Stocker Solutions has prided itself on providing real value solutions for clients for almost thirty years. From its humble beginnings in a rundown garage in 1995, Shane and Cheryl Stocker have grown the company from a husband-and-wife team to a staff of 30 across five divisions—milking, plumbing, effluent, pumping, and industrial equipment. Today, their operations are based in a purpose-built building on State Highway 1, West Street.
Having initially trained as an electrician, Shane worked in the milking machine industry for 15 years before going out on his own just as the dairy boom took off in Canterbury and a raft of new conversions were underway. He worked solo for many years from his garage on Wellington Street.
It was only after Stocker Solutions moved to Leeston Street that the business took off, going from one staff member to 19 in a matter of years. In addition to milking machines, Shane and Cheryl expanded the offering to include water pumps and plumbing, steadily growing the company further since then.
“As the opportunities came up, we have run with it, hiring specialist staff in each field. Now that dairying has plateaued and not as many new sheds are being built, the core business has evolved to provide maintenance, new technology and automation options for farmers,” says Shane.
Today, the company is split into five divisions, providing ongoing support and satisfaction to all clients. They’ve made it their mission to keep people operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“We have a lot of people that come into the business that need to get something fixed or buy something, but they don’t know exactly what they need to get; usually, we can find the right solution. We also have a lot of equipment in stock and pride ourselves on providing quality brands. Everything we sell, we offer ongoing servicing for,” he says.
While Shane oversees the managers of each division, Cheryl is in charge of the accounting side of the business.
Stocker Solutions has been a Ruralco merchant for nearly 20 years. Over the years, they have maintained a strong mutual partnership with the Ruralco representatives, have been consistently present at the annual Ruralco Instore Days event, and featured in various Ruralco communications.
Cheryl says they saw joining Ruralco as a no-brainer back in the days of the Ashburton Trading Society (ATS). It was the predominant trading company locally at the time, and people trusted Ruralco.
“We saw it as another opportunity for us to get more business,” she says. “Farmers like getting one account at the end of the month, and it offers us guaranteed payment, which is great from a business point of view. There are certainly some benefits for everyone all-round. They promote our business as much as we promote them. It’s a win-win for both parties. The more we charge through Ruralco, the more it helps us and them.”
Cheryl says Ruralco customers make up a large proportion of their customers. She sees Ruralco’s recent move back to focusing on mid-Canterbury as a positive step, and they look forward to continuing their relationship well into the futu
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