R O B L I N
WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2018 5
G
Distributors
8 0 0 . 4 6 3 . 8 7 4 8
.com
SWEEPS DISCS
COULTERS
VERTICAL TILLAGE BLADES
HARROW TINES
ALUMINUM SPRAY BOOMS by POMMIER
TILLAGE EQUIPMENT
The trusted name in
agriculture for quality,
innovation, and price!
U kra i ni a n F ra te rn a l So c ie t y
of Ca na da
Life Insurance for
the Whole Family for
All of Life's Stages
G et a F R E E O n l i n e Q u o t e F R E E O n l i n e Q u o t e
at www.ufsc.ca
Life In su ra nc e i s mor e afforda bl e than you may th i nk
Phone: 2 0 4 . 5 8 6. 4 4 8 2 Toll-Free: 1 . 8 0 0 . 9 8 8 .8 3 7 2 E-mail: contact@uf sc .c a
Follow us: @ufsc_insurance
Reavie's Pharmacy
(1978) Ltd.
243 Main St. N.
Russell, MB R0J 1W0
Keith/Brent/Greg, Pharmacists
Ph: (204) 773-2244 Fax: (204) 773-3460
Box 296 320-1st Street North | Winnipegosis, Mb. | ROL 2GO
Ph: 204-656-4539 | Fax: 204-656-4051 | acins@mymts.net | In Business since 1989.
A/C Insurance Agency
Cindy Bileski CAIB Owner | Insurance Broker
Farm | Tenants | Business | Crop Hail | Commercial | Homeowners
Autopac | Photo/Driver Licencing
All
in the
Family
Fourth generation joins farm
equipment firm
B Y D A V I D S Q U A R E
W
hen Peter Gaber swapped a
theatre for an agricultural
implement and car dealership in the
early 1950s, he laid the foundation
for a family enterprise that now
includes a fourth generation.
Gaber was a farmer in the Inglis area who sustained a back
injury. A local doctor told him that agriculture was no longer a
viable career and he should seek another occupation. So Gaber
purchased the Inglis Theatre, launching a new life for himself
as an impresario — a life that proved to have little appeal for
a former farmer who had always worked with his hands and
loved outdoor life.
When an Oliver farm equipment and Mercury car dealership
became available in Inglis, Gaber seized the opportunity to
return to agriculture by trading his theatre for the business.
In 1951, Gaber named his newly acquired dealership
Modern Motors and proceeded to revolutionize farming and
personal transportation in the area.
"As an eight-year-old boy, I pumped gas at Dad's dealership,"
recalls Dean Gaber, who remains involved in the family
business, along with his son, Dustin Williams, nephew Lee
Gaber and Lee's daughter Jennifer Mench.
Dean says his father was a successful entrepreneur because
he would not wait for customers to come to him; instead, he
drove his tractors directly to farms, where he would allow the
owners to field-test the machines.
"At that time, most of the field work was completed by
horse-drawn implements," says Dean.
When farmers witnessed first-hand the speed and efficiency
of tractors, many decided to purchase one as soon as possible.
Peter, who had seven children with his wife Lena, opened
a second business in Roblin in 1963, called P.J. Gaber and
Sons Ltd. The company was a dealership for White Farm
Equipment, which had bought out Oliver.
One year in the late 1960s, the Gaber dealership sold the
most pieces of White Farm Equipment in North America, says
Dean, adding that Versatile and New Holland machinery were
added to the company's line in the mid-1970s.
Roblin's Mazergroup bought out P.J. Gaber and Sons Ltd.'s
booming farm machinery dealership, and has since become
one of the largest New Holland agricultural and construction
distributors in Canada.
The company launched in 1951 by Peter Gaber
as Modern Motors is known today as Gaber
Distributors of Roblin.
From left: Lee Gaber, Jennifer Mench, Dallas Mench, Dustin Williams, Brian Packo, Dean Gaber.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF GABER DISTRIBUTORS
Jennifer Mench, whose dad Lee Gaber is the current
president of Gaber Distributors, recently purchased one half
of the company's shares with her husband Dallas Mench.
The company distributes tillage tools like cultivator
shovels, harrow tines and coulters, and it is the North
American distributor of Pommier spray booms manufactured
in France.
"One of our managers discovered the unique aluminum
booms at an agricultural trade show in Germany. They are
popular with row crop farmers who want to spray large
acreages quickly to save time and money," says Jennifer.
Because aluminum booms are much lighter than steel,
they are available in up to 180 feet lengths, though the most
sought-after booms are about 130 to 140 feet long, she says.
A 132-foot aluminum boom weighs the same as a 100-
foot steel one, and aluminum is more durable, has no flex,
and does not rust.
Gaber Distributors has sales staff in
Saskatchewan and Alberta, as well as
tillage tool warehousing in North Dakota and boom parts
warehousing in Minnesota.
Looking to the future, Jennifer would like the company
to expand further into the large U.S. market for aluminum
booms and tillage tools.
Jennifer and Dallas, 31 and 33 respectively, are the fourth
generation to manage the family business. And they have
two young children who may one day represent the fifth
generation.
Peter Gaber obviously made the right decision when he
traded a silver screen for a dealership, which he and his
family have turned into a business with a
silver lining and a 67-year history
of success.
