Bob Mark New Holland expands to Napanee

NAPANEE — Darryl Buttar’s Bob Mark New Holland dealership is expanding to a fourth location. The new operation at Napanee is expected to open in the spring.

Bob Mark first opened a Ford dealership in Lindsay in the 1950s. He sold the business in 1987 and is now deceased.

The business switched to New Holland in 1987 and the year Buttar joined the sales team in 2000 they expanded to Campbellford, replacing dealerships at Stirling and Hastings. Buttar worked his way up through the ranks and by 2008, he and Andy Svetec co-owned the business.

They kept growing. In 2010, they took over their third location, purchasing Morrow Farm Equipment at Sunderland. It’s all been very natural, Buttar said. The Sunderland expansion is less than a half-hour drive from Lindsay.
Going from success to success, they eyed their next opportunity. The Kingston area was the next logical expansion and about two years ago, they were in talks to take over the Gateview Farm Equipment in Kingston. That didn’t work out. Then they came across a fence company in the Napanee-area with a good location. “We jumped on it,” said Buttar, and they’ve been working on getting the building ready ever since.

New Holland is well-known as a hay and forage brand and that made Napanee, with its dairy and beef farmers, a good fit, he said. Their New Holland Equipment (hay and forage equipment and tractors up to 150 hp) are some of their best-sellers, he said, as well as the Mahindra compact tractors and Hyundai construction equipment.

Buttar said that Bob Mark distinguished itself by its service, looking after farmers after the sale. They have 37 employees across their three current locations, and they hire people based on a simple criteria. “They’ve got to be truly prepared to spend the time to get the customer looked after in any way needed,” he said.

They also have five service trucks that will go as far as needed (though that’s usually about 100 km one-way) to do repairs on the farm or pick up equipment. One service truck will be dedicated to the Napanee location when it opens. As well, they’re launching a new position, parts and services sales representative, to tour around to farms and make sure people have parts they made need ahead of time.

The 12-acre lot at 1138 County Rd. 41 includes the renovated main building with a new addition. There will be a half-dozen staff on site to manage the New Holland dealership that will include Mahindra tractors, Vaderstad tillage, seeding equipment, as well as various other short lines available to farmers, he said. “We’re excited. It’s been a bit of a slow process since we bought the property. We’re excited that we’re at the point where progress is happening on a daily basis.”

They’re planning a spring open; possibly as early as April 1 and as late as May 1, Buttar said.