Kevin and Kristie Raduenz were enjoying a week of snowmobiling in Revelstoke when they first thought of buying Rough Country Marine. The Calgary couple wanted to move here, they were just looking for the right opportunity.
“We were in town and walking by (Rough Country) and I said to Kristie, ‘We have a rental place, we’re here lots, all we need to do is convince Barb and Greg to sell us Rough Country.’” recalled Kevin. “Kristie just laughed. She said, ‘Why would they sell that?’ Later that summer we found out it was for sale so we started pursuing it.”
“It was fate how it worked out,” added Kristie.
The Raduenz took over ownership of Rough Country Marine last winter, purchasing the long-running local business from Greg and Barb Byman, who had decided to retire. With it, they assumed ownership of a diverse business that sells everything from snowmobile gear to wood stoves to chainsaws, while also doing repairs.
The couple came to Revelstoke from Calgary, where Kevin was the maintenance manager for an oil & gas company, while Kristie was the manager of a dentist office. They’re both avid snowmobilers and dirt bikers, and also enjoy boating.
Rough Country represented a good fit for them, with Kevin bringing his mechanics skills and Kristie her managerial talents — and both bringing a passion for the outdoors and motor sports.
“All the outdoor stuff was a no brainer because that’s what we do,” said Kevin. “Wood stoves, pellet stoves and the Stihl stuff was the biggest learning curve, but all the rest of it was stuff we were doing for along time so that part was pretty easy.”
To ease the transition, Greg Byman stayed on part-time. They also attended Stihl’s advanced service training school to learn all about their main offerings. It’s also meant learning how different people use the equipment.
“Stihl offers a real diverse variety of products too,” said Kristie. “There’s home owners, loggers, commercial and construction as well. You have to learn all those industries, it’s not just learning the Stihl products.”
One thing they’ve done is bring in more women and kids dirt bike and snowmobile gear in order to meet the demand of families who take part in both sports.
“We’re trying to change the persona that it’s a man’s store,” said Kevin.
While I was talking to Kevin and Kristie, I decided to get some advice for myself, that hopefully others will find useful. I’ve been thinking of getting a wood stove insert for my home, which would also mean purchasing a chainsaw so I could go out and get my own wood.
Where should I begin?
“If you’re going to be making fire wood, one thing is you want to look at the size of your wood stove that you’ve chosen that you’re going to be getting fire wood for,” said Kristie. “When you buy a saw, consider what size wood you’re going to be cutting.”
A bigger stove can carry bigger logs, which means you might want a bigger chainsaw to cut bigger rounds from downed trees you find left in cut blocks around Revelstoke.
“If you want to cut big rounds and then split them when you get home, you’re probably not going to get a small saw with a 16 inch bar,” said Kevin. “It depends on how much firewood you’re getting, what size your stove is.”
Also remember to plan ahead. Wood takes at least a year to season and dry out. Kevin noted that Blaze King stoves require well-seasoned logs, while Pacific Energy can burn “not-so-seasoned wood.”
The Raduenz have run Rough Country for seven months. They had a busy summer and are now getting ready for winter — the snowblowers are about to hit the floor, they said.
“It was a great summer. It’s been a busy seven months and now we’re starting to wind up with the wood stoves and chimneys and pellet stoves,” said Kevin. “Now we’re looking forward to winter and hoping it’s a good snow year so we can sell lots of Klim gear.”
Rough Country Marine is located at 210 Second St. West. You can visit their website at rough-country.ca.
