By Brian Lawrence
As Kemlee Equipment approaches its 40th anniversary, a significant expansion is underway, with a new 10,700-square-foot showroom, office, and shop being constructed on Northwest Boulevard.
“We’re growing and growing, and there’s just not enough room,” said general manager Darrell Kemle, whose father, Philip, started the business in 1979.
Kemlee is the exclusive Kubota dealer in the Kootenays and provides agricultural equipment and service to farmers and ranchers, as well as municipalities, cemeteries, golf courses, and other commercial ventures.
It started on the property now occupied by Home Hardware Building Centre, and in the early 1980s moved to 1241 Northwest Blvd., the home of a Ford dealership that closed in 1983. The following year, the Kemles approached Ford about reviving the dealership, and both businesses began to operate there, a benefit to both.
“That’s how Kokanee Ford and Kemlee were married together,” said Kemle. “Neither one was big enough to absorb that much overhead.”
Over 30 years later, that’s no longer the case, which led Kemle to purchase the property two parcels north of Kokanee Ford. At just under two acres, the property allows for not only the new building but also ample space for new Kubota products, currently displayed on the three-quarter-acre property beside Kokanee Ford. It also means that Kokanee Ford’s five auto technicians and Kemlee’s three tractor technicians will no longer have to share space.
The new Kemlee location, expected to open by May 2019, was previously home to an auto wrecking business before it became a bulk fuel station in the late 1960s. Suncor Energy left the site empty in 1998, followed by 15 years of remediation.
In constructing the new building, it was important to Kemle that as many local contractors as possible be hired.
“I wanted local contractors for the simple reason that I make my money here and it’s nice to keep my money here,” he said.
Designed by Christine Ross, the pre-engineered steel building was purchased from Starline Buildings and assembled by BFZ Construction. Kemle also worked with civil engineer Garry Jackman, Arrow Mountain Earthworks, Sullivan Stone, 3D Concrete, MW Millwork, Wynndel Electric, and Tratech Mechanical.
Kemle had no doubts about the contractors’ professionalism and was also impressed to witness their camaraderie.
“They all work well together,” he said. “They’re always more than willing to help each other out, even when it means sharing a tool they have there.”