New facility to help Modern better meet the needs of loggers and contractors in northwest Montana

Last November, Modern Machinery acquired Townsend Repair, a heavy equipment repair and fabrication firm in Kalispell, Mont., and turned it into the company’s 11th branch location. The purpose, according to Modern president Brian Sheridan, is to provide better service to customers in the fast-growing region north of Flathead Lake.

"We cover a huge territory and this was an area where, frankly, we were a little light in terms of our ability to quickly and efficiently meet the needs of our customers. With this new branch, we’re starting with a staff of eight people, most of them field service technicians. We’re also currently redesigning the building to better accommodate parts storage as well as shop work."

Ed Townsend, who started, owned and ran Townsend Repair for 20 years before selling the business, says Modern’s entry in the market is welcomed by loggers. "In this region, there’s a big population of Timbco feller bunchers, which I’ve always considered the industry standard. For those Timbco customers as well as Komatsu users, I’d definitely say this is a big plus. It’s going to mean faster response and less downtime, which is crucial to loggers."

The Modern branch is located at 3155 Highway 93 South, the main north-south route through Kalispell. Townsend, who agreed to stay on with Modern for two years as service manager, says Kalispell personnel will likely cover a territory north to Canada, west to Idaho, south about halfway to Missoula and east, as far as necessary.

"All-makes" repairs and fabrication
While Modern products will be emphasized, the Kalispell branch will do "all-makes" repairs. "We’ll work on virtually any machine from any manufacturer, from manlifts to bulldozers and everything in between," said Townsend. "We also do custom fabrication. We build specialized brush rakes, all kinds of guarding packages, and mount any type of forestry attachment. There’s not much that we can’t or won’t do for a customer in need."

Townsend says most of the mechanics on staff have been with him 15 years or more. "They’re good, talented guys who’ve learned by experience. Most, if not all, have some factory training. I’m sure they’ll get more now that they’re Modern Machinery employees and that will certainly further improve their troubleshooting, diagnostic and repair skills."

"We’re very pleased to now have a full-time presence in the Kalispell area," said Sheridan. "Ed did a great job and had an excellent reputation in the logging community. We hope to build upon, and even enhance that. While our immediate goal is to just do a better job of supplying parts and service, eventually, we intend for the Kalispell facility to be a full-service Modern Machinery branch with an equipment salesman and a PSSR, as well as parts and service."