2019 Champion of Small Business: Davis Repair, LLC

Hay Springs, Nebraska – The skilled mechanics of Davis Repair, LLC, are growing their 11-year-old Hay Springs agriculture equipment repair business by keeping the Sheridan County region’s farmers and ranchers going and growing.

Owner Nathan Davis, a graduate of the two-year John Deere Program at Southeast Community College in Milford and a former employee at John Deere dealerships, started his repair service out of the back of his pickup in the area where he grew up. Founded in 2008, Davis Repair, LLC, became incorporated in Nebraska in 2013. Davis became a client of the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) office in Chadron in May of the following year in order to get assistance financing construction of a repair shop.

Davis primarily received assistance from Lori Frederick, NBDC consultant, who wrote the draft of his business plan and worked on the financial projections. Davis ultimately obtained a loan from Farmers State Bank in Chadron. Because he already owned the land, he had begun preliminary construction on the foundation and the 50' x 80' x 18' building by the time the loan was approved. The building was completed by another Hay Springs business, Binger Construction.

Davis Repair moved into the new building in March 2016 and opened the following month. The new facility, which houses office and repair shop, has helped to improve efficiency and increased off-season work, prompting Davis to add a third fulltime mechanic.

Davis continues to operate a full-service truck for on-site farm repairs, and he and his mechanics will travel up to 100 miles to reach their customers. Davis Repair is the only independent agriculture equipment repair business in the area operating a full-service truck.

NBDC consultant Gary Dusek says Davis also promotes small business as a career choice, especially in rural Nebraska. “He donates time and energy educating area farmers and ranchers about the importance of proper maintenance of agriculture equipment,” Dusek says. “He encourages customers to schedule regular, seasonal maintenance during the off-season. This benefits the customers as well as his business. Davis Repair contributes to the success of farmers and ranchers who are his customers and also business owners.”

A member of the Hay Springs Chamber of Commerce, Davis cooks smoked pork and baked beans each year for the annual Hay Springs Friendly Festival, held the fourth weekend in August.

For the past eleven years, Davis Repair has supported the agriculture industry and the region’s economy by providing local access to repair and maintenance to ranchers and farmers. For his contributions, NBDC selected Nathan Davis as the 2019 Champion of Small Business.

“I am very appreciative of the honor,” Davis says. “The people at the NBDC Chadron office did a really good job helping with what I needed. It was a good experience for me.”

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