Brooks Farm Centre Heritage Inn
Andrea Klassen Medicine Hat News
For more than 20 years, The Brooks Farm Centre has provided equipment and repair services to the area’s farmers, cattle ranchers and light industrial workers.
The Centre sells a wide range of agricultural machinery, including products from Hesston, Farm Kin and Bourgalt Industries. Bobcat products and lawn and garden equipment are also on offer. The nine-acre lot is also home to a parts and services department.
Brooks Heritage Inn has seen exponential growth
Andrea Klassen Medicine Hat News
Since opening in 1978, the Brooks Heritage Inn has grown far beyond its humble, 42-room beginnings.
The community’s only full service hotel and conference centre now has more than twice the number of rooms of the original motor inn, and is making a name for itself as Brooks’ major convention space.
In the last two years, the Inn saw a major addition to its building, doubling the size of its banquet and conference area. Up to 550 people can now be accommodated in the space, which includes six conference rooms and a full line of audio-visual equipment.
Eric Deringer, general manager for the Heritage Inn, says the new space has played host to everything from wedding receptions and Christmas parties to major meetings.
In 2009, the Alberta chapter of the Association of Oil Wives also used the hotel for its annual convention, with over 400 members of the social club descending on the inn.
"We worked on the planning stages with them for almost a year," says Deringer. "Every club from within Alberta sent delegates. It was a three day event with lots of events on their itineraries, as well as a gala evening."
Approximately 80 employees, including a catering staff, make up the team at Heritage Inn. In addition to its meeting facilities, Deringer points out that the hotel is “unique in the market.”
“We're the only full service hotel with a restaurant, lounge and conference centre," he explains.
He says that’s part of what makes the inn attractive to its clients, who are generally in the oil, gas and construction industries, or in town for conferences and sporting events. Also a factor is the staff’s commitment to “unmatched service.”
The Inn also boasts an indoor atrium with hot tub and sauna facilities and an exercise room, as well as a night club. There’s also easy access to the Trans-Canada Highway, just six blocks north.
Andrea Klassen Medicine Hat News
When the former owners of Sunnylea Convenience store in Brooks asked then-employee Maria if she would be interested in buying their business, it was a chance to fulfill a long held ambition.
"It was always my dream to have my own little place,” says Maria, who had already spent more than two decades working in convenience stores — first 7-11, then Sunnylea. “It all just sort of fell into place and worked out."
Nine years later, Sunnylea is a thriving small business, with a dedicated community following. Maria says 2009 was, "A lot better than 2008—which was a lot better than 2007, which was a lot better than 2006.”
“Put it this way,” she adds. “This is my ninth year... and in the last five years I've hit million dollar sales."
Much of the store's success can be attributed to Maria herself. Many of her customers have known her since her days at the Brooks 7-11, and took their shopping dollars to
Harry Borkent, the Farm Centre’s Manager, says the about 15 per cent of the shop’s customers are involved in the light industrial sector or oil field maintenance, though the bulk of their sales are to agricultural producers.
He says 2009 was "about an average year” for the Centre in terms of sales, though more than one of the industries that make up the shop’s client base faced difficulties.
“We did notice a drop off in the haying industry,” he says. “And with the slowdown in the oil field we also did notice it was a little slower on our Bobcat sales as well."
Sunnylea
Brooks Farm Centre weathers downtown
However, he says sales of lawn and garden equipment - normally only accounting for about five per cent of the shop’s sales - increased slightly, as did sales of machine parts and tractors. The Farm Centre’s Air Seeder line also saw a rise in sales.
"There's some stronger commodity prices last fall that helped the Air Seeder,” explains Borkent. “The cattle industry downturn, that's basically why the hay sales equipment dropped off and feeding sales slowed down some.
“A lot of it's just driven by commodity prices, and what farmers are getting for their products really dictates what sells... Usually guys don't want to spend on the big items (when commodity prices are down).”
In years with low prices or economic uncertainty, like 2009, Borkent says the shop’s staff focus on helping clients keep their older machines up and running “until the point when things turn around and we can do something else."
Convenience Store
Sunnylea thriving in Brooks
her after her move to Sunnylea.
No surprise, then, that her business won Brooks' Chamber of Commerce award for excellence in customer service in 2009. Maria says while she's not sure what caught the judges' eyes specifically, she believes good service is all about making connections.
“Treat every customer that walks in your store with a greeting, get to know who they are–if not their name, at least what they're going to buy—have it ready for them, ask them what you could give them that you don't have in store, things like that,” she says.
“Just have a conversation with them as the days go on. And hopefully your store is big enough to put in everything that you need for them."
In addition to the usual convenience store snacks and lottery service, Sunnylea also offers groceries, and freshly made sandwiches during the week. There's also a hot lunch special served Monday to Friday, and a wide array of freshly baked muffins, cakes and cookies made from scratch.
REPORT ON SOUTHEAST ALBERTA 2010 ■ Celebrating our Community — 103 REPORT ON SOUTHEAST ALBERTA 2010 ■ Celebrating our Community—
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