Pondview Lavender Farm: A budding business
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February 9, 2026
ADELL – Getting his start at a young age, Dave Assmann said his passion for engines began when his father, a Hungarian-born immigrant, bought him his first go-kart.
“The engine was a five-horsepower Briggs & Stratton,” he said. “We diligently tore that engine apart many times, learning every aspect to finely tune it to go faster.”
Dave said that early interest has carried into adulthood, where he is now co-owner of A&A Equipment Repair in Adell.
“That love affair with engines led me down an exciting path of rebuilding, creating and fine-tuning engines to best suit the needs of the customer,” he said.
Dave said that five-horsepower Briggs & Stratton wasn’t just an engine – it was the beginning of a lifelong passion.
“My engine work led me to the world of late model dirt track racing,” he said. “I’ve rebuilt countless engines to meet the requirements to compete and win track championships. I also enjoyed creating an engine that eventually won a dirt track championship in the late model division.”
Since starting A&A with his wife, Amy, in 2023, Dave said that championship mindset and pursuit of perfection have guided every repair and every customer they serve.
“A&A Equipment Repair is a Kubota Engine, Kubota Generator and Interstate Battery dealer – which includes sales, service and warranty work,” he said. “We repair all outdoor equipment that has an engine. This covers all brands and all sizes of equipment.”
Dave said he initially worked out of a small shop in a neighboring town after his regular workday, but as business grew over the next two years, he was able to leave his job and commit full-time to A&A.
“From 2023 to 2024, total sales increased by 440%,” he said. “From 2024 to 2025, total sales increased by 307%.”
Amy said A&A, located at N1388 State Road 28, services equipment ranging from string trimmers to skid loaders, with a primary focus on small-engine repair.
“Some of that includes generators – we do all brands and repair all brands,” she said. “This past summer, he had an RV come in with a Cummins generator that needed some work – they just brought the entire RV here.”
Amy said Dave also works on tractors and a limited number of cars, though automotive repair is not the shop’s primary focus.
A&A currently has six UTVs in the shop, and Amy said they recently received an inquiry about servicing a Jet Ski.
“He wants it serviced before hitting the lakes this summer,” she said. “Dave is very busy with service, so we have a full-time small engine guy – he’s just phenomenal.”
More options coming
Amy said A&A recently applied for a Main Street Grant through American Express, with plans to purchase a tire machine if the funding is awarded.
“Right now, we’re outsourcing some of our tire work to another local small business,” she said. “If we were able to purchase the tire machine, we’d be able to have a quicker return time, because we wouldn’t have to outsource – we could do it all in house.”
In 2026, the couple said A&A plans to add welding and hydraulic hose services, ideally by April 1, further expanding the shop’s offerings.
“Our community continually provides feedback in addressing community needs,” Dave said. “For example, when we moved to a new location about a year ago, community members repeatedly requested hydraulic hoses – a vital part of equipment, especially in the agricultural field. If a piece of equipment, such as a skid loader, breaks a hydraulic hose, the dairy farmer will not be able to feed his cows.”
Amy said A&A has been relying on a Kewaskum-based company for hydraulic hose services.
“At the time, we didn’t realize [the owner of the hydraulic company] was going to retire, but he called Dave and said, ‘Hey, I’m retiring, and I really want A&A to take over the hydraulic hoses,’’’ she said. “He has so many existing customers who would be without someone locally to make their hoses [otherwise].”
Welding services, Amy said, are in high demand in the agricultural sector – another area of expertise A&A will offer.
“When a piece of machinery breaks, it needs to be welded back together,” she said. “That would be for agriculture, construction or even landscapers.”
Kubota partnership
Amy said A&A partnered with Total Energy Systems, a Kubota dealer in De Pere, further expanding its services.
“Dave has taken every possible class you can take with Kubota,” she said. “For a while, he was listed as the highest-trained Kubota tractor technician in the country. Kubota engines are in a lot of the refrigerated trucks, boats, etc. Anything with a Kubota engine, we can do parts, warranty and service on.”
Amy said technicians around the country and even overseas have contacted Dave for assistance in resolving difficult repairs.
“We also have a fleet of generators customers can rent,” she said. “If a Kubota generator doesn’t fit your generator needs, we will find a brand that will.”
Challenging times
Amy said finding skilled workers remains a challenge, but A&A is taking steps to address it, recognizing the need to invest in future technicians due to the high volume of calls they receive.
“A&A is currently in talks with Fox Valley Technical College [and the] Wisconsin Workforce Development to create a small engine/intro to equipment repair business class at our shop,” she said. “The partnership will help not only A&A but all equipment dealers to meet the need for trained technicians.”
Participants in this class, Amy said, may be offered employment at A&A if the need is still present.
“Businesses have to think outside the box to solve the problems,” she said. “We have evaluated how many work orders we can handle and have been up front with our customers on wait time.”
Because many customers prefer to have him handle their equipment, Dave said A&A has developed a flexible weekly schedule to accommodate demand – which has helped the business grow despite a limited workforce.
“This flexibility on our part not only helps our employees, but our customers as well,” he said. “Customers are able to pick up, drop off and purchase parts outside of the normal business hours. All this leads to increased revenue.”
Amy said A&A goes above and beyond for its employees, offering flexible hours and above-average wages.
“A&A is dedicated to making the work environment family-focused and employee-centered,” she said. “We are unable to grow without their buy-in and encouragement to do the outstanding work our customers deserve.”
Amy said the company’s new website (aaequipmentrepair.com) offers customers the ability to schedule service, order parts and purchase engines and generators.
“Our new webpage has the latest technology utilizing AI features to aid customers in selecting the parts and equipment they need,” she said. “Our technicians are highly trained and skilled.”
Community involvement
Outside of the work environment, Amy said A&A is involved in several civic and nonprofit organizations.
“We are proud to sponsor the Batavia Little League and Athletic Association,” she said. “Our location allows us to attend many ball games throughout the summer – especially when we can smell the grill cooking up brats.”
Amy said the company also sponsors Plymouth Dirt Track Racing.
“We love attending the races,” she said. “This past summer, we also sponsored the Dirt Devil. We even traveled to Eagle River over Labor Day weekend to root on our Dirt Devil racers. It was a great event, and we hope to make it an annual event along with a cookout at our campsite for our Dirt Devil series families.”
Other ways A&A has helped the community, Amy said, include:
- Raising Arrows Homeschool Co-Op – serves homeschool families throughout Sheboygan County and surrounding communities by offering classes each semester
- Donated craft and school supplies to the American Heritage Girls and Trail Life USA boys’ troops in the area
- Members of the Hill & Gully Riders Snowmobile Club
“We tell everyone who will listen that the annual Sheboygan County Chamber membership fee is the best money spent each year,” Amy said. “We participate in several of the round table discussions over the noon hour. I attended the Economic Breakfast as well. Knowing we have advocates through the chamber has helped our business grow.”
