Green machines Oakham is to welcome a new tractor dealership shortly and they even have a royal warrant. Mary finds out more
B
EN BURGESS IS a very well-established agricultural business which many of you will have come across, and not just because you are farmers. Founded in 1931 in Norfolk by Ben Burgess and two others, it was the perfect time to start a business; British farming was in the depths of the post war agricultural depression and things, in theory, could only get better. It was the time to persuade farmers to change from horse power to tractor power. And it worked, with lots of hard work and persistence the business grew steadily and the innovative founders kept introducing new equipment and models, including a combine harvester, expanding all the time. In 1964 the Ben Burgess company was approached by John Deere, an American corporation that manufactures agricultural and lawn care equipment, to be appointed as one of the first John Deere Dealers in the . Over ninety years later the business now has seven branches covering East Anglia and Cambridgeshire and with its branch now opening in Oakham, will cover Rutland and Leicestershire too. The £6.5 million Oakham branch, which is due to open soon, covers 4 1/2 acres and is situated next to McDonalds on Hackamore Way. The branch is going to be in Oakham as it sits in the middle of their dealer area with Stamford and Melton Mowbray on either side of it. The new branch will boast lots of showroom space and a large parts and service department, plus much more. p to 3 staff will be based there with apprenticeship opportunities available as well. It
seems that when you start working for Ben Burgess you stay a long time. Apprenticeships are popular and a great way to be trained and to progress through the company. Maddie Green who is now the Oakham branch’s parts manager, won the John Deere Apprentice of the ear award in 202 . Staff also regularly attend recruitment days and have recently been along to Catmose College to drum up recruits. ‘We pride ourselves on service and back-up,’ says branch manager Robert Burdock who has been selling John Deeres for over 30 years, so he knows the brand inside out and backwards. ‘Arable farms lie to the east of us and livestock to the west, so we cover all sorts of
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