If there is one defining feature of the new Rocky Mountain Equipment dealership, located south of the city on Highway 9, it’s space. The new dealership is bigger on the inside, has more space on the outside and has more space to maneuver with equipment.
The new dealership is a total of 51,000 sq ft., counting the second floor. The main floor is 40,000 sq ft., with 21 service bays for equipment. The building also has showroom space to bring equipment inside for customers to examine close-up. The dealership is on 21 acres of land.
Jim Wood, Vice President of Rocky Mountain Equipment, says that the investment into the new facility is a commitment to the city. They outgrew the old facility, and the new one is a way to keep up with the community needs.
“We’re proud to be part of the Yorkton community, and hope that the new facility is there to service the bigger equipment and grow our business here in Yorkton.”
One of the priorities was to have a dealership that it is possible to expand in the future, which was a problem with the former RME location within the city of Yorkton, explains Travis Leduc, Facilities Manager for RME. They wanted to avoid being land-locked and have a facility that can handle modern, larger equipment.
“At this point we really don’t need 21 acres of land for inventory, but who knows what 15-20 years looks like down the road? That’s an issue we have with a lot of our facilities... They were built 30 years ago, and now they are land locked.”
“We kind of went to from not enough space to too much space right now, but the ag business grows and our business grows, we always find that it’s better to start off with more than less, you don’t want to build too small and add on and renovate in two or three years,” adds Wood.
Another priority was making the service department more efficient. Leduc notes that the service bays are better laid out, plus there is now additional equipment to make service easier, such as two 2-ton overhead cranes.
“That’s one of the big things for us with the service department, to make it more efficient and get customers back to their equipment as soon as possible.”
The building is built out of pre-cast concrete, a decision made to maximize the life of the building explains Leduc.
“It’s a lot more durable and will maintain its look, while sheet metal will get banged up with our heavy equipment... We have a building that was built almost 20 years ago made out of pre-cast concrete, and you drive up today and it looks in very good shape.”
Leduc is also especially proud of the amount of natural light that the new building allows in, whether in the front office and showroom or the service department in the back.
“Natural light just makes you feel better when working.”
The grand opening also raised money for the Health Foundation. Wood says that while the company is headquartered in Calgary, they want to have individual dealers as part of the communities they are in.
“They’re supporting farmers getting their crops off and crops in, and they need to be part of the community because they all live here. We want them volunteering and participating.”
