D&B Sprinklers still going strong after 35 years

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/04/2016 (3451 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Running a seasonal business has its own unique challenges, which can be quite unlike those of running a year-round business.

Local entrepreneurs Jeff Fawcett and Todd Gudz (and their predecessors) have definitely managed to meet those challenges and build on business that runs, for the most part, for only seven months of the year.

The two have been running D&B Sprinklers for 20 years, but the business itself is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year.

“What started out as a small, home-based business with just a few people has now grown to a staff of 15 with office staff, service technicians and installers in a commercial location that includes a small retail space. We were really pleased that we were even able to keep five employees on this past winter,” Gudz said.

For D&B Sprinklers, the name pretty much says it all. They provide underground, automatic irrigation systems for residential and commercial lawns, as well as for sport fields and they do some retrofitting on golf courses.

Gudz said that their business relies on excellent service and reliability of equipment.

“The same sprinklers that we used 25-years ago aren’t a whole lot different from what we’re using today. We’ve always carried the best quality products and we have very reliable equipment. What’s increased the value and cost savings is the technology of the automatic timers and weather-based sensors that monitor the intensity of the sun and the temperature, which can change your run time and increase efficiency,” Gudz said.

D&B Sprinklers was presented with the Business Excellence Award in 2012 by the Brandon Chamber of Commerce and they certainly haven’t slowed down since then.

An exciting change for them this year is that they are expanding their services by offering landscape lighting.

“People put thousands of dollars into their landscaping, but as soon as it is dark, you can’t see it. New LED lighting not only lets them see their landscaping after dark, but there’s also a lot more creativity to it. You can do uplighting onto trees, run a wire up a tree to create a down light, do path lighting or there’s underwater lighting. It creates a whole different experience when the sun goes down,” said Gudz.

As well, the beauty behind landscape lighting is that you can have it set up on a temporary basis (above ground) to assess it, tweak it and get it looking exactly how you like it. Then, when

you’re happy with the outcome, the permanent lines can be run and you can enjoy the results for years and years to come.

For more information, visit dandbsprinklers.com.

Settling in

With their busiest season upon them, Heather Merckx and Hazel Thorne, owners of Black Tie Event, are glad to have settled into their new location.

They officially opened on March 23 at 1051 26th St., having moved from 30 11th St.

“We changed locations to offer better parking and loading for our clients and to offer a brighter, more upscale showroom for our clients,” Merckx said.

Black Tie Event has also expanded its services recently to include the rental of dishware and wine glasses. Merckx said that this summer will be their busiest wedding season yet, and they’ve also seen an increase from previous years in decorating jobs for graduations. And while they do have their business listed for sale, they recognize that it’s a business that needs just the right buyer.

“The business is still for sale, but we are still focusing on expanding. If we have someone come in and make us an offer, that would be great. Otherwise, we will continue working in this fun and exciting industry. A business like this can take years to sell, so we just wanted to put it out there in case the right buyer comes along,” Merckx said.

Visit blacktieevent.ca for more information.

Swirl, Dip, Mix, Enjoy!

Well, even though we’ve experienced three seasons of weather in the last week, we know that summer is on its way. And to remind us — the ice cream shops are now all open for business!

Dairy Queen Brandon (18th Street and Park Avenue), Tastee’s Ice Cream and Grill (1405 First St.), Twisters Ice Cream Shoppe (305 18th St. North) all opened at the beginning of March. The Velvet Dip (820 Victoria Ave.) joined the party a couple of weeks later and the last to throw open the windows is The Batchery.

They opened last Friday in lot No. 10 in Brandon University’s parking lot along 18th Street. This is their second year serving up freshly made ice cream.

And while I know everyone has their favourites, we certainly have a great variety of shops in Brandon with unique, delicious treats to enjoy, so why not try them all?