Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 13, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba B5 THURSDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2025 ● BUSINESS@FREEPRESS.MB.CA ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM BUSINESS Buhler Industries owner to take Winnipeg-headquartered company private NEVER mind a 52-week high, how about an 11-year high? That was the height Buhler Indus- tries Inc. shares hit in trading Wed- nesday when its stock price more than doubled on news Turkish owner ASKO Holding was taking the Winnipeg-head- quartered company private. ASKO already owns 97 per cent of Buhler shares, acquiring them in De- cember 2023 from the former control- ling shareholder, Russia-based Com- bine Factory Rostselmash Ltd. Buhler shares closed Wednesday in Toronto at $7.15, up from their last trade Monday at $3.40. Buhler’s board retained Pricewater- houseCoopers to do a financial fairness study, which came up with the price of $7.30 it will pay for the 815,414 shares ASKO does not currently own. Chief financial officer Willy Janzen said the going-private process is not ex- pected to change anything in the com- pany’s day-to-day operations. Buhler employs about 700 people at its Versatile tractor manufacturing oper- ation on Clarence Avenue and in Mor- den at the company’s Farm King brand manufacturing facility. The company also has a couple of small manufactur- ing operations in Minnesota, as well as a parts distribution centre in California. In addition to the Buhler operations, ASKO, a family-owned business, em- ploys about 1,800 people in Turkey, where it operates companies in the con- struction and agricultural equipment manufacturing sectors. It also owns a technology company and another that makes industrial generators. And it dis- tributes the German CLAAS brand of agricultural equipment in Turkey. Janzen said there no plans to change the name of Versatile or Farm King brands in North America. Last summer, about 40 Versatile deal- ers from Canada and the U.S. visited ASKO’s operations in Turkey. “It was a way to introduce some of the dealers to the new ownership that was effective at the end of 2023. It was a way to give them a feel for who the new owner is … to give the dealers a little more appreciation for what there was behind the scenes,” Janzen said. He said many of those minority shareholders may very well be com- pany employees or retired employees who participated in a share distribution program that ended in 2007. martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca MARTIN CASH Manitoba software firm seeks shot at snagging online provincial park pass contract A STEINBACH businessman believes his company has the right stuff to take over virtual retail sales of Manitoba park passes. John Pendergrast, founder and CEO of RocketRez, emailed Premier Wab Kinew last week to express his soft- ware firm’s interest in exploring a part- nership with the province to manage and modernize campsite reservation services. Aspira has been contracted to sell provincial park permits online since 2020. Pendergrast sent the email af- ter Kinew on Feb. 4 criticized the contract the former Progressive Con- servative government signed with the Dallas-based company. “It doesn’t make any sense, whatso- ever,” Kinew said amid the threat of a trade war with the U.S. “Shouldn’t we be paying a Manitoba company to enjoy Manitoba?” Pendergrast wants RocketRez, which he founded in 2011, to be that company. It services high-volume tourist at- tractions like zoos, aquariums, water parks and museums. Last year, it processed more than $390 million in transactions for its North American clients. “We have been watching the camp- site reservations vertical for some time and feel there is an opportunity to bring our system’s flexibility, scalability and user-friendly design to this market,” Pendergrast wrote in his email to the premier. “I kindly request the opportunity to discuss this matter with you and your team at your earliest convenience. We would be grateful for the chance to demonstrate how our evolving technol- ogy could strengthen Manitoba’s park reservation services and provide an en- hanced experience for all users.” Pendergrast told the Free Press he sees this as an opportunity for the gov- ernment to support a Manitoba business and for RocketRez to grow its operation in the province. He likens Manitobans supporting Manitoba businesses to participating in the “100-mile diet,” which involves eat- ing and drinking only products grown within that radius. “I think technology can be like that, too,” Pendergrast said. “We have a lot of great tech companies in the Manitoba ecosystem. They’re all eager to grow and they all have hungry talent. I think sometimes we overlook that.” Manitoba’s agreement with Aspira, an outdoor recreation software com- pany, is slated to expire in April, but there remains an option to extend it for two consecutive one-year terms. If RocketRez and the province were to reach an agreement, Pendergrast said, the company could be ready to take over the system in 2026. After sending his email to Kinew, Pendergrast followed up with a phone call to the premier’s office and was told he could expect a response in three to four weeks. The province did not respond to a request for comment by print deadline. In the meantime, Pendergrast has approached his local MLA, former Tory interim premier Kelvin Goertzen (Steinbach), for help. Goertzen confirmed RocketRez reached out to him because the com- pany wants to better understand the park reservation system needs in Mani- toba and inform the government of the company’s capacity. “It is a discussion that I encourage and am happy to facilitate,” Goertzen said in a prepared statement. Pendergrast looks forward to con- necting with the provincial govern- ment. “What we’re looking for is to have a conversation with our premier or who- ever he delegates,” he said. “We just want to have an opportunity to consult and see if we can find a fit.” RocketRez has grown from 20 people in 2021 to 70 today. The company regu- larly competes against the top ticketing software companies in the world, in- cluding Accesso and Gateway Ticket- ing Systems, its CEO said. “We’ve created a really great prod- uct and we have a really great team of experts to service them,” Pendergrast said. Aspira did not respond to a request for comment by print deadline. aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca AARON EPP Canada-themed goods all the rage in face of U.S. president’s threats, insults ‘WE HAVE TO STAND TOGETHER’ I T’S rare to find a Canadian busi- ness pleased with U.S. President Donald Trump. However, for some local retail shops his plan to slap tariffs on Canadian goods, and comments about Cana- da becoming the 51st state, have put money in their pockets. “We have had quite an uptick in sales of patriotic products,” said Kara Mc- Dowell, who owns T-Shirt Connection, which is in a strip mall at 1580 Taylor Ave. The Winnipeg shop has been selling hats and tuques with patriotic messa- ges such as “Canada, Not For Sale Eh!” and “Canada is not for sale.” McDowell said they are embroidered in-store. Because it’s a custom shop, plenty of customers have unique ideas for patriotic-themed shirts and hats, with some designs that poke fun at Trump. For the most part, people have asked about pro-Canada designs, and McDow- ell said she hasn’t had anyone ask about 51st-state designs. “There have been some funny re- quests,” she said. “We have done some custom T-shirts with ‘Canada is already great. F--k Trump.’” Living in the time of Trump 2.0 has led to meaningful conversations in the store, she said. “Many people have been drawn into the store because of the tuques, and we have had interesting conversations about buying Canadian and being Can- adian with many of them,” she said. “Most customers, even if they do not purchase a patriotic product, usually say they are happy supporting a Can- adian business rather than purchasing custom-printed products online from U.S. companies.” It’s a similar story at the Oh Canada outlet in the Polo Park mall, owned by Ken and Laurie Keats. Store manager Jade Donald said Wednesday she sold patriotic items to five customers shortly after the loca- tion opened at 10 a.m. “There’s been quite the conversations happening between our staff and even between customers on how important it is to be shopping locally and supporting our own Canadian economy,” Donald said. “We have to stand together.” Oh Canada, which also has a store at the St. Vital mall, has been selling T-shirts and hats emblazoned with “Canada is not for sale.” Canadian patches and pins are moving at a steady rate. “People just want to have something on them that shows they’re Canadian,” she said. Donald said Trump’s threats have en- couraged Canadians to be more patri- otic. “Sometimes we need it, and even if it’s a little more expensive, it’s worth it.” Samantha Hobson, a sales associate at the Flag Shop at 734 Osborne St., said Wednesday she’d been busy fielding calls about the Canadian flag all day. Five former prime ministers — Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin, Stephen Harp- er, Joe Clark and Kim Campbell — re- leased a joint open letter Tuesday to en- courage Canadians to fly the flag with pride on Flag Day (Saturday). It’s also the 60th anniversary of the red-and-white Maple Leaf flag. Chrétien had declared Feb. 15 as Flag Day in 1996. “In the face of threats and insults from Donald Trump, Canadians have come together to express their love for our country and their determination to defend Canada’s values and our in- dependence,” their statement said. “As former prime ministers of Can- ada, we applaud this national spirit. And we call on our fellow Canadians to show the flag as never before.” Hobson, whose parents own the store, said the last 24 hours had been very busy. “We came in this morning with just a few web orders. We just launched our new website, so we were very excited. Then the phones started ringing off the hook.” Hobson said foot traffic also spiked Wednesday. “A few people have gone as far as buying poles and brackets to put on their houses,” she said. “Tariffs will be painful for all of us, but it’s nice to see Canadians seek out those made-in- Canada products and support our local businesses. I think that’s important.” Selkirk Mayor Larry Johansson has been displaying his Canadian pride by sporting a red ball cap with a four-word message: “Canada is Already Great.” His city is bracing for impact, after Trump announced 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports. The decision would affect hundreds of workers at the city’s Gerdau steel mill, one of the region’s largest employers, if it isn’t reversed before March 12, the date it is scheduled to take effect. Johansson said he got the hat in 2018 during the first round of tariffs during Trump’s first term in office. Someone saw him wearing a Sel- kirk-themed hat and offered to trade for the red cap that, at first glance, looks like a “Make America Great Again” hat, which is proudly worn by Trump supporters. Johansson had the ballcap hanging in his office since then, and when Trump started his tariff talk again, he put it back on. “It’s got a lot of attention,” Johans- son said Wednesday from Fredericton, where he’s attending a conference on sustainable communities. “People have been asking me everywhere I go. Even the pilots coming here commented on it when I was getting on the plane.” scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca SCOTT BILLECK JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS Kara McDowell arranges Canadian products for sale in the front window Wednesday of her T-Shirt Connection store in Winnipeg. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Selkirk Mayor Larry Johannson and his pro-Canada ballcap. ;