Westchester Tractor recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with a customer appreciation open house at its Brewster, N.Y., facility on May 29, 2026.
More than 300 guests attended the event, which commemorated a milestone that officially began on May 7, marking five decades of serving contractors, municipalities, landscapers, farmers and property owners throughout the region.
Founded in 1976 by John Apple in Goldens Bridge, N.Y., the company began as a Ford dealership offering tractors and tractor loader backhoes. Eager Beaver trailers also were among the dealership's original product lines. As customer needs evolved, so did the business, with Westchester Tractor steadily expanding its lineup to include Kubota equipment, KOBELCO excavators, Hitachi wheel loaders, Bandit chippers, Land Pride attachments, BOMAG compaction equipment, VibroScreen equipment and other products that helped establish the company as a full-service equipment supplier.
The company's continued growth led to its relocation to Brewster in 2007, providing additional space for equipment inventory, service operations and customer support. In late 2015, founder John Apple began transitioning ownership of the dealership to longtime Sales Manager Andrew Prusinowski and Apple's son, Matt Apple. The gradual transfer ensured continuity of leadership while preserving the customer relationships and service-oriented culture that had defined the business since its founding.
The anniversary open house featured a full day of equipment demonstrations, product displays and customer appreciation activities. Attendees watched screening and wood-chipping demonstrations, participated in Kubota RTV rides and tested their skills in a Kubota mini-excavator challenge. The event also provided customers with an opportunity to get an up-close look at many of the equipment lines that have helped drive the dealership's growth over the years.
Manufacturer representatives from Kubota, BOMAG, KOBELCO, Avant, Bandit, VibroScreen, Virnig and 811 Before You Dig attended the celebration, meeting with customers and discussing products and applications. The customer appreciation event also featured a traditional hog roast, along with hamburgers, hot dogs, soft serve ice cream, a bounce house for families, special 50th-anniversary T-shirts and hundreds of giveaway items provided by participating manufacturers.
Beyond showcasing equipment and technology, the event celebrated the relationships Westchester Tractor has built with customers, employees, manufacturers and business partners over the past 50 years. As the company looks toward the future, its leadership remains focused on the same principles that guided its founding — quality equipment, dependable service and strong customer support, according to the company.
