A celebration of the International Harvester legacy at Vizcaya.
Last December we gathered with nearly 150 family office professionals to launch a unique collaboration with Vizcaya–one that celebrates the International Harvester legacy. And what an appropriate setting at Vizcaya, the Renaissance palazzo just south of downtown Miami which was built by one of the founders of International Harvester.
The next family office event will be held on April 16th at Vizcaya. This will be focused on ESG investments and is hosted by F³ Tech Accelerator focused on innovations and technology in agriculture, aquaculture, and the environment and 1871 of Chicago, which is rated the number one business incubator in the world. We have a variety of outstanding ESG companies that will be present.
This will be a precursor to a large media event in Los Angeles in May that will focus on the Tribune media legacy, a group which shares our DNA. It is co-hosted by one of the most successful entrepreneurs in all of California. This we hope to follow with events in Geneva, Houston, New York, Boston, and Chicago in the oncoming months.
The International Harvester legacy is alive and well. There are 45 collectors’ clubs throughout America with hundreds of members in each. On February 14th the Clubs gathered for the International Harvester Hall of Fame 13th Annual Tractor Show in Leesburg, Florida which welcomed 6,000 International Harvester farmers. It was a great experience to speak after the tractor pull, sign autographs, take photos with attendees, and give away prizes at dinner. Next July is the Red Power Rally in South Dakota with 3000 IH tractors expected and 20,000 participants.
These events are an opportunity to speak to the Agrarian philosophy of the brand. It is a source of pride for farmers to exchange loyalties over “Red” (IH) or “Green” (John Deere). Certainly, of all the brands IH has the most interesting history as it is tied to the original mechanical Reaper invented in Virginia. In 1902 John D. Rockefeller and J. P. Morgan formed the International Harvester Company of Chicago, securing the legacy for decades to come. All of this helped Chicago become the foundation for many enterprises–not least the Chicago Board of Trade/Chicago Mercantile Exchange–still the largest commodities exchange in the world. To this day, the brand remains an institution in Chicago and throughout American farming communities.
