Sundance Equipment changes hands

The same John Deere equipment sits on the lot and the same smiling faces wait to greet customers, but the sign over the door has changed. The implement dealership that was known as Sundance Equipment for many years has joined the Grossenburg Implement family of stores in South Dakota, Nebraska and now Wyoming.

“We’re a family business and we were ready to make an expansion. We did one in 2007 and then in 2012; it’s 2019 so we were ready for an addition and took advantage of this [opportunity],” says Charlie Grossenburg, CEO and fourth generation of the long-running family business.

The first Grossenburg Implement location opened in Winner, SD in 1937, he says.

“We were a single dealer until 2007 and that’s when we started expanding,” he continues. In that year, the company name appeared in Pierre and Philip, SD. “In 2012, we did four locations in northeast Nebraska.”

Perhaps the biggest change that customers will notice, says Grossenburg, is the availability of parts and equipment. The selection has increased, he explains.

“Coming in April or May, we’re going to build a new store in Sundance. That will be a really nice addition and we’ll have a new, modern shop with cranes, able to work on different products and hopefully be more efficient – get it in and get it out,” he says.

The new building will be located on the same plot as the current store.

“We’ve got everything planned and ready to go, we’ve got to wait for the contractor to get going,” he says. “There will also be a new service manager who will start here in a while…to manage the shop and the field teams.”

Will Yemington will continue to run the Sundance store and Grossenburg Implements will continue with the things the company has been known for, such as the annual street dance.

“We’re just rolling right with what has been a success here,” he says. “The thing for us is that we don’t have everything perfect; with a lot of the acquisitions we’ve done, we’ve learned just as much from the other dealer that we’ve purchased, so we feel we’re going to learn a lot.”

Expanding the business has been challenging at times, he says, but has grown easier with each new acquisition.

“I would say the first ones were the first difficult, and then once you learn from them and get processes in place and centralize, it actually makes the process easier,” he nods.

“There are still challenges with the new processes for the new employees – different computer systems, updated computers, things like that – but we’re pretty fortunate for the people we got and they make it easier.”

Of the four generations that have contributed to Grossenburg Implement, three are still very much active.

“Jean was the second, he still comes to work every day. Barry Grossenburg, my dad, is the president of the company – he’s very involved and he travels all over to the stores and meets customers,” Grossenburg says.

“I am in the CEO role, so I’m going to do that as well: travel, talk to the employees, meet customers, make sure everything is good. My brother-in-law Adam Severson is the COO, operations manager.”

The company has rural roots and a simple outlook, he continues.

“We like what we’re doing, we understand implement dealerships, we understand good people and we understand community. We’re going to treat communities like we live in them,” he says.

The community is what keeps businesses like this one rolling, Grossenburg says.

“I like family businesses – you see less and less of them, but our goal is to keep this one rolling for many years,” he says. “I’ve been involved in it my whole life.”

What has made Grossenburg Implements so successful? The key might be in its attitude.

“Our motto has always been: ‘service, the other half of a great product’,” Grossenburg explains.

“It’s a good way to do business that’s helped us for many years – you can sell the product, but to service it and keep everybody in the fields and going is important.”

Grossenburg says the family is grateful for this opportunity and excited to get to know the community better. So far, he says, the welcome has been wonderful.

“We appreciate that,” he smiles, stressing that he and the family are around and available if needed.