Our Story

Innovation
Passion
Family
Legacy

Get it done,
and get it done right.

Innovation Passion Family Legacy

Get it done, and get it done right.

Ready for anything

Our business is about the business of helping people, no matter what it takes, to get back to what they need to do as fast as possible. With almost 60 years of experience in the heavy equipment industry, it’s not going too far to say we’ve just about seen it all. One thing we know for sure is that knowledge is essential and experience is invaluable, but dedication and determination are everything.

We’ve got your back

When you choose West Side, you have access to almost 6 decades’ worth of accumulated knowledge and experience. But the most valuable thing you get is an entire team of people who are passionately dedicated to being there for you, committed to identifying potential problems before they become real problems, and who will go out of their way to find solutions to the toughest challenges — in short, a team who is serious, with a single-minded resolve to do whatever it takes to get your problem solved fast.

Our story

West Side is a third generation family business

established in 1962 by Rich and Mary Benck of Naperville, IL. The company began with just three employees and one pickup truck full of tractor parts on the “west side” of Chicago. Six decades later, West Side now serves over 80 counties with 11 locations spanning Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan.

The first West Side branch

was located in Lisle, IL. The business grew rapidly to include four more locations throughout Northern Illinois. In 1987, Rich Benck turned operations over to his three children. Steve, Diane, and Tom Benck – the 2nd generation - are all actively engaged in the running of the company, and place a high value on personal relationships, both with their employees and their customers.

West Side has grown considerably

under the leadership of the 2nd generation. In the early 2000s, the Benck family established a sister company to West Side called RCE Equipment Solutions (www.rcequip.com). Based out of a factory in Rockford, IL, RCE designs and manufactures specialized heavy equipment for the rail and energy sectors. With continued expansion in mind, in December 2010, the owners announced the acquisition of the John Deere construction and forestry equipment dealer in Indiana. This eastward expansion doubled West Side’s geographic footprint, adding twice the amount of employees to the West Side family and five more full-service facilities across Indiana.

In the last 10 years, West Side has welcomed the 3rd generation of the Benck family into the business with the addition of Steve’s three children, Brian Benck, Jen Snow, and Lauren Coffaro. This represents a commitment on the part of the family to the long-term future and health of the businesses, and to remaining a stable and trusted partner to our customer base.

The businesses continue to grow and evolve

In 2015, a new technology division was established within the dealership, providing services - like fleet monitoring, telematics, GPS and machine control products - geared to serve the advancing technology needs of our customers in the construction industry. Brand new facilities were built in Bloomington and Terre Haute, Indiana. In 2020, a state-of-the-art corporate headquarters opened in Lisle, Illinois, marking an exciting new chapter for the future generations that will continue to build the West Side legacy.

The first West Side branch

was located in Lisle, IL. The business grew rapidly to include four more locations throughout Northern Illinois. In 1987, Rich Benck turned operations over to his three children. Steve, Diane, and Tom Benck – the 2nd generation - are all actively engaged in the running of the company, and place a high value on personal relationships, both with their employees and their customers.

West Side has grown considerably

under the leadership of the 2nd generation. In the early 2000s, the Benck family established a sister company to West Side called RCE Equipment Solutions (www.rcequip.com). Based out of a factory in Rockford, IL, RCE designs and manufactures specialized heavy equipment for the rail and energy sectors. With continued expansion in mind, in December 2010, the owners announced the acquisition of the John Deere construction and forestry equipment dealer in Indiana. This eastward expansion doubled West Side’s geographic footprint, adding twice the amount of employees to the West Side family and five more full-service facilities across Indiana.

In the last 10 years, West Side has welcomed the 3rd generation of the Benck family into the business with the addition of Steve’s three children, Brian Benck, Jen Snow, and Lauren Coffaro. This represents a commitment on the part of the family to the long-term future and health of the businesses, and to remaining a stable and trusted partner to our customer base.

The businesses continue to grow and evolve

In 2015, a new technology division was established within the dealership, providing services, like fleet monitoring and telematics, GPS and machine control products and jobsite drones, geared to serve the advancing technology needs of our customers in the construction industry. Brand new facilities were built in Bloomington and Terre Haute, Indiana. In 2020, a state-of-the-art corporate headquarters will open in Lisle, Illinois, marking an exciting new chapter for the future generations that will continue to build the West Side legacy.