You know the old saying: “Life begins at 90”...
Back in 2020, Tom Webb finally decided to hang up the overalls and sell his Saskatchewan farm. He was 90, after all, and he had plans. That same year, he bought Redcoat Ag in Pangman – about 60 km west of Weyburn. He wanted to do his part to preserve the community.
“I bought it to keep the town from dying out,” he explains. “Amulet used to be my hometown, but it faded off the map. So I moved on to Pangman, and I’ve been dealing here all my life since Amulet shut down.”
Shortly after purchasing Redcoat Ag, Webb secured equipment to rent out through Flaman Rentals. Area farmers can now rent the rollers, mowers, grain vacs, trailers, rakes, discs, pounders, harrows, and other implements from Webb and his staff.
Redcoat also serves ranchers by selling products including portable livestock corral panels, feeders, and minerals.
Webb credits work ethic and resolve to not only his proprietorship of Redcoat Ag, but also the many endeavours he’s undertaken over the course of his life.
“I figured there’s no limit to success if you want to apply yourself,” he says. “A few years ago, I wrote a book, Guts and Determination is the title, that talks about some of the jobs I worked at to be successful, to get started.”
In addition to Webb’s entrepreneurial endeavours, which previously included his ownership of the Weyburn Red Wings hockey team, he has always – and continues – to value participation in the local community.
“I know what it’s like to have nothing and to be in need, so I help out in any way I can. I’ve been doing that all my life,” he says.
Notably, he spearheaded the 1999 effort to take a shortline railroad connecting Pangman and Assiniboia, Sk into community ownership. Red Coat Road and Rail is now overseen by representatives from seven small communities and municipalities along the rail line.
“They would have pulled the line up, but we had only so long to do it,” Webb recalls. “We had an hour-and-a-half deadline to get the money.”
Day-to-day operations at Redcoat Ag have yet to be quite that stressful, though the end goal is the same: to ensure Pangman and the surrounding community has quality goods and services. Webb, by the way, still goes to the dealership each morning.
“I’m here; I come in every day,” he says. “I have people working here, but I come in every day to keep things going.”
Anyone needing rental or ranching equipment, or even just a chat with Webb, can drop by Redcoat Ag at 411 Mergens St in Pangman. The business can be reached by calling (306) 442-3111, and information regarding equipment for rent is available on their website.