Agri Industries, Inc. has grown in 30 years from a Williston company focused solely on agricultural irrigation to a multi-faceted business with locations in Williston, Miles City and Sidney.
This summer, Agri Industries in Sidney finished an expansion project which more than doubled the size of their parts department, provided more office space, and a conference room.
The need for improved customer service led to the expansion. "The Sidney community has always supported us very well," Mike Ames, president of Agri Industries said. "It's an ag based community and we're really, really grateful for our customers. We're always looking for opportunities to serve them better."
Sidney store manager Lee Candee, who grew up north of Lambert and joined Agri Industries immediately after receiving his engineering degree from MSU Bozeman, is very service oriented. "He's a wonderful operator and store manager. He has a great relationship with the customers. If he sells something, he wants to have the parts and service to take care of the product. Here in northeastern Montana and Northwestern North Dakota, it can be a long ways to get adequate parts. That was the motivation behind the expansion," Ames explained.
With the expansion, Agri Industries has achieved their goal of a stronger retail presence, providing parts for irrigation systems as well as heating, plumbing, drip systems, water heaters and more. "We'll have it there, plus the knowledgeable staff to assist the customers," Ames said.
Agri Industries has always been an ag focused company. "We love working with agriculture but it's a challenge depending on weather and commodity prices," Ames said. In the 1980s the company realized the need to diversify and has gradually added water well drilling, directional drilling, pipeline contracting and electrical contracting. The Sidney store has also added plumbing, heating and air conditioning, and communications. Businesses purchased and incorporated into Agri Industries include Sax Electric, Kalberer's Heating, Omni Communications, Prairie Pump and Machine, Boyce Drilling and Heiniger Drilling. These were companies Agi Industries had working relationships with. Some owners wished to retire, but have the businesses continue. "It's been a positive thing for us, to be able to provide continuity of service," Ames said. Along with the companies have come great employees, some of whom are still employed by Agri Industries. Those employees have benefited from working for a larger company able to provide benefits that most small companies can not.
Community involvement is also a priority for Agri Industries. "Lee, Neil Iversen (Williston store manager) and I are all local guys with engineering degrees from Bozeman. That degree formed the foundation to do what we've done over the last several years. We have a deep appreciation for the communities we serve and live in, both western North Dakota and eastern Montana. Strong customer support has given us the opportunity to do what we've done. The opportunity to serve, to give back, that's pretty important to us," Ames said. "Local people, some with roots going back several generations are employed by Agri Industries. Our plan is to leave a company that will go beyond us."
Agri Industries may be contacted in Williston at 3105 2nd St. W., 701-572-0767; Sidney at 1775 S. Central Ave., 406-488-8066; Miles city at 2106 S. Haynes Ave., 406-234-2309.
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