“We have a great customer base,” Mike Hyland remarked, “Our customers are like family.” Mike runs Hyland Motor Company. between Spring Valley and Wykoff on Highway 16 with his parents, Duane and Annette Hyland.
Hyland Motor Company was started in 1945 by Duane’s father, Arnold Hyland, as a repair shop and has grown and flourished since then. Duane took over for his father when he retired just as Mike will take over for Duane someday.
They even have a fourth generation involved who will someday carry on the family business. Duane and Annette’s daughter Joanne’s son Troy has been working in the shop in the summers and is currently attending Vo-Tech Institute in Albert Lea for Ag Mechanics.
The whole family works together to ensure that Hyland Motors runs smoothly. Annette runs the office, Duane works in the service department, and Mike takes care of the ordering and sales. All three help in the parts department and fill in wherever else they’re needed. “It works out really well,” Mike noted.
Hyland Motor Company carries New Holland tractors and equipment and also offers repair services. In addition to the Hyland family, they have three employees. “We stay very busy,” Mike said. With the business’s proximity to Rochester, they also work with a lot of compact tractors and skid
loaders such as the ones used for yard work, snow removal, etc. “Our location is really ideal,” Duane pointed out.
Duane specializes in working with old Ford tractors from the 1940s and ‘50s. Very few businesses know how to handle the antique equipment like that anymore and only work with new tractors, so Duane’s work is in high demand. “People come from up to 90 miles away with their tractors,” Duane commented.
As the field of farming evolves and changes, everyone at the shop stays up to date on the latest equipment and repair techniques by regularly attending service school programs offered by New Holland.
Despite their extensive knowledge of farming and farm equipment, the Hylands do not farm themselves. “It wouldn’t work to farm when our customers need us the most during busy farming times,” Mike pointed out.
“We have to be there for them.”
“We concentrate on giving them the best parts and service,” Duane added.
With Duane and Annette living right next to their shop and Mike just down the road, the family is always nearby and ready to take care of their customers. “When guys need parts in the off-hours, it’s easy to come over and help them get going again,” Mike said. “
“The area here is really fertile ground and some of the best in Minnesota,” Duane said, adding that southeastern Minnesota has the largest concentration of implement dealers in the state. He also believes that it boasts the most small family farms, although they are gradually being replaced by large farming operations.
“We will continue to grow with the times and adapt to what the market calls for,” Duane said.
“The farming scene is slowly changing as farms are getting bigger.”
The Hyland family agrees that customer service is key to owning a small business. Mike commented, “We enjoy helping our customers out.”
For more information, you can call Hyland Motor Company. at (507) 346-2433.
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