700 attend grand opening for new Redvers Ag Kubota dealership
April 22, 2024, 10:31 am
Kara Kinna
Around 700 people packed into the building and lined up for lunch on Thursday when Redvers Ag held the grand opening for their new Kubota dealership at the corner of Highways 8 and 13.
On hand to help make presentations and cut the ribbon that day were Redvers Mayor Brad Bulbuck, as well as Kubota’s Saskatchewan rep Bruce Nordick, and Andrew Marshall with Kubota Canada. There were also reps from Degelman, Macdon, and Versatile-Ag on site.
The day consisted of a free catered lunch by Weir’s Catering, and a draw for a free Kubota zero turn mower.
Perry Dangstorp, the owner of Redvers Ag, says it was inspiring to see so many people come out to congratulate their family on the new dealership.
“There were lots of people from Carlyle, Alameda, Oxbow, Gainborough, there were a few from Moosomin and Rocanville. I was very happy with the distance that people were travelling,” says Dangstorp.
“It felt really good. You kind of feel validated for what you’ve done.
“The Kubota guys were all from Toronto and usually they’d want a dealership to be in the hub of the area. And one of the Kubota guys was like ‘is there another town under the town of Redvers? Where are all these people coming from?’ ” adds Dangstorp with a laugh.
Dangstorp says it was important to build a new dealership in Redvers.
“It’s important just so that everyone in the community knows that you are committed and you are going to be in it for the long term,” he says. “And our old facility was outdated a long time ago and it was overdue.”
The staff at Redvers Ag have been working out of the new facility for three months now. The new facility is 6,000 square feet.
“It has the same parts storage as the old building, a bigger parts display, so we are able to better advertise all of our parts, and more offices for office staff, and a showroom to show the equipment all year instead of fighting the weather,” says Dangstorp. “The staff have been very positive. It’s nice. It’s a lot more appealing in terms of going there to buy something or work there.”
Dangstorp hopes the new facility has a positive impact on the community.
“First would be jobs in Redvers, for the community. And second, it’s a reason for people to come to Redvers. It’s a draw for Redvers because if they want that equipment they have to come to Redvers, there are no other dealers close by.”
Why invest in Redvers?
“This is where I’m from,” says Dangstorp. “We also have two other businesses. We have a farm and construction business that are both based out of Redvers. And we’ve always had good support locally, so there was no reason for us to even entertain not opening a business in Redvers. The community has never given us a reason why we shouldn’t have a business in Redvers.
“There were a lot of manufacturers that came, and for them to see how many customers we have and how many people were willing to support us in such a small town was kind of eye opening for everyone, and they just got a good taste of what a rural community really is.
“It was also good for people to come and realize how many other customers there are and how many people we serve.”
Mayor says great to see support
Redvers mayor Brad Bulbuck says it was exciting to see the support for the new dealership.
“It’s great to see support from the community and surrounding area for a business like that in town,” he said after the grand opening.
“Our economy here is still agriculture based. When you see that many people supporting a business in the agriculture industry, it really says how committed the people are to making sure their businesses are well supported in the area. And that’s what we really enjoy seeing.”
He says the new dealership will be a major benefit to the community of Redvers. The next nearest Kubota dealerships in the region are in Yorkton, Estevan, Regina and Brandon.
“He’s expanded an existing business, and he did make a significant investment not only in the premises, but I assume there’s a lot more inventory that he’s carrying now as well,” says Bulbuck.
“When people are looking for Kubota products, it’s going to bring people to the area that typically we don’t see here.
“So we’re attracting people from a fair ways away to the dealership who are specifically looking for Kubota products.
“Perry also has a line of other equipment as well. So this not only compliments but it also showcases the current lines that he has.
“Whenever you have investment in the town, obviously the investor has confidence in the community.
“The town of Redvers feels that we’re trying to do things to make things attractive for people to invest in the community.
One of them is a new water treatment plant. We’re working on town beautification. And all of the other things that we’re doing with grants and upgrading our infrastructure, our equipment with respect to the handivan—we have received a grant for that—we’re also looking to upgrade our fire truck so that the fire department is fully compliant under the guidelines. So we are doing the right things to be aggressive and stay ahead of the curve rather than just say we can’t find the money to do it. We have to find a way to make it work.
“And one of the things we’ve been successful at doing is leveraging grants for investment in the community and we hope that locals and people from outside the area see the money we are spending in the community and feel that same confidence to invest in the community.
“Redvers Ag is a fourth generation business, we’re happy to see that the business has been in Redvers for 73 years, and like I said when I made my speech at the grand opening, we hope they are here for another 73 years.”
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