermen's Equipment Digest

Fourteen years ago, Michigan CAT and MacAllister Machinery came together as one company. You might not have noticed, and that’s okay—we kept the names separate, but behind the scenes, we merged two hard-working, customer-first teams that share the same values, and have been working as one ever since.

On our 80^th anniversary – today June 2, it’s time to make it official on the outside what has been true on the inside since 2011: Michigan CAT and MacAllister Machinery are uniting under one name — MacAllister Machinery Company.

My family’s history with Caterpillar goes way back to before 1945, when my great-grandfather, E.W. MacAllister, made a handshake deal to become the authorized Cat® dealer for 68 counties in Indiana. Around that same time, Jerrold “Jack” Frost and H.O. Penn started Michigan Tractor & Machinery Company, which grew into the Michigan CAT so many of you have come to know and trust.

I’ve been around this business all of my life. As a kid, I used to go to the office with my dad on Saturdays, I repainted our buildings, cut the grass at our main shop during the summer, spent time working the parts counter and turning wrenches in the shop, and rode along on machine deliveries. Over the years, I’ve worked in nearly every division across our locations in Indiana and Michigan. Those experiences gave me real appreciation for the work we do and the people we serve: you!

What does this change mean for you?
Not much, really. And that’s the point.  The same folks you count on will still pick up the phone, show up at your jobsite, and have your back when it matters most. The change will enhance coordination and efficiency and eliminate confusion.

Trust isn’t a slogan—it’s how we do business. We build that trust by:

• Showing up when it matters. Not when it’s easy. Not when it’s convenient. We’re there when you need us.
• Doing what we say we’ll do. No excuses, no runaround—just straight answers and solid work.
• Doing it right the first time (DIRTFT). If it’s not good enough for our name, it’s not good enough for you.
• Standing by our price, quality, and turnaround. Because doing good work, at a fair price, on a timeline we agree on—that’s the MacAllister way.

When our customers win, we win. And when you trust us with your business, we treat it like our own.

We’re proud to stand with you—and now, we’re proud to do it under one name: MacAllister Machinery Company.

Thanks for being part of our story. We’re 80 years in, and we’re just getting started.

All the best,
Alex MacAllister

Senior Vice President of Operations
MacAllister Machinery