MIDDLEBURY — Hendy Bros. earlier this month began another chapter in its 54-year history of supplying Addison County farms and residents with agricultural equipment.
The family-owned company has merged with Giroux Bros. Equipment of Plattsburgh and Malone, N.Y. The merger has prompted Hendy Bros to switch its name to Mountain View Equipment, but the only other change customers will notice is better, quicker access to a broader inventory of merchandise, according to owners Mike Hendy and his sister, Judy Austin.
It was Mike and Judy’s grandfather John Hendy who originally established the business, which has stores on Route 7  just north of Middlebury and in Rutland. Mike and Judy are the third generation to own and operate what is now Mountain View Equipment.
While the enterprise was doing well on its own, Hendy and Austin became aware of trends in the farm equipment industry.
“There is a fairly big consolidation push going on,” Mike Hendy said. “It has been going on for the past eight- to 10 years.”
It’s a move that has also been recommended by John Deere, whose products the Hendys have been carrying for many years.
“The pressure of consolidation is based on the cost of doing business, the availability of products and the need to invest in employees at a higher level,” Hendy said. “It requires a larger organization to make it all successful.”
With that in mind, the Hendys saw a good partner in Giroux Bros., another third-generation dealership. The merger of the two companies became official on Jan. 1.
The collaboration, Hendy said, will improve the business’s overall buying power, allow it to sell some products at a better price, provide opportunities for specialized training for employees, and offer a wider selection of merchandise.
Combined, the enterprise will include four stores with a total of more than 50 employees. Mountain View Equipment will continue to employ 24 full-time workers.
Reporter John Flowers is at [email protected].