In April 2007, the mowing world was transformed by Ralph Jester. He opened Lumax Power Equipment Inc. in Belton to serve South Kansas City, offering a large inventory of Toro, Spartan, Wright Stander and Hustler Lawn Equipment. He also carries a large inventory of ECHO, Shindaiwa, Stihl and RedMax Handheld power equipment, in addition to a large in-stock inventory of repair and replacement parts for all Briggs and Stratton, Kawasaki and Kohler small engines.
Lee’s Summit became his next location in January 2021, so he stretched his reach to Eastern Kansas City.
“I named the company by blending my two sons’ names, Lucas and Max,” he explained. “After April, we obtained all our contracts over the next several months and chose November 7th as our grand opening date. This day happened to fall on the day my wife gave birth to our youngest son. It was a very busy day!”
Jester has been in this industry for 30 years and has worked in all facets of the business. He started out working in the service department of a large John Deere dealership as a teen through college. After college, he moved into the sales side of the business.
“I accepted employment with a manufacturer and went on to become a territory manager selling outdoor power equipment to dealerships across the Midwest. It seems that my career path honed me to become a dealership owner,” he expressed. “We started selling zero turn mowers when they were still gaining in popularity. I wanted to represent at least two of the top five mower brands to start and add to our product offering as we grew.”
It wasn't long after opening when they added the top two handheld equipment brands, Stihl and Echo, to be able to offer string trimmers and chainsaws that complimented their mowers.
“Today we find ourselves expanding into the battery powered lines as they gain popularity. I believe our knowledge of the industry and the ability to change our product offering, to meet our local market needs is truly an asset with our customers,” he continued. “Knowledge and expertise is by far the best thing we have to offer our customers. Listening to them, educating them on our products and offering multiple products for them to choose from will always be the way we operate.”
He plans to continue to evolve their product offering to meet customers’ needs including this Fall’s addition of street legal electric vehicles for golf and lake communities. The two things that drive him and are a part of every decision he makes are time and family.
“Saving people time and promoting family is what's important,” he related. “If we can provide our customers with equipment to save their time, perhaps they will gain time with their family.”
Additionally, he wants customers to know he will be here for them after the sale, and truly prides himself on service. Each of his employees is incentivized not on what they sell but on how well they take care of customers.
Since day one, this has been his mission statement: "Success is achieved through hard work and our individual efforts to be the best at what we do."
With any mower or power equipment from Lumax, life is elevated to a new level. So, go ahead, start those engines!
Lumax Power Equipment is located at 1737 NE Rice Road, Lee’s Summit, MO, and at 17131 Bel Ray Place, Belton, MO. Visit lumaxpower.com, or call them at 816-317-0707 in Lee’s Summit or in Belton, 816-331-1843.
