Geneva farming business closing in on 30 years

Published 11:04 am Thursday, November 17, 2016

GENEVA — A farm service company is coming close to celebrating its 30th year of helping farmers fill their building needs.

Broskoff Structures Inc. is farmer-oriented and sells and services grain bins, grain dryers, grain augers and buildings.

Dave Broskoff and his wife, Diane, started the business in 1987. The business has since expanded its operation to the point where employees are sometimes traveling two hours for jobs.

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“It just kept growing every year,” Dave Broskoff said.

The business is also family oriented.

Dave and Diane Broskoff’s son, Travis; daughters Angie and Krissy; son-in-law, Jesse Routh; and Diane Broskoff’s brothers-in-law Shannon and Jeff are also employed by the business.

Essentially lifelong residents of Geneva, Dave and Diane Broskoff now live on Beaver Lake.

Prior to starting the business, Dave Broskoff worked for another man before briefly leaving industry and selling insurance. He then returned to the business after customers wanted him to return to servicing farmers.

“They said you need you get back in the business, so that is what I did,” he said.

Larger equipment has become necessary in farming, Dave Broskoff said, and described the business as having grown from using an “old, beat-up forklift” in the beginning to now operating with several forklifts and cranes.

“There was a time where we probably couldn’t do a lot of jobs,” Dave Broskoff said. “Now we feel we can handle just about everything.”

More than 2,200 customer appreciation cards were sent to commemorate the nearing 30-year anniversary of the founding of the business.

Dave Broskoff said he enjoys interacting with clients.

“I like visiting with people, I enjoy the negotiations, just the camaraderie,” he said. “They all have real good attitudes. Rural people are more real people. They enjoy a good laugh, they enjoy good company. My motto has been if you take care of people, they take care of you. If you are good to them, they are good to you.”

About Sam Wilmes

Sam Wilmes covers crime, courts and government for the Albert Lea Tribune.

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