DECEMBER 2019

COVER STORY – Service, Rechargeables Boost Camas Power –

CAMAS, Washington – Running a small dealership in a large metro market presents several challenges, and longtime dealer Ted Rivas and his son, Ted Jr., are working to serve local homeowner customers with solid service and products that fit their smaller lot needs.

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Camas Power Equipment

CAMAS, Washington – Running a small dealership in a large metro market presents several challenges, and longtime dealer Ted Rivas and his son, Ted Jr., are working to serve local homeowner customers with solid service and products that fit their smaller lot needs.

Camas Power Equipment dates to 1986 when Rivas purchased a defunct dealership on the edge of town in Camas, which is just on the eastern edge of Vancouver, Washington and the greater Portland, Oregon metro area.

He had operated a dealership in Portland in the 1970s and ‘80s, then sold out to operate a candy store. After a while, Rivas realized he didn’t like candy retailing as much as power equipment and got back into the business several years later when the dealership in Camas became available.

In a feature article in PET in 1991, Rivas noted that one reason the dealership failed was rock bottom pricing and giving away the store. After holding fast with customers who had grown accustomed to the “great deals” that put the former owner out of business, Rivas developed a solid dealership with a loyal customer base of mostly homeowners.

Article by Dan Shell, Senior Editor, Power Equipment Trade

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