BAINUM TO RETIRE FROM HOCKENBERGS K.C. BRANCH

The Kansas City, Kan., branch of Hockenbergs will have a new head man at the end of the year. Mike Bainum is retiring as president of the Omaha, Neb., dealer’s branch there, and Kirk Farmer will take the reins on Jan. 1 after serving as v.p. for seven years.

In his announcement, Hockenbergs’ Pres. Tom Schrack Sr. credited Bainum with building a company from scratch, becoming a vital branch for the Hockenbergs group. Bainum started from his basement office in 2004 and built the business into a 70,000-sq.ft. office and warehouse complex in Lenexa, Kans., as well as a staff of 63 and an office in Atlanta. Before joining Hockenbergs, Bainum served as an executive with Kansas City-based dealer Smith St. John, which was acquired by QualServ.

Bainum will remain involved with Hockenbergs as a new member of the board of directors. Hockenbergs has eight locations in seven states. It reported 2010 revenues of $81.8 million, according to verified data from FER’s Top Dealer Report.