The Stoller family came to the United States from Switzerland in the 1860’s and settled on a farm near Metamora. Within a few years the family moved farther west to Davis County, Iowa on the Missouri border. In 1891 the entire family returned to Gridley, IL and continued farming. Four of the original children migrated to western Ohio in 1913. Chris Stoller stayed in Gridley and fathered eleven children. His five boys showed an early interest in machinery by operating a corn Sheller business and inventing a snowplow that was pulled by horses.

The oldest son, William took a job selling farm machinery at age 16. Two years later he would die of Diabetes. Insulin was not available.

During the Great Depression, the second and third sons, Albert and Rueben entered the grocery business and the fourth son, Clarence, operated a bulk fuel business delivering gasoline and kerosene in five gallon cans to farmers. It was during these on farm visits that Clarence began to observe the trend away from horses. Tractor power for row crop work was gaining in popularity. Consequently in 1934 he answered an ad in the Prairie farmer from the Allis Chalmers Company and became an agent selling tractors while on his fuel route. He sold 12 tractors that first year and traded in horsed on some of those transactions. He rented an office on Third Street in Gridley for $5 per month and kept the trade-in horses in a corral across the street.