Duluth Service Manager follows in his father’s footsteps, but takes his own path

Jeff Little occupies the same seat his dad, Byron “Buz” Little, occupied for 23 years as Service Manager for the Duluth, Minn., branch. While he ended up in the same role as his father, the path there was very different. 

 

“I had no desire to go into this industry when I was growing up,” said Jeff. “I always liked working on cars, but I didn’t see it as a career. Plus, I was married with a kid shortly after graduating high school, so I needed to get a job instead of going to college.”

 

Jeff turned to screw drivers and sawdust over wrenches and grease as he began his career building and installing kitchen cabinets. The plan was going well until the recession of 2008 wiped out most of that business. Even then, Jeff still wasn’t considering heavy equipment.

 

“I was 31 with a wife and three kids and needed a career, so I went back to automotive tech school,” he said. 

 

While taking those auto classes, his dad began persuading him to consider Road Machinery & Supplies Co. 

 

“He kept bugging me to apply, but I didn’t understand why since I was training on cars,” explained Jeff. “But he knew how advanced the technology was in automobiles, and he knew it was coming for diesel equipment. I was developing software-driven troubleshooting skills that were going to be vital in this industry even though I was training on automobiles.”

 

Dad was right. After graduating in 2011, Jeff joined the RMS shop in Duluth as a service technician.

 

“I graduated on a Friday and was at work that Monday. They joked that I was on the ‘fast track’ program. What it really meant was that Dad, Jim LeBrun, and Earl Cooley were cramming as much information into my head as fast as they could,” laughed Jeff. 

 

Being a quick and adept learner has been one of Jeff’s defining skills. Six months after joining the branch, he was moved into a service truck. Just ten years later, he became Service Manager for the Duluth branch when Early Cooley retired. 

 

“I had no intention of getting to this spot, and I was kind of taken back when they asked me to replace Earl,” said Jeff. “I was honored. My motto has been ‘work hard in silence, and let success be your noise.’ It’s pretty cool to step back and think about having the same position my dad had for all of those years.”

 

Even though his father has retired, Jeff isn’t the only Little at the Duluth branch. His youngest son, Tyler, is in the apprentice program and will join the Duluth shop when he finishes. 

 

In his free time, Jeff enjoys the self-described “country” lifestyle of hunting, fishing, and playing music with his brothers. He and his wife of 23 years, Jennifer, recently became grandparents as they welcomed their first grandson, Jeffery III, on August 25th. Jeff and Jennifer have three children, Jeff Jr., Alyssa, and Tyler.