From the article “John Deere roots go back to 1930s in Kenmare” published in The Kenmare News on Wednesday, August 1, 2018:
Kenmare has had a John Deere dealership operating in town since the mid-1930s, when Al Rierson ran the business out of a building downtown east of the present locations of the State Bank & Trust of Kenmare.
R.O. Jensen and A.O. Peterson bought the business in 1941, with Jenson later buying out Peterson’s interest. In October 1946, Jensen sold the dealership to Carl Peterson, who named it Kenmare Implement Co.
Carl Oberg purchased the operation on January 20, 1965. He also purchased 11 acres along U.S. Highway 52 in Coady’s First Addition and constructed a 50’x120′ building, setting up the business there as Oberg Implement Co.
Oberg sold the dealership to Mark Rasper on March 1, 1972, and the business became known as Rasper Implement, which was sold in May 1974 to Darrell Borud and Tum Burkett.
The partners changed the name to Gooseneck Implement, and Darrell Borud purchased Burkett’s interests within a couple of years.
Kevin Borud bought the dealership from his father in 1989. By May 1994, Borud purchased the former Harris Equipment building and acreage on the west side of U.S. 52 and relocated the business to that location.
The huge, new state-of-the-art Kenmare store opened at the south edge of town in January of 2013.
Although the Kenmare store is the origin of Gooseneck Implement, each store stands alone with its own manager.
Gooseneck Implement grew to eight locations by 2010. Now, with 13 locations, COO Kevin Borud and CEO Jamie Melgaard, along with a board of directors, make decisions for the company, often after consulting with the staff.
