Farm equipment manufacturer and philanthropist John Buhler has died.
PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG
Buhler bought Standard Gas Engine Works, in Morden, 55 years ago and renamed it Farm King. That firm eventually grew into Buhler Industries and encompassed Farm King, Allied and Inland brands. In the late 1990s the firm acquired the Versatile brand of tractors, and operated it until 2007 as Buhler-Versatile.
In 2007 Buhler sold 80 per cent of the business to Russian equipment maker Rostselmach. At the time the firm operated 10 factories and eight distribution facilities in North America and employed 800 people. It’s since been sold to a Turkish agricultural equipment firm.
After making his fortune Buhler turned to philanthropy and funded medical, educational and community projects throughout the province.
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In recognition of this committment, Buhler was awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Winnipeg and University of Manitoba. He was named to the Order of Canada in 2012, and was inducted into the Manitoba Business Hall of Fame in 2014.
No information is currently available about his cause of death. Buhler was 91 and is survived by his wife Bonnie.
