TRI STATE COMPANY SALE

Dear Customers of Tri State Company,

As you probably have heard by now, MTI Distributing, out of the Minneapolis area, has purchased the assets of Tri state Company and I will be retiring. I do this with very mixed feelings: I have lived with/at Tri State almost my whole life and have worked here for the last 35 years. I am intrigued by what else lies in my future. On the other hand, I really like what I do, the people I do it with and all of our customers for whom I have been privileged to serve. It truly has been a labor of love and I will miss you all. I want to thank you for your friendship, your trust and your business for these last 35 years. I never took any of it for granted.

Just because I am leaving does not mean that Toro will decrease its presence in this area. MTI has an equally long and lustrous history selling and servicing Toro equipment in Minnesota and the Dakotas . Recently they merged with Turf Professionals Equipment Company in St. Louis so with the Tri State territory, they will now represent Toro in a major swath of the Midwest . You will see many of the same faces you see now with the added benefit of a much larger support staff in Brooklyn Center . I have known many of the MTI staff for a long time and they are as interested and able to earn your business as we were. I hope you will welcome them. They can be reached at (800) 362-3665 or at www.mtidistributing.com

I wish you all the best in the future. If ever I can help, you can reach me at 563-349-2161 or hstafford@tristateco.com. Good luck and God speed.

Sincerely yours,

Hugh