Great Plains Kabota
Story by Jeff Elkins ~ Photos by Kyle Phillips
The arrival of spring means peak season at Great Plains .
Whether Cleveland County residents are tending to acres of land , or expanding a small garden in their yard , Great Plains Norman has built an ever-growing reputation of fulfilling Oklahoman ’ s agriculture needs . Sales , service , parts and rentals , are the four pillars that comprise the Great Plains brand promise .
Company leadership says they ’ re always looking for different ways to serve their customers and further efforts to uphold that pledge .
Owned and operated by Bill Clark and his family , the family business heritage goes all the way back to 1929 , with tractor sales and farm equipment beginning in the 40s . The company became a Kubota dealer in 2003 , and now operates nine locations across central , southern and western Oklahoma , with a tenth store coming to Ardmore in late 2022 .
The two stores in Cleveland County include GP Rent , 4200 S . Harvey Rd ., and Great Plains Kubota , 2548 Melba Ln .
Reed Boetcher , advertising director for Great Plains Kubota , said technology evolves rapidly , and the company is always looking for different ways to serve the customers , such as carrying cutting-edge equipment .
“ That means you ’ re going to get the best utility vehicles , mowers and tractors , but we also have construction equipment like excavators , skid steers and track loaders ,” Boetcher said .
Brenda Birkle , manager of the Norman location , said they sell to many businesses in the city and Cleveland County .
“ We ’ ve sold construction companies excavators and skid steers , and residential customers have purchased a lot of subcompact tractors and zero-turn mowers ,” Birkle said .
Boetcher said a distinguishing service in the business is their in-house consultant .
If someone is looking to start a farm and wants to know the best practices for a given amount of space , Steve Swaggart is prepared to give advice to farmers , ranchers and producers free of charge .
He ’ s even tax savvy , often helping ag workers with their Section 179 deduction . “ A lot of younger people don ’ t know that you can write off the purchase of your equipment ,” Boetcher said .
18 NormanMagazine . com | MARCH / APRIL 2022