Keeping Cherryland’s iconic red trucks on the road is no easy job. Between the trucks, trailers, and other equipment, there are 60 units in the co-op’s fleet to repair and maintain. That’s why Cherryland has Adam Wagner, the co-op’s newest mechanic.

Q: Tell us about yourself.

A: I have lived on co-op lines my whole life.  I grew up about five minutes south of Cherryland on my family’s centennial farm.  The farm was purchased in 1903 from the Monroe family and now I’m the 5th generation of my family to operate it. We raise corn, wheat, oats, hay, and beef cattle. My hope is that my children will be 6th generation to operate it.

 I graduated from Ferris State University in 2002 with a degree in Applied Sciences of Heavy Equipment Technology. After college, I worked for a few different repair shops in Traverse City before coming to Cherryland. 

I’m married to my wife Betsy and have three young children, Lilly, Morgan, and Hunter.

Q: What is your role at Cherryland?

A: I am one of Cherryland’s mechanics. I help maintain and repair the co-op fleet of vehicles and equipment.

Q: What does a day look like for a co-op mechanic?

A: Every day is different depending on the needs of the fleet. A typical day in the maintenance garage starts with a list of needed repairs for any given piece of equipment: bucket trucks, pickup trucks, backhoes, diggers, and more. If the crews aren’t using it, we will do what’s needed to be done to return it to the service fleet. If there is nothing to repair, we also do any preventative maintenance that’s needed to keep the fleet on the road where it belongs.

Q: What attracted you to Cherryland?

A: I really liked what I heard from people who worked at the co-op. Everybody I had spoken to had good things to say about the people and the working environment.  And now that I’m here, it’s great to see how much my coworkers care about their community and how willing they are to give back to others.

 Q: And now that you are here, what’s your favorite part of working for Cherryland?

A: My favorite thing about working at Cherryland is the atmosphere.  It’s a lot like working with family. As a family, everybody is willing to pitch in and make sure whatever needs to get done is done.

Q: What do you do when you are not in the garage or on the farm?

A: I like to watch my daughters play sports and participate in 4-H showing their junior beef projects at the fair.  I’m also very involved with Michigan Farm Bureau serving on the county board of directors for the last three years.