Busy lawncare, golf & grounds business looking for Technicians

by Stacy Dunn

Veseys Equipment in York, open year-round, has been involved in the lawn and garden, golf and grounds industry since the early 1980s. It is a division of Vesey’s Seeds Ltd., which has operated on PEI since 1939.

“We have a full line of lawn and garden equipment that we sell and service, which doesn’t happen in many other lawn and garden outlets,” says Managing Director Gary Conohan. “We are also a dealer in Kioti small tractors for residential, municipal, and commercial properties. We are a leading supplier of golf and turf equipment in Atlantic Canada with golf carts and turf equipment. It’s very highly specialized equipment that we deal in.”

Staff

Veseys Equipment has two Territory Managers, one Product Manager, five Parts Department and Inside Sales personnel, Office Administration, factory-trained Technicians, and Delivery Drivers. They employ about 30 staff year-round.

“Currently we are looking for an Apprentice Technician, a Tractor Technician, and a Turf Technician,” he says. “There is not enough local training in Atlantic Canada for the type of things that we do.

“We will take somebody with mechanical experience, mold them, start them off in the small engine side of things, and then work them up to our hydraulic and diesel machines. We fully train them inside our shop.”

Busy times

When COVID-19 began in 2020, the company experienced a surge in business. Gary says more people were staying home tending their lawns and gardens. Golf just exploded. Many golf courses took this time to upgrade their equipment, and we are still seeing the effects of that now. It has been good for the golf industry, and it’s been good for us.”