Since 2003, Diamond B Tractors and Equipment has been a familiar landmark along the intersection of CR 73 and FM 624 in Calallen. As the sole distributor for Mahindra, a brand of tractor known for its heavy duty capacity, South Texas customers have come to rely on the Calallen tractor store for all their Mahindra needs.
Owned and operated by the Blair family, the small shop is making some big upgrades this month. Clay Blair, who jointly owns Diamond B Tractors and Equipment, together with parents Harold and Clarisse, brother Trace and sister-in-law Julie, spoke with Corpus Christi Business News to talk about the store’s plans for expansion.
“We’ve been operating from a little 14-foot-by-36-foot portable building and outsourced the service repairs to independent shops,” Blair said. “We are now a full-service facility.”
By mid-July, the store will be relocated to an 8,800-square-foot facility sitting on two acres of fenced land just half a mile down the road from their smaller space.
“We will have our own shop for fixing and maintaining tractors and equipment,” Blair continued. “We will have an indoor, air-conditioned showroom.”
He emphasized that, while the company was moving, it was not moving far.
“It’s just four-tenths of a mile to the west of our current location on the other side of FM 624,” he said. “So if they come here to the old location and we’re not here, we just need them to drive a little further to the west and look towards the opposite side of FM 624, and they’ll see us.” 
As longtime Calallen ranchers, the Blairs opened the tractor store when the Mahindra company came to South Texas in search of a dealer.
“We got set up to be their representation in South Texas,” Blair said. “We named the store Diamond B after our family’s cattle brand.”
For 12 years, Blair and his mother, Clarisse Blair, ran the day-to-day operations. According to Blair, the Mahindra tractor brand was fairly unknown when they first opened shop. Competitors were the more well-known brands such as John Deere and Kubota.
“However, we sell a heavier-built tractor, which can handle more rugged work,” he said. “It has more lifting power. Overall, a better-made equipment than what our competition sells.”
That edge led to the sale of more than 100 tractors during the company's first year.
Contributing to the Diamond B’s success is its ideal placement in rural Calallen.
“This is a fantastic location,” he said. “We’re on the corner of County Road 73 and Farm 624, which, over the years, has grown into a major thoroughfare. We’re still in the Calallen school district. We’re right here in a visible part of the road going into the rural area. A lot of our customers pass by us on a daily basis.”
Matriarch and co-owner Clarisse Blair said the real reason behind their success is the company's focus on “putting customers first.”
“We’re excited when people come in, and we get to show off our equipment,” she said. “We love to meet and visit people. That’s been a primary point of success with us. We like to interact with people.” 
With more than a decade of steady growth behind them, the Blair family decided an upgrade to Diamond B was due.
“Primarily, in the past, we’ve only conducted sales,” Clay Blair said. “Anybody who has not given us an opportunity to sell them a piece of equipment because we did not have a service shop at this location, we hope now will come take a look and give us a chance to either buy equipment or bring equipment for servicing.”
Diamond B Tractors is currently located at 15726 Northwest Blvd. in Calallen. The new address is 16125 FM 624 in Calallen. For more information, call (361) 767-2223 or visit diamondbtractors.com.