Chief mechanic Dylan Holmes, left, and new Maple Grove owner Brandon Lemaire stand next to a bulletin board holding newspaper clippings and photos of longtime owner Peter Levesque who died last year.
Maple Grove offers a wide variety of parts and equipment in the remodeled and repainted showroom.
Maple Grove Equipment is located at 8 Leonard St. in Adams.
A bulletin board with newspaper articles and pictures of the late Peter Levesque is prominently displayed inside the shop.
ADAMS, Mass. — Maple Grove Equipment's new owner Brandon Lemaire wants to continue in the footsteps of longtime owner and mentor Peter Levesque.
"I know if Pete could be here today he would have a smile on his face," Lemaire said. "He always said, 'I want to see you run it.'"
Levesque had owned the 8 Leonard St. equipment sale, rental and service center since 1992 but the business had existed since 1936. Maple Grove had first operated as a marine sales and service family business under Chester Dydowicz, a longtime police officer and pilot, who died in 1990.
Lemaire said Maple Grove Equipment had long been the place to go for lawnmowers, snow blowers, and snowplow sales and service in Northern Berkshire County.
"Pete always said, 'in the winter everyone needs a snow plow or needs a snow blower,'" Lemaire said.
Lemaire worked for Levesque for nearly a decade and after leaving the shop for a spell, received a call from Levesque's wife who said he had fallen ill.
Lemaire said he visited him after surgeons tried to remove a brain tumor.
"I went to go see him. He was with it and he kind of talked to me for a little bit," he said. "Two weeks later she called me again and said he is not doing well. She said she knew nothing about the business."
"She was retired, she wanted Pete to retire and she wanted to spend time camping and doing stuff with him so she told me, 'Now is the time Brandon if you want to do it just let me know we can work something out.' So I am in the process of buying it right now."
Levesque passed in July 2023, and Lemaire took over in early November.
Lemaire said it has been business as usual and although he wants it to grow, he feels no need to disrupt the services people have grown to expect including the sale and service of lawnmowers, snowblowers, and snowplows among other things. The business specializes in servicing well-known plow brands.
"I see a lot of customers out in town, the grocery store or Walmart. Customers come up and talk to me. They like the service we offer," he said. "Obviously, we want to grow. Every business wants to grow and be better."
He said he did do some remodeling in the showroom and, eventually, wants to offer 24-hour plow repair.
"Plow guys, if they break down in the middle of the night, will want to get their plow fixed so they can finish their route instead of waiting," he said. "So that will be a big thing."
He added that the business still provides golf cart rentals, a unique service in the area.
And Lemaire said business so far has been good.
"Things have been busy now that we are open," he said. "We have been getting a lot of people from Bennington, Pittsfield, Lee, Lenox so that is really a big thing."
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Cheshire Rejects Override, Votes Reduced School Budget
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
The decision to vote on the budget by secret ballot on Monday night was overwhelming. An override to fund the school budget failed in Monday's election.
CHESHIRE, Mass. — Voters on Monday rejected a Proposition 2 1/2 override and passed a motion that would level fund the town's fiscal 2025 school assessment.
They also voted down a debt exclusion to purchase a $67,000 police cruiser 228-267, but approved an exclusion for an $850,000 fire truck 296-200. An article to separate the positions of town tax collector and treasurer failed 230-261.
All four questions had passed at the annual town meeting.
Question 1 on the warrant would have added $150,534 to the town's levy limit to cover the town's $3 million portion of the $23 million Hoosac Valley Regional School budget.
The question failed 141-355. At the special town meeting following the vote, Selectmen Chair Shawn McGrath motioned to level fund the assessment at $2,948,462, the same assessment as last year, and that passed 47-20 on a secret ballot.
The failure of the school budget means the School Committee has the choice to make cuts or resubmit its budget to a districtwide vote. The budget passed in Adams, the other town in the two-town school district.
Hoosac Valley's Business Manager Erika Snyder said the school district will request a meeting of all voters in the school district, which would decide the budget by majority vote.
Voters on Monday rejected a Proposition 2 1/2 override and passed a motion that would level fund the town's fiscal 2025 school assessment. click for more
he neighbors north of Specialty Minerals are hoping for some relief from the sticky, gritty coating that's been covering their cars, patios and outdoor furniture.
click for more
McAndrews-King became part of Pittsfield's Haddad Auto Group on July 31 but the new and old owners say there won't be any radical changes outside of the name change.
click for more
The Selectmen on Wednesday voted to enter negotiations with an Agawam catering company to operate food service at the Greylock Glen's outdoor center. click for more