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The Official Newspaper for Foster County
Parts Manager John Erickson, Service Manager Dave Nelson and Sales Manager Shawn Neumiller stand in front of the nearly-completed High Plains Equipment building, located on the northwest outskirts of Carrington.
High Plains Equipment owners John and Brian Swenseth. (Courtesy photo)
The main lobby of the High Plains Equipment building is spacious, featuring a large front desk, break/coffee area, and space for Case-branded merchandise.
A vintage Case eagle perched on a globe watches over the service department area. The eagle was a common sight on the company's steam engines from the turn of the 19th to 20th centuries.
High Plains's shop is a sprawling space, featuring a floor plan 2 1/2 times larger than their old location, and an overhead crane system that can move from one side of the shop to the other to a piece of equipment's precise location to aid in the installation and removal of large parts such as engines.
There's nothing like that new building smell.
The lengthy process of High Plains Equipment's construction of their new complex on the northwest edge of Carrington has been delayed on some fronts by circumstances beyond the implement dealer's control, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant supply chain issues.
But that doesn't put a damper on High Plains's successful move from their old location at 6719 Highway 200 (known as Erickson Implement in the recent past), to a much-larger building down the road just off 66th Ave. N.E. that provides more in the way of space, amenities and overall convenience.
Service Manager Dave Nelson says that with the exception of the wash bay, everything at the new building is up and running.
"[The transition] is going pretty well," said Nelson. "We have a few loose ends to tie up, but we're getting used to the new place already."
The move was incremental, and was accomplished over a several-month span.
Nelson said that the parts department was the first sub-section of High Plains to move, completing that transfer back on August 15. Towards the end of October, the service department was in place.
"It kind of went a little bit at a time," he noted. "There were a few guys here and a few guys there. It wasn't done overnight, that's for sure."
The biggest change customers will see when they walk into the new High Plains Equipment is the vastly-increased lot size. The new location covers a 20-acre plot of land, as opposed to "about four-and-a-half" that the previous complex occupied.
Nelson noted that one of the biggest advantages to the new building is that the whole business is now self-contained in one location, as opposed to the old setup where the sales department and parts/service were separated by the highway.
"Everything under one roof is huge," he said. "We also have much higher ceilings compared to what we had before, and the level of natural light we get in the building is nice too."
He said that with that light, there are roughly half the number of fixtures that were previously needed, and all are higher-efficiency LED lighting.
The service department occupies 125 feet by 200 feet, and employees and customers can now enjoy the benefits of an air-conditioned space.
The parts department measures 75' x 200', and Nelson says that the one-building setup has particularly been a revelation to those employees.
"They're liking the fact we can go to the parts bins without having to drive across the road, and they're enjoying the increased space," he added.
The most dramatic upgrade is the space of the new shop, which covers 2 1/2 times more floor space than the previous business offered.
"We also now have a system of overhead cranes for lifting engines and other heavy equipment, which can move from one end of the shop to another. It's made a big difference to the guys," said Nelson.
As for the old complex of buildings, Nelson said that there has been some "expressed interest" in a possible sale to an outside party, but he did not elaborate further.
Once spring hits, Nelson said that High Plains Equipment is planning to hold a grand opening celebration, along with their traditional open house, at a to-be-determined date.
Business hours are Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and their phone numbers are (701) 652-2821 (sales) and 652-2112 (service). You can also visit their Web site at http://www.highplainseq.com.
