PORTAGE – With agriculture being the number one commodity in Wood County and Ohio, along with the
crossroads of major highways nearby, Archbold Equipment Co, is investing more than $2 million to enlarge
and upgrade its store on Ohio 25, just north of the village.
When the company bought the store in 2011, it was planned to eventually build a new facility at the site.
It is now becoming a reality.
"With farm equipment getting larger and more technological all the time we needed the equipment and
infrastructure to support them," said Zach Hetterick, the chief executive officer.
"This is a major expansion for us. With the nice cross roads of Route 6 and 75 so close, this will
become a hub or our company, Hetterick said.
He explained it is an ideal location to be able to do work for the company’s other locations.
One aspect of the expansion is complete with more work still to be done on the project. The new workshop
is complete with two major cranes capable of lifting the larger equipment as needed. The former shop
will be converted for parts storage and a store display for products including lawn and garden items for
homeowners.
The Case I-H dealer will also feature a variety of lawn and garden equipment including snow blowers and
other seasonal offerings.
"We are really excited to be a part of the agriculture community and the other homeowners,"
said Rodney Mobley, director of sales. "We want to be vested in the entire community."
Mobley said they will also being hiring locally as well.
"We started at $2 million investment for this, but it just keeps growing, it’s now well over the $2
million mark," Hetterick said. "This will be a state of the art facility."
Mobley added, "Because Bowling Green and Wood County are a major ag count, this will be an epicenter
for us. We will have a full service equipment and part sales store and a complete service center."

Both men said it will also be a hub for precision farming, the modern technology aspect of tractors and
equipment.
A week-long grand opening celebration is tentatively set for Aug. 10. It is designed to be held between
the Wood County Fair and the National Tractor Pulls.