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Rocky Mountain Machinery breaks ground at new location

Equipment sits on 30 acres to be developed by Rocky Mountain Machinery. In the background can be seen construction and the business's current show room.
Sasha Nelson
Where to find them Where: Rocky Mountain Machinery is currently located at 2611 W. Highway 40 in Craig. When: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays (May through September), closed on Sundays. For more information: Call 970-824-5434 or toll free at 888-355-0396

CRAIG — Development is about to begin on a vacant lot on the west side of Craig, as Rocky Mountain Machinery prepares to expand.

“We’ve been in Craig for eight years, and for the last couple of years, we’ve outgrown our facility,” said owner Bart Brighton, who also owns Ag Equipment in Roosevelt, Utah.

The search for a new location took about two years.


“Everywhere you look, because of the hill, it’s hard to find a good location to build in,” Brighton said.


He eventually settled on 30 acres across the highway from his current showroom at 2611 W. U.S. Highway 40.


The business sells agricultural, commercial and industrial machinery, as well as parts and services for brands including Stihl, Husqvarna and Kubota.


The plan is to develop about seven acres with a 10,000-square-foot facility for parts, service and sales department, a 3,500-square-foot showroom, paved parking, paved access from Colorado 
Highway 13 and landscaping, as required by city building codes. A local contractor has been hired to do the work.

“We are beginning dirt construction this week,” Brighton said.


Several drainages into the property must be built to accommodate the development.

“The state of Colorado will not give us access via U.S. Highway 40. The access from Highway 13 is nearly a quarter mile long, and that will have to be paved,” Brighton said. He had asked the city for a waiver to permit 800 to 900 feet of the access road to be “blue top” instead of asphalt, so the heavy equipment wouldn’t damage it as much, reducing maintenance costs.

“The city was unbendable,” Brighton said.

“It was close. But if I’m going to stay in Craig instead of moving to Steamboat, we really needed a facility,” he said.

The extensive dirt work will delay construction of buildings until mid- to late-December, with the project expected to be completed in March.

Once complete, the space will accommodate four times the volume of parts, reduce wait times and allow more service inside the dealership.

“We’ve been there almost 10 years, and we really love the area. I’m out there all the time,” Brighton said. “We’re investing a lot of money and hope that people will come and invest in us and the new facilities.”


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