By Don Steen
Staff Writer n [email protected]
Carol Shourds, matriarch of Ken Shourds Equipment even in retirement, welcomed quite a crowd to the longstanding family business last Thursday. The Spencer County Regional Chamber of Commerce filed in for the organization’s monthly “Morning Brew” session, offering an opportunity to network and learn more about the businesses that keep the county humming. Ken Shourds Equipment marked its 60th year in operation last year, and it’s still going strong.
Chamber Director Kathy Reinke noted that her father worked at Ken Shourds Equipment once upon a time. Her family members are still steady patrons.
“You might not need a tractor,” she said. “But who doesn’t need a side-by-side?”
Ken Shourds passed away in 2011, and Carol is keeping busy in retirement with a regular flea market at her home near the family business. That left Stacy Huffman as “the boss” in charge of speaking to the many guests that morning. She took the opportunity to guide chamber members on a journey through time.
Ken and Carol were married in 1960, and Ken Shourds Equipment sprung up in their family home. Ken would sell equipment while Carol ran the family’s grocery store next door. Ken purchased a Ford dealership’s license in 1964 and set up shop along US 231 near Rock Hill, just in time to face a flood. Flooding would be a perennial issue for the business for quite some time.
One photo Huffman emphasized was from 1968, when the first shipment of Ford 8000 tractors were delivered by rail. A framed photo of this milestone resides at the business to this day, along with a miniature version of the model.
Even in the beginning, it Ken Shourds Equipment provided more than tractors. Customers would often make requests specific to their needs, and in farm country that’s a lot of ground to cover.
Huffman pointed out that Ken would take great care to procure whatever was necessary, whatever it took.
“If we don’t have it, we can get it,” was and is the order of the day.
While most customers and visitors were welcome, the Ohio River proved to be a persistent nuisance over the years. Floodwaters would routinely encroach on the dealership lot, requiring employees and family members to hastily move the equipment to higher ground.
Despite that hassle, Ken Shourds Equipment continued to grow. In 1991, the business sold 100 tractors in a single year. By 1995, the Shourds family shifted gears to selling New Holland models. When the big Flood of 1997 finally receded, the business relocated about half a mile north to its current location, and the floodwaters did not follow.
Huffman recalled holding the seasonal holiday parties that Christmas and New Years in a mostly empty building, but the new location was up and running soon enough. The old lot remained in use as storage for a time, but a new warehouse completed in 2014 at the current location left the original site redundant. Grain bins now mark where the business began.
The second and third generations of the Shourds family continue to keep the business going strong. In 2017, Ken Shourds Equipment was presented with the President’s Club Award for outstanding service.
Last year’s 60th anniversary also saw plenty of old friends and customers come out of the woodwork to show their appreciation. Huffman noted that several customers paid a visit on tractors originally purchased by their fathers to mark the occasion.
Featured Image: Ken Shourds Equipment sits at its current location just off US 231 north of Rockport.
Pictured clockwise from top left: Randy Huffman (at left) talks with chamber members in the show room. Stacy Huffman offers a presentation on the history of Ken Shourds Equipment and its growth over the last 60 years. The shop also carries a line of high-quality toys for aspiring farmers to be, or avid collectors. Chamber members gather to share updates on happenings in the business community and across the county.
