When people look at Thunderstruck Ag Equipment today, they often see the polished booths, the global partnerships, the professional team, and the product lineup. But that’s not how it started.
Our story with Thunderstruck began in the chaos of farm shows — long days in outdoor tents far from the prime locations to booths under terrible lights, surrounded by massive machinery, with nothing but a dream and a stubborn determination to keep going.
Those Rough First Days
I’ll never forget our first show at Agri-Trade in Red Deer. It was a disaster. Our booth was not in the promised location, nothing was set up the way we expected, and to top it off, we got into a car accident on the way out destroying all of our displays and the trailer we had borrowed to haul them in. It felt like one thing after another was trying to stop us.
But I’ve learned something over the years: tough beginnings teach you more than easy wins ever could. That brutal show taught us resilience. It taught me that booth placement matters, but grit matters more. If I wanted Thunderstruck to succeed, I had to push through every setback.
Those farm shows weren’t just places to sell products. They were proving grounds. They tested whether I had what it took to build something real.
Discovering MudSmith
It was at one of those early shows that everything changed. At the Big Iron Farm Show, I met the Smith family, the inventors of the MudSmith Gauge Wheel. Their product had mostly spread by word of mouth in a few states, but I saw its potential immediately.
I called them up and asked if I could represent MudSmith at the Peoria Farm Show. They agreed.
At Peoria, the response was incredible. We sold wheels sold like crazy but MudSmith was not quite ready to let us represent them yet. They told us that they had been on a waiting list for the National Farm Machinery Show for the last 5 years and that if we could get a booth in Louisville they would sign a 1 year contract with us.
Louisville: The Turning Point
Getting into Louisville wasn’t easy — in fact, it was a battle. When I first called the show manager, he told me flatly that there was “no chance” of getting in that year, with a five-year waiting list ahead of him. But, I refused to take no for an answer. “I told him it was imperative that we get into the show. The MudSmith product we were bringing was revolutionary, and it was going to help farmers,” The manager tried to brush me off, saying I could check back in December. So I did — every single day that month, right up to Christmas Eve. That afternoon, me and my one employee left the manager a voicemail singing a Christmas carol and ending with, “All we want for Christmas this year is a booth in Louisville.” The persistence paid off. The day after Christmas, the show manager called back saying “If I give you a booth, will you stop calling me?”
So in 2015, I took Thunderstruck to the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky. That show is the big leagues — where reputations are made and new products are launched.
I’ll be honest, I was nervous. We were still young, still proving ourselves. But that week, everything clicked. Sales poured in, word spread about MudSmith, and people began to notice our farmer-first approach.
I’ve said many times that Louisville was the turning point, and it’s true. That show changed everything. We went from being just another booth in the corner to a company that mattered.
Building Our Marketing Muscle
Coming off the high of Louisville, I realized something important: farmer-invented products didn’t just need distribution, they needed branding, marketing, and a voice.
In 2016, I decided Thunderstruck would build its own marketing department. We hired a designer, started building websites, created ads, and helped farmer-inventors present their products in a way that would get noticed.
One of our first big successes was with Jenkins Iron & Steel. We built their entire digital presence from scratch. The impact was immediate, and it confirmed for me that Thunderstruck could be more than a distributor — we could be a full partner to farmer-inventors.
For a short while, I even ventured into non-agriculture with Visp, a fiber internet startup that grew into Valley Fiber. It worked, but the experience made me realize something crystal clear: my heart was in agriculture. That’s where Thunderstruck belonged.
Going All-In on Agriculture
By 2017, the choice was obvious. I made the decision to go all-in on agriculture.
That wasn’t just a business move; it was who we were. Thunderstruck was built to serve farmers and to help farmer-inventors bring their ideas to the world. Products like MudSmith Gauge Wheels, Copperhead Concaves, and later our own Razors Edge Concaves all came from the same place — the farm.
Helping farmers harvest more profitably became our mission.
Standing Strong Through COVID
When COVID hit in 2020, everything changed overnight. Farm shows shut down, travel stopped, and the traditional ways we connected with farmers disappeared.
But giving up wasn’t an option. Instead, we launched the Thanks for Farming Tour — a series of small, safe events across Western Canada.
Farmers showed up in droves. They were hungry for connection, information, and community. That tour wasn’t just a stopgap; it became a symbol of what Thunderstruck is about: standing with farmers no matter the circumstances.
By 2021 and 2022, we had doubled down on digital marketing — videos, campaigns, and storytelling that connected directly with farmers. We built one of the strongest farmer-focused brands in North America during one of the hardest times to be in business.
By 2023 we had built a strong management team that includes Kristi Dueck (VP of Marketing) and Jeff Hoeppner (VP of Operations) as partners in Thunderstruck. They help keep us focused on the projects that we are undertaking for our clients, deliver the products in a timely manner to our customers and keep the company running when I travel.
Thunderstruck Goes Global
By 2023, Thunderstruck was firmly established as the go-to partner for farmer-invented products across North America. But we weren’t planning to stop there. Our vision has always been global.
This summer, we officially launched Thunderstruck Ag Brazil. Our goal isn’t just to export products — it’s to build something lasting. We’ve assembled a strong local team, complete with leadership and operations, so we can communicate directly with Brazilian farmers and support them on the ground.
We’ve secured trusted manufacturing partners and opened a warehouse in São Paulo to serve growers across the region. From there, we’re rolling out combine clinics, demo days, and farmer meetings to get in the field and show the results firsthand.
And Brazil is only the beginning. Expansion into Argentina, Europe, and Ukraine is already underway.
The Road Ahead
Looking at where Thunderstruck is today, I’m proud of how far we’ve come. We’re not just a distributor, we’re a partner, a platform, and a bridge between farmer-inventors and the global market.
Our lineup tells the story: Razors Edge Concaves, MudSmith, Jenkins, Martin-Till, RRV, ScherGain and more. Each one is an example of farmer ingenuity that we’ve helped scale.
Our team has grown too. We now have Territory Managers, Product Specialists, and a leadership group with VPs of Operations, Marketing, and Finance.
Through all of that growth, one thing hasn’t changed. We’re still the same scrappy company that started outside in a tent at Agri-Trade. We’re still fueled by persistence, creativity, and respect for the farmer.
And as I tell my team often: Let’s go!