May 11, 2026

A major name in the ag equipment industry is growing its presence in Sioux Falls with a new retail location.

C&B Operations recently moved from the former Ideal Yardware building at 5220 S. Grand Circle to a new location at 2913 W. Russell St.

“We’ve kind of doubled down in the Sioux Falls market with our physical presence,” said Austin Williams, new-equipment manager. “It’s been awesome to evolve.”

He grew up in Worthington, Minnesota, and still farms with family. His wife was commuting to work in Sioux Falls, so they decided to move.

Williams has worked with C&B since 2023 and before that was employed in marketing for John Deere. In his current role, he’s part of the sales team while also managing the new Sioux Falls store.

“We needed more space, and we needed a bigger shop,” he said of the move. “We loved the traffic and visibility on Louise … but we were really limited on parking and shop space.”

The new location highlights the dealer’s compact construction equipment, including skid steer mini excavators. With an enlarged shop, there’s a dedicated wash bay for machines.

“We didn’t have that before, and now with our larger parking lot  … we can do mobile service right on-site for customers,” Williams said.

The location combines retail, shop space and parts storage.

“So when you need batteries for your mower … we’ve tripled our warehouse space, so we can carry more there instead of waiting for it to ship in,” he said.

“The square footage is almost the same (as the former location), but with the way it’s configured and laid out, it’s twice the height, so we have vertical storage.”

About a dozen people staff the store, though there’s opportunity to hire more in sales and service.

“We’ve had new customers stopping in that hadn’t recognized us before or thought we were still a lawn mower store,” Williams said. “We have more construction equipment parked outside, more display space, so people stop in and say, ‘I didn’t know you guys could sell this.'”

The location still supports customers from Ideal Yardware and is a certified Ariens and Gravely dealer, as well as Stihl power equipment. The hope is to serve businesses such as commercial landscapers, utility contractors and dirt work contractors in addition to acreage owners in the area, he said.

Technology in equipment continues to advance, Williams added.

“Remote management is a lot simpler,” he said. “They can put a module on mowers and keep track of fuel levels, maintenance and manage their fleet.”

Through a smartphone application, owners can track mowing on a map and monitor equipment needs.

“This makes it simple,” he said. “You can do it from your couch. It’s incredible the upgrades in performance on the software side in the last year, and John Deere is working on an autonomous commercial mower. We have a lot of customers asking for it and a lot of farmers asking for it.”

C&B Operations LLC started with one location in 1988 in Gettysburg when Dan Cronin and Rod Burwell purchased the John Deere dealership in the central South Dakota town.

It evolved into one of the largest dealership groups, with 38 stores in South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. C&B, formerly a division of Burwell Enterprises, was acquired in late 2024 by Point Field Partners, a Baltimore-based private family office and investment firm founded by Steve Bisciotti, owner of the Baltimore Ravens and co-founder of Allegis Group.

The field support office continues to be based in Sioux Falls after moving from Minnesota while it was still part of Burwell Enterprises.

The office in downtown’s River Centre at 200 E. 10th St. includes about 40 people serving in functions such as accounting, IT, human resources, logistics, marketing, technology and sales support.

“Some of those roles really fit the whole organization, support the stores and the field, and that’s how we’re structured at the corporate office,” said Amber Luinenburg, C&B marketing director.

She grew up on a farm in Worthington and still works on one when not in the office.

“A lot of us definitely have those ag roots that work in leadership in the office,” she said.

The field support office also includes a full call center, where customers can contact the team for equipment and technology support.

“We have a great team,” Luinenburg said. “They’re up and coming in so many ways.”

Sioux Falls “has been a fantastic fit all around” as a home base for C&B, she said.

“It’s really the roots of who we are. We’re South Dakota. … Even Sioux Falls, as much as it’s grown, there are still so many ag roots that surround Sioux Falls … so it absolutely has been a perfect fit.”

Williams agrees.

“It’s got so many amenities,” he said. “It’s got the big-city options and support; you have a lot of services and high-tech companies here. And you have plenty of rural customers, together with people who are great business leaders. There’s everything there to help all the businesses while still being connected to agriculture.”