ABOUT US
2023 marked the 50th year of RJ Sales & Service. In 1973 Ronald Jones decided to try his hand at sales and started selling small equipment out of Marvin Grenrud’s auto mechanic and welding shop downtown Wadena. In 1975 he purchased a plot of land from the RM just East of Wadena and construction was started on a new building, which serves as the current store and location for R-J Sales & Service to this day. The original building was purchased from Grenrud’s and moved to RJ’s location east of Wadena. In 2024 it was refurbished in the original colors and stands as a reminder of where the business started over 50 years ago.
Our primary focus from the beginning has always been servicing what we sell. Equipment, especially technology, has changed over the decades and this piece of the puzzle has become increasingly important. Down time is one of the biggest risks in prairie farming and we try to keep a large stock of parts on hand to avoid shipping delays so farmers can repair and service their equipment as required. Being a small business allows us to be agile and make quick decisions regarding what our customers want and need. We feel our more personal hands on parts, service and sales approach is what sets us apart from your large new age corporations that are becoming a main stay in the industry. Through over 50 years of running a family-owned business we have learnt that bigger isn’t always better and are able to do business all across the prairies by being established and dependable.
The challenges for us ahead are the same as with any smaller local business, it is hard to compete with larger more corporate retailers. We have to continually work to find ways to engage and stay relevant. We have a great team of people who are focused on customer service and growth that are well positioned to seize opportunities to learn and keep up to date with new technologies. We work closely with our suppliers, many who are local across the prairies, to learn from each other. We take feedback from our customers directly to the development of new products. We have many young employees that strive to foster innovation, enhance service experiences and enjoy following emerging trends. Agriculture technology is a rapidly changing area and we all enjoy being a part of it.
Our loyal customers know that making a purchase from us is a step in supporting their own surrounding community. Local businesses gives back in many ways, and R-J Sales makes efforts to strengthen community connections, retain jobs, engage in local initiatives and make our customers communities better places to live. We pride ourselves in being involved in multiple communities and letting our customers know that trusting us with their business is making a real impact locally. We encourage you to give us the opportunity to find out why farmers have trusted us for over half a century.