The Peavey Company (Minneapolis, 1874) was a big part of the Canadian Agriculture landscape. In 1906 the Peavey Company opened its Canadian Headquarters in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Meanwhile, back in Minneapolis, Frank Peavey was working on his latest invention. The Peavey-Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator. Peavey launched this Cylindrical Concrete Grain Elevator in 1900. It still stands in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. This invention is now the grain elevators you see alongside Canadian Highways (usually 6 or more cylinders in a bunch).
In 1906, Frank H. Peavey's son-in-law Frank Heffelfinger and Peavey executives formed the British American Elevator Company. By 1911 British America had 100 elevators- most of them in Saskatchewan.
In 1908, Peavey started its second elevator company, the Security Elevator Company Ltd, which built elevators on the newly constructed Grand Trunk Pacific Railway running from Fort William, Ontario to Prince Rupert, British Columbia (Today, Canadian National Railway).
In 1909, the Peavey Company formed its third elevator company, the National Grain Elevator Company, which was created to operate elevators on both Canadian Pacific and Northern lines. That same year, Peavey purchased the Northern Elevator Company (The first line company in Western Canada, 1893).
1940, the Peavey Companies (British America, Northern, National and Grand Trunk Pacific) were merged to form National Grain Company Limited, with George Heffelfinger, son of Frank Heffelfinger, as president. The company still based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, now had more than 400 Grain Elevators in Canada.
In 1967, the National Grain Company decided to diversify, opening its first National Farmway Store, beside its National Grain elevator in Dawson Creek, British Columbia. National had plans to open up these Canadian rural retail stores along its vast elevator network, first servicing the lines from Winnipeg, Manitoba to the Alaska gateway in Dawson Creek, BC.
In 1971, the Peavey Company merged interests with McCabe Grain Company and formed the new National Grain Ltd.; shortly after in 1975, the Peavey Company decided to reduce their dependence on companies and began to seek a buyer for their Canadian grain and feed operations.
On January 1, 1975, National Grain Ltd was amalgamated with the Cargill Canadian subsidiary to become the Cargill Grain Company Ltd. National Feed & Livestock division became Cargill Nutrena Feeds Ltd. The Peavey Company retained the National Farmway Stores retail division and renamed it Peavey Mart in 1975 to honour the Peavey Company in which it started. In 1982 the Peavey Company decided to exit its remaining operations and its retail operations with various brands in the USA and Peavey Mart in Canada. In 1982, Con-Agra purchased assets including Peavey Mart. Just 2 years after Con-Agra divested its Canadian operations and decided to fold the Peavey Mart chain due to its performance.
Rather than give up on the Peavey Mart brand and turn their backs on their valued rural customers, Terry Jellicoe, Norm Nilsson, Bob Reierson and Rick bought the company in 1984. It would also serve as a turning point in Peavey Mart’s history, returning the company and its operations back to its roots, establishing it once again as a wholly owned Canadian company. The new owners moved the Head Office from Winnipeg, Manitoba to Red Deer, Alberta then.
Peavey Mart continued to grow in Western Canada over the years, but has remained resilient through highs and lows. The name Peavey was maintained due to its incredible Canadian history, and the meaning behind it. Today Peavey Mart continues to be a retail staple on the prairies.
The story of Peavey Mart is the story of opportunity, hard work and a devotion to the Canadian Agriculture industry. It's a made-in-Canada story we're proud of.
