A decade in the making, TCO Agromart has officially opened its doors in Colborne at 12944 Telephone Rd.
“This project has been going on for about 10 years – the planning started about 10 years ago,” explains Larry Hutchinson, general manager.
TCO Agromart celebrated with an official grand-opening celebration towards the end of July.
The prep and planning work was extensive – from touring the United States to talk to retailers there, to site prep work related to layout and the like, explains Hutchinson.
“A lot of planning went (into this), we talked to a lot of our customers, asked for their input, talked to employees obviously, and took a lot of other people’s ideas, and we built it for the future, not today, and here we are.”
The new Colborne spot is one of five TCO locations – the company also has locations in Belleville, Brighton, Napanee and Trenton.
TCO Agromart is described online as an industry leader in fertilizer, crop protection, seed, livestock feed and grain marketing for more than 40 years.
The Colborne facility was built to accommodate local demand well into the future and for volume and speed, notes Hutchinson.
At peak time, about 25 employees are working out of the Colborne spot.
The grand-opening celebration was an opportunity to welcome people into the new spot now in full operation, a chance to tour the new facility up-close, and more.
Northumberland-Peterborough South MP Philip Lawrence was among dignitaries who attended.
Lawrence says at the national level, Canada has unfortunately lagged some with respect to productivity in several economic sectors – but as there are more investments, more capital into the economy, this will improve efficiencies, and “really allow our farmers to shine as what they are, the best farmers in the world.”
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)
