New ag business comes to Dodge City

A new assembly plant in Dodge City is hoping to add its little bit of flavor to local agriculture.
    Supreme U.S. Inc., a subsidiary of Canada-based Supreme International, may have opened the doors on its vertical feed processor assembly plant in July. But Thursday, local businessmen and officials got their first official tour of the plant as the company hosted its ceremonial grand opening.
    Greg Reimer, general manager of Supreme U.S., said that the new factory, located at 1101 S. Second Ave., took truck chassises and vertical mixer tubs that were shipped from across the country and assembled them at its Dodge plant.
    The final product is a mobile vertical grain processor, which is often used to feed both dairy and livestock cows. These trucks are then shipped across the country and Canada.
    Reimer said he was hoping his staff of seven would be able to crank out about 100 of the trucks a year. It takes about seven days for one of the assemblies to be completed and ready for pickup.  Between $200,000 and $250,000 a pop, the trucks are then picked up from various clients all over the country.
    "We're coast to coast," Reimer said.
    Officials from Supreme's main office in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada were on hand for the celebrations.
    President Jeannette Guertin said she was pleased that her company had chosen Dodge City to be the center for Supreme U.S. Inc.
    "We're really happy to be here," she said. "We came to Dodge City and just fell in love with it."
    Guertin said about 80 percent of its clients were in the United States, so it didn't make much sense for them to have some of their materials shipped in from the U.S, constructed in Canada and then shipped back.
    Mayor Kent Smoll also attended the official grand opening.
    "It's pretty exciting," he said. "Dodge City's history is based in the cattle trade, so what's more appropriate than having you (Supreme) here?"

Reach Mark Vierthaler at (620) 408-9908 or e-mail him at mark.vierthaler@dodgeglobe.com.