RJV Equipment opened a new Kubota facility in La Vergne, TN, alongside its existing Ditch Witch dealership. The 18,000 sq. ft. building houses a service department, parts specialists, and equipment rental division, offering a variety of construction machines. An upcoming open house is planned for early 2025.
Photo courtesy of RJV Equipment
The new facility is conveniently located on I-24 at exit 64 in La Vergne, Tenn.
A Tennessee equipment dealer made a bold move over the summer to improve its capabilities by adding a second facility at its La Vergne location, just southeast of Nashville.
In late June, RJV Equipment opened a new dealership adjacent to its existing building to better represent the interests of its two major vendors, Kubota and Ditch Witch, along with its other lineup of equipment brands.
Photo courtesy of RJV Equipment
(L-R): Brian Parker, general manager; Doug Stephens, sales; and Chris Toupin, sales.
According to Brian Parker, the general manager of RJV, the company decided the time had come to separate the two brands into their own facilities on the dealership's property so it could operate them better and more efficiently.
The new building, at 122 Charter Place, one block south of Interstate 24, was repurposed to be the new Kubota facility. It sits just yards away from the more established RJV dealership at 140 Charter Place that is continuing to operate as a more expansive Ditch Witch location.
In all, RJV has 5 acres of property for its new facility. That allows the company to have more outdoor yard space for both RJV's Kubota line, as well as the other brands it represents, including Mecalac compact construction machines, and equipment made by Mauldin, FAE, Blue Diamond and Felling Trailers, just to name a few.
Parker said that 10-12 months passed from the Kubota facility's earliest conception to its opening.
The building had existed as a freight depot when RJV acquired it, but when it came time to convert it to the Kubota facility, the equipment dealer hired Baron Construction in Nashville to make what Parker called "a major remodel" to the structure that would also include a product line showroom, offices and space for a new shop, parts department and equipment rental center.
RJV Equipment first opened its doors in Tennessee 13 years ago before it was purchased in October 2022 to be a subsidiary of Hills Machinery, a Charleston, S.C.-based construction equipment dealership that has locations in the two Carolinas, Georgia and Virginia.
RJV Designs New Facility for Better Customer Support
RJV's Kubota building in La Vergne totals approximately 18,000 sq. ft., Parker said, with approximately 10,000 sq. ft. exclusively devoted to its service department.
Within the new Kubota facility's shop area are six full-size service bays, with a pair of 3-ton overhead jib cranes on hand for bigger jobs.
Photo courtesy of RJV Equipment
Handling parts needs are Sam Simmons (L) and Mike Prentice.
In addition, three service trucks and a field service lubrication van will operate out of the Kubota building, as well as four road technicians, although Parker said that RJV was looking to add two more techs to its roster.
Two parts specialists also are in the new Kubota store, bringing the total number of RJV personnel working there to 18.
"By expanding into this new facility, we have the opportunity to better support our customers," Parker said. "Given the cramped shop space we were in previously, we could not hire any more technicians, so our lead times were longer than we like and from the customer's standpoint, so the separation allows us to bring in more techs and have more job space to get quicker turnaround times and address customer needs with service and support after the sale."
When asked if RJV is better able to keep its shelves stocked with Kubota parts now that the dealership has given the product line its own facility, he said it has definitely "gotten better" than before.
"The new facility also allowed us to increase our Kubota parts inventory to better meet customer needs," he added.
Beyond the services already mentioned, RJV also operates its equipment rental division in the new facility, Parker added.
"Through RJV Rentals, we rent big excavators, dozers and articulated dump trucks in addition to all the other product lines we carry," he said. "We leveraged our relationship with Hills so that we have some of their Hitachi and Case excavators and dozers for rent, along with our Rokbak all-terrain trucks. We've also got telehandlers, trenchers, rock saws, vacuum excavators, air compressors, dirt rollers, compaction equipment available through that division."
The air compressors that RJV carries are the Sullair and Airman brands, while the lineup of paving equipment available includes Sakai rollers, Mauldin pavers and BOMAG compaction machines.
Open House Announcement Coming Soon
With Kubota having been moved next door, the RJV-owned Ditch Witch of Tennessee store is now the main occupant of the original building, along with space for some of the other brands carried and serviced by the dealership.
As a result of the new location in La Vergne, along with RJV's Knoxville location, the company covers most of the needs for contractors in Central and East Tennessee. The Knoxville store will continue to function as a dual Ditch Witch/Kubota location, Parker said.
"We will hold an open house in January or February of 2025," he said. CEG
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