Midwest Machinery makes a large rebound from devastating fire - West Central Tribune | News, weather, sports from Willmar Minnesota

MADISON -— Madison Mayor Greg Thole commented that the new Midwest Machinery building looked like something you’d expect to find in downtown Minneapolis, as he and dozens of others from the community expressed their astonishment at the John Deere dealership and service center’s new state-of-the-art facility.

But a ribbon cutting and open house on Friday to celebrate the new 60,000-square-foot facility just east of Madison was about more than showing it off.

If you have to deal with a catastrophe, there’s no place better than Madison, according to company officials. The open house was an opportunity to thank the western Minnesota community that helped see the business through a very challenging time.

“It was an unbelievable outreach of community support that got us through this,” Ron Reitmeier, CEO and president of Midwest Machinery, told the West Central Tribune.

The new building opened 18 months after a March 2023 fire destroyed the company’s original building and its contents in Madison.

“You can’t even fathom,” said Jamie Borstad, location manager, of the depth of emotions he and employees felt at the time of the fire. There was a complete sense of helplessness. Spring work is coming, “and we have nothing,” said Borstad.

Farmers in the area offered space in their shops for the technicians to work. Property owners offered building space in town. The Madison City Hall opened its basement for company staff, and the Fire Department did the same with its fire hall.

In short order, the company rented a building in town for a temporary parts facility and moved in mobile offices for Borstad and other managers. Technicians worked outdoors during the summer of 2023. They subsequently moved into an 80-foot by 256-foot building that was erected on the south side of the property where the new dealership building is located.

Through it all, the 20-member staff stuck together, according to Borstad. Not one employee left for other employment.

The new facility features a shop area measuring 110 feet wide by 300 feet long, and 30 feet tall, which is enough space to hold six NBA basketball courts. It comes complete with a fully automated fire suppression system that includes a 19,000-gallon tank of water.

A large washing bay, a two-story area for parts storage, modern security system, and a large, open area featuring a store and lobby that prompted the mayor’s comparison to something you’d expect to find in Minneapolis are among its features.

The new building was designed to be larger than the building it replaced for two main reasons: It better accommodates the larger size of today’s farm equipment, and, it offers room for growth in the future.

Midwest Machinery Co. is a privately owned corporation with John Deere dealerships located in both Minnesota and Wisconsin. Reitmeier said there was never a question of rebuilding in Madison.

“It was how and where are we going to do it,” he said. “We knew we were going to be in Madison.”

The Madison area has been a good performing market for the company since the start, he explained.

He said forensic investigators for the company’s insurance determined that the March 2023 fire was accidental and not something that could have been prevented. The fire’s origination was traced to a piece of equipment in the facility, but investigators did not determine exactly what caused it.

Once it was clear that the fire was not the result of foul play and not the fault of anyone or a design or component, the investigation concluded, the president explained.

He said the company realized the original dealership site in town was not large enough for a new facility, and the first step was to identify a new location. He said the company was very fortunate. The main contractor, Keim, and a long list of subcontractors prioritized the construction project, aware of the dealership’s need to serve its customers in the area.

The business is seeing continued growth, and that was on the minds of company officials as they developed plans for the new building, according to Reitmeier.

“Build it right, because we’re going to be in Madison for a long, long time,” he said.