Idaho Falls

46 East Idaho Business 2014 Here for the Farmers Agri-Service continues its legacy of service in its new Blackfoot location. STORY AND PHOTOS BY NIKKI SIEGEL For Cleave Buttars, farming equipment was the family business, so when the opportunity arose for him to start his own farm equipment company, he took it. In 1990, Buttars packed up his family and moved from Utah to Twin Falls, Idaho, to start Agri-Service, a farming equipment company that's all about servicing the customer. Twenty-six years and 12 stores later, Agri-Service has expanded from that single store in Twin Falls to become one of the largest AGCO dealerships in North America. Agri-Service opened its newest store in Blackfoot in July of last year to better service the customer base it already had in the area. "Blackfoot is probably one of the biggest counties in Idaho as far as farming commu- nities," said Store and Service Manager Rob Fisher. "We're here to support the farmer." The support Agri-Service provides farm- ers in the area doesn't stop at just the equip- ment itself; Agri-Service is well known for its exceptional customer service. "Each individual product has its ups and downs – how we maintain it and how we AGRIBUSINESS handle it is what we want to be known for," Fisher said. "We want the customer to be happy. We're here to help the people who help us." A big part of that service comes in the form of their service trucks. The company currently owns and maintains about 70 service trucks, six of which are at their Blackfoot location. "The immediate need is in the field, and they've spared no expense to [meet] that. The average service truck fully equipped is $150,000," Fisher said. "They pride themselves on being first on the scene to get the job done how they were meant to do it." Agri-Service doesn't only service the trac- tors and other large pieces of equipment; they also have a department dedicated to service technology that helps farmers run their operations more smoothly, such as GPS equipment. "It's a lot more than just a job – it's a lifestyle for a lot of people, and I think here at Agri-Service a lot of the employees have farmed for 15 or more years," said Adam Hubbard, Agri-Service's manager of market- ing. "We understand our customer base."

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