Bobcat Company Announces New Dealer Serving Windsor, Ontario, Canada
The first Bobcat compact equipment dealer in Canada is now part of Oaken Holdings – the enterprise that owns Bobcat of Toronto and Bobcat of Barrie (Barrie, Ontario).
Oaken Holdings recently purchased the Bobcat dealership in Windsor, Ontario, and renamed it Bobcat of Windsor. This dealership, most recently owned by Carrier Centers Equipment, has been selling Bobcat equipment since 1972 and is the oldest Bobcat dealership in Canada.
As of September 1, 2020, Bobcat of Windsor is working out of a temporary location at A-4880 Walker Road. The temporary location is just south of Highway 401 and offers a full-line of Bobcat equipment, an in-house and on-the-road service department, and a shared dealer network containing the largest parts inventory in Canada. This marks the fourth location to join the Oaken network.
“Oaken is extremely excited to enter the Windsor market, which is home to the first Bobcat dealership in Canada,” said Kai Sorensen, president. “We’re looking forward to partnering with a solid team and loyal customers throughout Windsor-Essex as we continue growing the business and supporting customers in the region.”
Oaken Holdings became a Bobcat dealer in 2013 and owns Bobcat of Toronto and Bobcat of Barrie. The enterprise serves the Greater Toronto area, Simcoe County and now Windsor-Essex County with the addition of the new Windsor branch.
Since 2013, the company has grown from approximately 18 to more than 75 employees across all locations, growing its departments, services and offerings while maintaining top-tier support for Bobcat compact equipment sales, parts, service and rentals.
“Even as the company grows, we take great pride in maintaining family-owned and operated values and attitudes,” Sorensen said.
The company has eight service trucks on the road and more than 20 certified technicians to help keep its customers up and running.
“The combination of our service department, parts department and rental fleet working together keep our customers working even if issues arise,” Sorensen said. “Our goal is simple, eliminate downtime on their jobsites and keep their projects moving.”
Oaken Holdings’ established dealerships in Toronto and Barrie serve a wide variety of compact equipment customers. Its customer base includes many different business sizes in a number of industries, including construction, demolition, landscaping, grounds maintenance, agriculture, homeowner with acreage and equipment rental companies.
According to Sorensen, technology enhancements to Bobcat equipment, like Machine IQ wireless communication and Bobcat MaxControl Remote Operation, continue to position the company as the leader in the compact equipment industry.
“Bobcat equipment offers the best power, performance and comfort in compact construction equipment,” Sorensen said. “And Bobcat has the largest selection of attachments to help our customers get any job done.”
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.