Weyburn's South Country Equipment was recently named one of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies. The program encourages private companies to apply to go through their process of presenting their business to be evaluated. Weyburn's South Country Equipment is one of eight John Deere dealerships operating under the name South Country Equipment Ltd. in south Saskatchewan.
Drew Watson, co-proprietor of South Country, noted that the process is quite rigorous. Once they passed the provincial judging process, South Country was subjected to a national evaluation. Watson said there were three building blocks that the 'Canada's 50 Best' program looks at when determining the best-managed businesses.
"Strategy, capability and commitment within an organization are the three key things they are looking for," said Watson. "They know it's more than investment in property or assets, it's more about the investment in people. It's about the management. It's about the strategies that you create, the philosophies and cultures you put in place, the commitment to follow it through and to see it done, and the wherewithal within an organization to be able to do it financially."
Watson's family started the local John Deere dealership more than 50 years ago with the name Watson Distributors. When he and his partners, Cam Bode from Moose Jaw and Bob Linn from Mossbank, joined together under the name South Country, a few people were concerned that the business would lose its family-run appeal.
"We now have fourth generation family members involved in the business," he said. "We're not a big faceless entity. We're just a little grass roots group of dealers. We're still the same family."
According to Watson, what makes the South Country family so well managed is a result of being privately-owned as well as keeping up with the changing needs of their customers.
"It isn't me, it isn't Cam, it isn't Bob," Watson said. "It's the culture of the business, it's the stuff that's come from these three families. It's all the cool things that made it what it is. Multiple people have got a hand in creating what we've got to be for tomorrow."
Watson noted that although customer needs have changed a lot since 1965, that shouldn't compromise the service they receive.
"It's the people inside the walls - that's what makes a business," said Watson. "You get that fanatical loyalty to the logo, I get that. But people do have choices and they have to be looked after."
