What began as a Saskatchewan Wheat Pool farm supply store in North Battleford 25 years ago, becoming a Viterra outlet in 2007, is now a Co-op Farm Supply site.
A grand opening for the supply centre at 10060 Hereford St. in the Parsons Park Industrial Area was hosted Tuesday by the Battlefords and District Co-operative Ltd.
The local Co-op is the new owner of the supply centre due to Federated Co-operatives Limited's purchase of 17 fertilizer, seed and agriculture chemical supply centres in Saskatchewan, Alberts and Manitoba from Viterra Inc.
Many of the staff have made the transition from Viterra, or even SWP, to the Battlefords Co-op, and it is expected the customer base will as well.
During the opening ceremonies, Farm Supply Manager Terry Baer, who has worked at the centre for almost 20 years, said, "It's been a pleasure for us to come over to work with the Co-op."
The now updated centre was built in 1981, officially opening Aug. 13 of that year.
In 1995, Baer began work there as manager of what was then the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Farm Service Centre. In 2007 Viterra was formed and the centre operated as such until Nov. 6, 2013 when the Co-op officially took over.
There is a total of seven staff at the Co-op Farm Supply centre, five of whom were with the Viterra operation and two of whom are new to the facility.
In addition to a second-to-none staff, said Baer, they bring with them a strong and loyal customer base.
Battlefords Co-op General Manager Mike Nord said, "We do have a nice facility here, but the real gem of the deal was definitely our employees."
Co-op members now have one of the best sites anywhere, big city or small town, said Nord.
"We believe this site will be and already is a destination point for the area."
Board chair Randy Graham said the farm supply area was something the board had identified some time ago as a service they wanted to provide to Co-op members.
The recent amalgamation with the Radisson Co-op helped them make the decision and purchase a reality, he said.
He thanked Federated Co-op Ltd. for their guidance through the transition and the employees who chose to continue their careers with the Co-op.
"We said it would be the employees that would make it a successful venture for our members," said Graham.
Nord said the Battlefords and District Co-op has been going through an unprecedented period of growth. Its vision is to be a leader in the services it provides and to progressively grow business and community through its co-operative values, he said.
"This sites speaks volumes to both those statements."
Careful planning by the board made it possible for them to take advantage of the opportunity when the former Viterra site came up for sale.
The site has undergone modernization, said Nord, with exterior landscaping already gaining about three acres more land for use. Interior renovations have also been done with a view to socially responsible corporate citizenship by becoming as energy efficient as possible, he added.
New warehouse lighting should see savings of 50 per cent, and new high efficiency furnaces and thermal pane windows have been installed that will save about 60 per cent of the energy previously used, he said. LED lighting in office should cut costs by 80 per cent.
Nord also expressed his thanks to Baer, Richard Blais, agro manager, and staff as well as Roy Dussault, facilities manager for the Battlefords and District Co-op.
Blais expressed gratitude to Nord, saying the day would not have been possible without his help and guidance.
