By SUSAN BLOWER
Indiana Correspondent

ALBION, Ill. — Weather emergencies are never convenient, and even harder to plan a business around, but Robert Waters has done just that for 36 years.
His business is selling Winco generators to the agriculture community. Waters said livestock and dairy farmers have recognized the need for generators on the farm for years, but many other farmers wait for a power outage.

When an outage does hit, he said his company, Waters Equipment in Albion, is often swamped. “The phone doesn’t quit ringing for three days,” he said.
Last year he hauled generators to Nebraska and Iowa for a large storm that left the region devastated. The year before that, he remembers traveling to Missouri and Kentucky.

Waters Equipment is often called when a major emergency hits the country because of its large inventory, Waters said. In stock are 11-kilowatt (kW) to 150-kW voltages, as well as 540- and 1,000-RPM models.

PTO-driven and portable engine sets are stacked in the warehouse, waiting for the next big ice storm, wherever it hits.

“I call it a cheap insurance policy, because you will use it someday,” Waters said.

He said his prices can range from $3,000 for a smaller unit to $12,000 for a large model. A garden tractor, which is found on nearly all farms, can fuel a generator large enough to run a whole house, Waters said.

On the bright side, the economy has not affected his business, he explained.
“When the ice hits, it (the tough economy) doesn’t make any difference,” he said.

Waters will be at the Indiana-Illinois Farm Show next week in Indianapolis. His business phone is 618-599-2816.

The Indiana-Illinois Farm and Outdoor Power Equipment Show is Dec. 14-16 in the West Pavilion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Ind. Parking costs $3 at the fairgrounds, but there is no charge to attend the farm show. Hours for the event are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 14 and Wednesday, Dec. 15, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 16.