After 55 years in the family, Teulon Tractor & Motor Ltd. is changing ownership.
A familial trio with roots in Manitoba has bought Teulon’s one-stop ag shop. Jimmy Sandhu, Prabhjot Sandhu, and Ginny Singh officially took over the automotive and agricultural parts store on Monday, April 1, with plans to keep everything running as before.
Teulon Tractor & Motor started as a service shop in 1969 when Alec and Carol Dawson opened the doors. Until 1978 or 1979, it was also a Chrysler Dodge Plymouth dealer and was a Massey Ferguson dealer, among other things, throughout the years. Twenty-five years after Teulon Tractor & Motor opened, Chris Dawson and his wife, Sarah, bought the family business.
In 2002, Chris and Sarah completed an extensive renovation of the business, refocusing their efforts on parts rather than service. Alec Dawson fully retired from the company that year, having worked in the shop until then. In 2004, Teulon Tractor & Motor started selling Stihl brand parts, an extremely positive addition to the shop.
Today, Teulon Tractor and Motor is the trusty local parts shop authorized to sell equipment made by Stihl, Simplicity, Ferris, Snapper, Masport, Briggs & Stratton, Honda, Farm King, Westfield, Wallenstein, and more. The shop services what it sells and sells parts for its equipment, too, working on brakes, suspension, small engines, belts, and batteries. It also takes custom orders and works with customers to accommodate their needs.
This year, the business celebrated 55 years under the name and family ownership, and for owners Chris and Sarah, it seemed time for something new. With a young family and grandchildren coming, the couple wants time to enjoy the fruits of their life’s labours.
“We’ve been working for 30 years, six days a week,” said Chris. “You never really shut down when you’re a business owner.”
So, when Prabhjot and Jimmy Sandhu saw the listing for the business when visiting family in Manitoba, they went to look at it. The brothers have experience running trucking companies and overseeing staff. Growing up in a small town, the idea of owning a business in a place to put down roots excited them.
“We want to be part of this small community where people know us,” said Prabhjot.
The brothers liked what they saw at Teulon Tractor & Motor, and feeling confident in their abilities, they decided to acquire it. At this time, Singh, their cousin, already lived in Manitoba, so they joined forces with him and owned the business collectively. Jimmy Sandhu has moved to Winnipeg to live with Singh, and they plan to move closer to Teulon once they can.
“It’s a family venture, kind of like farming,” said Prabhjot.
Teulon Tractor & Motor employs five people, and the Sandhu brothers and Singh offered each to keep their positions — everyone accepted.
“We’re not changing anything,” said Prabhjot. “We want to try to fill Chris’s shoes to the best of our abilities.”
He added that if they can meet more of the community’s needs, they’ll add those services as they go. He said the plan is to learn from the existing businesses and serve the community as best they can.
If anyone in the community is looking for work, Prabhjot said to contact Teulon Tractor & Motor, as they’ll be looking for more employees soon. People of all skill sets and backgrounds are welcome to reach out.
