History

Rutherford is the brand name of J Rutherford (Earlston) Limited.

Rutherford opened in Earlston in 1911 as Millwrights and Agricultural Engineers. From that day to this the company has been family owned. Today Mrs Ann Rutherford and her daughter Mrs Jane Millar, who is Chief Executive, own the business. Jane's son, Nick, has followed into the family business and now works within the company.

John Wilson, as Managing Director, is responsible for the daily running of the company. He joined us in 1976 and became Managing Director in 1999. John heads up a senior management team of  Henry Jaffray ( Office Manager), Keith Roberston ( Agric Sales Manager) and Derek Campbell (  Agric After Sales Manager). We also have a managment team  who are responsible for the day to day running of the diverse operation. The company employs over 50 staff many of whom have been with us since leaving school. Staff loyalty to the company is very strong and some have over 40 years service. The company ethos is to provide employment and security to staff and give them the opportunity to develop their careers.

Head Office

Rutherford's Head Office is at Rhymers Mill in Earlston, which comprises a main office building, Agricultural workshops and Parts department, and also our Car workshops. Our Car Showroom and Esso Forecourt are on the A68 road adjacent to the ancient Rhymers Tower. We have two further agricultural branches; Swinton Mill, situated between Duns and Coldstream that opened in 1996 and our East Linton branch on Dunbar Road where we have traded since 2001.

The Head Office building at Rhymers Mill has a showroom on the ground floor for trailers, ATVs , smaller agricultural items and groundcare products. The first floor houses our offices and administration staff who are headed by Office Manager Henry Jaffray. We also have a meeting/training room available to allow product presentations and 'in house' training.

Rutherford SEAT Dealership

Rutherford has been in the car business since the 1950s and has been a SEAT dealer since 1988, which makes it the longest standing dealer in Scotland. SEAT is part of the Volkswagen group of companies and in itself has become a strong manufacturer, building some half a million vehicles each year.

Rutherford have nine dedicated members of staff in the car division and this business has grown year upon year; we now sell 400 new and used cars per annum. The car sales team works from our recently redeveloped showroom, headed by Sales Manager Malcolm Robertson; Bryan Moore, After Sales Manager, is in charge of the service department and he is also based in the showroom.

Our All makes Used Car operation is now branded Valueline Used Cars and is headed up by Bill Mitchelhill.

Rutherford Agricultural

The core business for Rutherford is agricultural engineering and the dealerships held cover a large spectrum of the machinery business; these include CASE IH tractors and combines, Lely grass equipment and Welger balers, Arctic Cat ATVs, Kawasaki ATVs and power products, Honda ATVs ( only at East Linton Branch),  Rabe cultivation equipment and JF Belair feeders.  Within the agricultural side of the business we are also distributors for Ifor Williams Trailers covering the South of Scotland, this department is branded "Rutherford Trailer Centres" with displays at all branches. We have recently formed a new department called "Rutherford Ground Care" to handle Yanmar Compact tractors, Snapper Garden Machinery and many other ground care machinery products. Keith Robertson heads up the sales operation as Agricultural Group Sales Manager with Derek Campbell, who is responsible for the after sales departments and branches, as Agricultural Group After Sales Manager.

Filling Station - Rhymers Tower Service Station

The filling station and forecourt at Rhymers Tower has been an Esso dealer since 1962. Here we have a staff of seven who are headed up by Forecourt Manager Michael Spink. The forecourt shop has been developed over the years and stock a vast selection of goods including an Off Licence offering a range of Wines, Beers and Spirts - check our Filling Station website for up to date details of the goods and services available at Rhymers Tower Service Station on the main A68 truck Road.