StockBIZ: Gordie’s Power Equipment in Gregory: The community is his business

Gordie Kunzelman, owner and operator of Gordie’s Power Equipment. Owner and business are at the center of life in the town of Gregory. Photo credit Mary Jo David.

by Mary Jo David

In the center of the block in the center of Gregory is the business owned and operated by the man who many would say is the center of life in the town—Gordie Kunzelman. Gordie’s Power Equipment opened at 130 Main Street in June 2006, just a few doors down from the place where he got his start at Howlett Hardware in 1973.

In high school, Gordie was hired by Dan Howlett and later worked for Jack Potts as a budding mechanic at the full-service hardware store. After Howlett Hardware sold, Gordie’s shop opened at its current location.

“When I started at Howlett’s, I thought I could be good as a mechanic,” Gordie remarked, “Now I realize, fixing things is in my blood.”

Every morning at opening time, the “Town Fathers” (and the occasional mom) gather at Gordie’s for coffee hour and camaraderie. Photo credit Mary Jo David.

Forty-six years later, Gordie is still coming to the aid of those who stop in with a small engine that won’t start. Whether it’s a riding mower, chain saw, tree trimmer, or even an airplane pushback tug, chances are Gordie or his crew—Fred and George—can restore it to working order. And he relies on his volunteer staff—his wife of 23 years, Penny—to keep the books for the shop.

“I love it,” Gordie said about working in the town where he and his two brothers were raised on the Kunzelman farm. Gordie admits running a business in a small town can be a blessing and a challenge. He enjoys the daily interactions with people he’s known all his life, but it can be tough to put on his business hat and charge long-time friends when they come into the shop for a repair. He admits he’s getting better at that and speculates, at the rate he’s going, he’ll have that skill down pat by the time he retires.

Many of Gordie’s customers hail from Gregory and Stockbridge, but his reputation has earned him a customer base that extends to places like Hartland and Eaton Rapids for power equipment purchases and repairs. Google reviews rate Gordie’s Power Equipment a 4.9 out of 5, with customers logging comments reflecting that Gordie’s “always has what I need,” is an “awesome place to do business,” “won’t oversell,” and is “the best place to go for your power equipment needs.”

Gordie Kunzelman’s shop opened at 130 Main Street in Gregory in June 2006. Photo credit Mary Jo David.

It doesn’t take long for someone new in town to figure out that Gordie puts as much heart and soul into the community as he does into his business. Gordie’s shop has become the daily gathering place for many of the area’s old-timers. Anywhere from 12 to 18 of the “Town Fathers” (and the occasional mom) stop in every morning, Monday through Saturday, when the shop opens at 8:00, for coffee and camaraderie.

Gordie has also been heavily involved in the Lions, the Stockbridge Boosters, the Stockbridge Area Educational Foundation (SAEF), Sons of the American Legion, and was the last president of the former Gregory Jaycees. He emcees many local events, but he’s probably most known for emceeing Gregory’s Fourth of July parade and announcing Stockbridge football games, which he continues to do each year.

Gordie Kunzelman has a soft spot for his alma mater. At the SAEF Festival of Tables 2019 fundraiser, Gordie and his wife, Penny, donated this custom “Panther Power” mini 4×4 as an auction item. Photo credit Mary Jo David.

A proud Stockbridge High School alumnus, Gordie says his love for the Panthers’ orange and black has had a distinct impact on the equipment he has been most drawn to in his work—Simplicity and Dolmar (brands of equipment that are orange.) But over the years he has branched out to include other colors and other brands.

“Gordie is the town,” remarked Jack Potts, Gordie’s old boss at the hardware store. “He’s a great community person, has always helped people, and does it with flair!”