Orlando, FL –

Vermeer Southeast announced the promotion of Michael Varela to Director of Lifecycle Training, a newly elevated role focused on advancing the customer experience through continuous education for front-line teams across parts and service.

Over more than a decade with Vermeer Southeast, Michael has served in a range of key roles, including Parts Associate, Sales Representative, Operations Manager, and Senior Operations Manager. In addition, he designed and led Operations Manager training across the organization. In his new position, he will travel to Vermeer Southeast’s eleven stores to deepen training programs for service and parts teams, equipping teammates with the product knowledge, process understanding, and communication skills needed to build strong, consistent partnerships.

“Training – and seeing others become better not just as employees but as people –has become a passion of mine,” said Varela. “I’m excited to expand my knowledge of our products and processes and help our teams grow in their careers at Vermeer Southeast, while delivering exceptional customer experience across the full lifecycle of the machines we support.”

Lifecycle encompasses all activities that occur after a machine is sold – from daily use and ongoing maintenance to repair, replacement, or retirement – with parts and service performance at its core. “Michael brings over a decade of invaluable, hands-on experience in parts and service operations,” said Keith Spicer, Vice President of Lifecycle. “By dedicating leadership exclusively to training, we’ll deliver programs that are more relevant, more practical, and strategically aligned with real-world needs in our shops and at our parts counters. It’s a key step as our business continues to expand.”

This role supports Vermeer Southeast’s SHINE vision by reinforcing a culture of continuous learning, ensuring training remains an ongoing investment that helps teams operate consistently and improve as the organization grows.

About Vermeer Southeast: Since 1967, Vermeer Southeast has served Florida, Georgia, and Alabama with equipment, parts, and service, as well as the right productivity solutions for tree care, landscape, wood waste, recycling, pipeline, utility installation, and vacuum excavation. In 2019, Vermeer Southeast became 100% employee-owned through an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). While the company’s corporate office is in Orlando, Vermeer Southeast operates stores throughout Florida in Boynton Beach, Clearwater, Ft Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, and Pensacola; in Georgia at Buford, Marietta, and Savannah; and in Birmingham, Alabama. An additional location in Huntsville is set to open in 2026, further expanding their commitment to customer service.