LOCAL businessman Phil Hines, together with his wife Lisa, has purchased the Cootamundra Components site, consisting of 10 acres of land and the showroom and sheds.
Mr Hines plans to relocate Agland to the Gundagai Road site, consolidating the three current properties Agland operates from, including Barnes Street, Hovell Street and Yass Road, under the one roof.
This will allow for expansion of the successful local business and will result in new jobs.
Already Agland Industries, including Cootamundra Toyota and Cootamundra Holden, employs 60 locals - about half of these tied up with the vehicle dealerships.
Of these staff members, seven are apprentices, demonstrating Mr Hines’ commitment to training and up-skilling local people.
Mr Hines made an offer on the Cootamundra Components site about a fortnight ago, with this offer enough to secure him the property.
He indicated he made only one offer and had thought about how the site would work for Agland since Cootamundra Components closed its doors.
The relocation is not set to occur immediately with some work required at the site before all of the different facets of Agland can come together concurrently.
Access points to the existing buildings will have to be modified, resurfacing work out the front and back of the building for equipment display and parking purposes will be undertaken and other general work, including the erection of a security fence, will be completed before a move can take place. That said Mr Hines and Agland general manager Mick Gay are hopeful the relocation will take place within the next 12 months.
Mr Hines said the location of the site will benefit the business as it sits on a busy road which will increase exposure.
“Basically we have just outgrown our current site, this will allow us to continue to expand,” Mr Hines said.
“There are exciting times ahead.”
He indicated Agland is currently tendering for a number of contracts creating plenty of scope for the business to grow.
Agland is essentially a one-stop shop for local transport companies, farmers and tradies.
They sell all manner of new and used machinery and equipment and will repair everything from a lawn mower to heavy equipment including tractors and headers.
They are Cootamundra’s only authorised heavy vehicle inspection service and the metal fabrication side of the business, as well as the tyre department, continues to be strong.
They also coordinate contract harvesting.
A development application (DA) for the subdivision of the Cootamundra Components site to create 13 industrial blocks was approved by Cootamundra Shire Council in recent years. This DA approval will transfer to Mr Hines, who said down the track there may be some scope to sell some of the land creating further industrial sites close to town, which would bring new businesses to the district.
The purchase of the new site will not affect either Cootamundra Toyota or Cootamundra Holden, both of which will continue to operate in their current capacities.
An auction of the equipment inside Cootamundra Components is likely to take place in the near future.
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