Jack Beaver was a dairyman in Santa Fe, Texas.  He had always loved agriculture. He loved the dairy business.  His son, David, grew up in the dairy, helping with all kinds of chores, from milking, to cutting silage, to taking care of sick cattle.  It was a hard way to make a living, but it was satisfying, and it paid the bills. Always community minded, Jack also took pride in providing employment opportunities and economic support for the city of Santa Fe.  

In 1952, Jack Beaver and friend Riley Godwin purchased Aaberg Truck and Tractor in Alvin, Texas, and named it Alvin Equipment Company.   Jack served as co-manager of the dealership while he still continued his dairy operation in Santa Fe.  The business was started with International Harvester as the main line, and expanded over time.  In the rice field country of Brazoria County and surrounding areas, the dealership became synonymous with honest dealings and quality service.  Over time, Jack Beaver and his son David Beaver bought Mr. Godwin out, and became co-owners in the business.  In 1973, Jack sold his dairy operation to focus exclusively on the tractor business.  The dealership flourished, and eventually relocated to a prominent location on highway 6 in Alvin, where it is still in operation today.

In the late 70’s Jack and David began to get the itch to get back in the cattle business.  But this time, instead of a dairy, they wanted a beef cattle operation. Knowing that the Texas gulf coast wasn’t ideal beef cattle country, they began to survey other areas.  They searched from east to central Texas, looking for ideal acreage to graze cattle. They soon discovered how favorable the weather and soil are in east Texas for growing grass and raising beef.   In 1980, they purchased a tract of land in Percilla, just east of Grapeland, to raise beef cattle on. Cedar Creek Ranch was born, and it became a weekend retreat for the two men and their friends and families.

They had discussed the idea of opening a new dealership in Crockett for quite some time, but the lack of available major equipment lines kept them from it.  When they discovered that the Case IH franchise would be coming available in Crockett soon, they decided to go ahead and break ground on a new location.

The property was purchased from Mr. R.H. Craycraft and construction on the new facility began.  The dealership opened in May of 1986 as a Massey-Ferguson tractor and Rhino implement store.  As expected, less than a year later, the Case IH contract became available and it was picked up as well. This allowed a good relationship between the Alvin and Crockett locations, as each store shared Case IH as a major tractor line.  Alvin Equipment also carried Kubota, but at that time Kubota had a dealer in Crockett, so the line was unavailable.

In 1998, the Kubota franchise became available and the Beavers accepted the contract to carry the full line of Kubota equipment.  The addition of Kubota to the dealership brought them a complete product line, something that had been missing with Case IH.  Kubota offered a complete line of equipment, from lawn tractors to 100-horsepower range farm tractors, while Case IH’s offerings were primarily limited to utility tractors and hay equipment.

David Beaver’s son, Greg, graduated from Texas A & M in the spring of 1999 and immediately moved to Crockett to begin his career as a third-generation leader of a tractor dealership in the Beaver family.  He and his family are proud to call Houston County their home.

The dealership has grown substantially over the years.  Initially, a 5,000 square foot building was constructed for the entire operation.   In 1995, another 2,500 square foot addition was added as the dealership grew.  In 2017, a third addition was built comprised of an all-new 6,250 square foot service department fully equipped with the latest technology. 

Currently, we are working on a complete interior renovation to allow room for a larger parts inventory and display area to better serve our growing customer base.

As many multi-generational businesses now struggle to survive, Houston County Equipment is owned and operated by the third generation of the Beaver family.  We recognize that quality team members are the most important part of our dealership, and without them, we cannot be successful.  We are proud of the fact that our team members support our community in many ways, both financially and through contributions of their time. We work hard to provide the best quality products and the best customer service to our valued customers and friends.