How Belkorp Ag Turned Employee Engagement Into a Competitive Advantage

When Belkorp Ag set out to improve performance in both sales and service, they didn’t start with customers — they started with employees.

With pressure mounting in the equipment industry to deliver top-tier performance across the full customer lifecycle, Belkorp Ag leaned into a people-first approach. By investing in employee experience and listening through SATISFYD’s Voice of the Employee (VoE) program, Belkorp transformed disengagement into a culture of ownership, accountability, and impact — leading to increased employee retention, improved customer satisfaction, and standout dealership performance.

Company Snapshot

Belkorp Ag is part of the Belkorp Group of Companies, a second-generation, family-owned business headquartered in Vancouver, BC. In 2011, the group acquired John Deere dealerships in Modesto and Patterson, California, establishing Belkorp Ag. Since then, the company has grown to seven locations across the North Coast and Central Valley of California, employing over 180 team members.

When Nathan Green became President of Belkorp Ag in 2013, his vision was clear: create a great place to work, and exceptional customer experiences will follow.

The Challenge

By 2015, Belkorp Ag faced the challenge of unifying seven independently-run locations under one cohesive culture. That year, Trish Smith joined as Director of HR, bringing deep experience in employee engagement and retention.

SATISFYD’s VoE survey revealed areas where employee morale and connection were falling short — and that without change, company-wide values could erode. Leadership recognized the need for meaningful improvements in employee satisfaction to build a stronger, more aligned organization.

The Approach

Smith and her team got to work using the VoE insights to build action plans, location by location. She met with every store manager, prioritized each site’s lowest survey scores, and developed targeted strategies to address those concerns. Many fixes were practical — improving awareness of existing processes, increasing visibility, and encouraging proactive resolution.

But the changes didn’t stop there.

The team discovered a larger issue: a communication gap between senior leadership and frontline employees. Many team members didn’t understand why certain decisions were being made, which led to resistance and disengagement. To address this, Belkorp took bold steps:

• Leadership Training: Store managers and supervisors completed Dale Carnegie training to improve employee communication skills.

• Employee Engagement Teams: A cross-location group of non-management employees was formed to meet monthly, identify issues, and provide feedback — without leadership present, to foster trust.

• Weekly Huddles: Every location implemented weekly meetings to share updates and explain the “why” behind company decisions.

• Anonymous Feedback: A program called Everyone Speaks gave employees a safe way to share concerns, suggest ideas, and recognize peers — helping shift the culture from complaint-based to solution-oriented.

Building Trust & Transparency

These efforts paid off. Employees began to see that leadership was not only listening but taking action. Trust grew. Engagement increased. A shared sense of ownership developed.

• Peer recognition became a cultural cornerstone, with over 140 employees celebrated by coworkers in just one year.

• Recognition was included in quarterly newsletters mailed to employees’ homes, showing their families how much their contributions mattered.

• Microsoft Teams channels were introduced to support open, two-way communication across locations.

Long-Term Impact

Belkorp Ag’s people-first strategy turned the tide:

• +26 eNPS score (up from -7 just five years prior)

• 12% reduction in turnover across the company

• Recognized as a “Best Place to Work” in its Central Valley region

• 70% employee participation in a regional business development survey

• Expansion of employee-led initiatives, including safety and wellness programs

Lessons Learned

Belkorp Ag’s journey offers key takeaways for any dealer looking to build a high-performing, engaged team:

• Communicate more than you think you need to. Transparency builds trust.

• Start from the top. Leadership must model and support cultural change.

• Train your managers. They’re the bridge between vision and execution.

• Invite everyone in. Engagement is stronger when all voices are heard.

• Identify influencers. Bring both positive and critical voices into the fold to foster buy-in.

By choosing to invest in their people, Belkorp Ag didn’t just improve morale — they built a stronger, more successful dealership. Want to see how SATISFYD’s Voice of the Employee program can help your organization do the same? Schedule a demo and discover what’s possible.