A Tribute to a Legend
Ultara Holdings recently lost one of our own. It is with deep sadness we pass along the news of Mr. Robert “Bob” McIntosh’s passing. Bob was one of GeoShack’s original owners, a board member, our close friend and our trusted partner. Bob passed away suddenly on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at the age of 74.
Bob started his entrepreneurial career in the late 1970’s when he founded Draycon Equipment, in Ontario, Canada. Draycon was the brainchild of Bob and his partner at the time, Mr. Jerry De Boer. Draycon focused heavily on products used in Ontario’s construction and agricultural drainage markets. Draycon’s first product offering was bringing to market the first hydraulic pull scraper made in Canada.
Bob, forever being an entrepreneur with a passion for technology, in 1994 started, with Mike & Deb Hunter, Latec Instruments, a niche designer and manufacturer of lasers and laser guided machine control systems in Exeter. In 2011, Latec Instruments developed Level-Ice, an innovative laser-based control system for ice resurfacing machines and partnered with well-known brands such as Zamboni. Latec Instruments, has since become Latec Machine Control, and is owned and operated by Bob’s son Rob McIntosh.
While the initial meetings happened in 2001 between nine independent Spectra Precision dealers, it wasn’t until 2003 when Mr. McIntosh merged with three other independent dealerships, owned by Scott Beathard and David Owen, Regis Brown, and Tom Brennan; forming GeoShack North America. A year after the merger in 2004, GeoShack North America transitioned to Topcon Positioning Systems products. The company still partners with Topcon today, over 20 years later.
Bob served as a Board Member for 15 years, including during our transition to Ultara Holdings in 2016, and he assisted with several acquisitions and the opening of numerous new locations during his tenure. McIntosh retired from the company in 2017. We will always and fondly remember him as one of the company’s original founders; his playful personality, love of family, and willingness to always lend a hand to anyone who needed it.
Family was at the heart of his life, and he especially cherished the time spent with his grandchildren, who lovingly knew him as “Papa Bob”. Always ready to lend a hand—or offer his supervision—he was the self-proclaimed “supervisor” of every project. He had a passion for collecting old tractors and cars and enjoying the stories and memories that came along with each one. Our heartfelt condolences and prayers go out to the entire McIntosh family at this time.
In keeping with Bob’s wishes a Celebration of Bob’s life will be held at his ‘shed’ in Grand Bend, Ontario on Saturday, October 24, 2026 from 1 – 5 PM.
Robert Allen “Bob” McIntosh Obituary: https://www.haskettfh.com/mcintosh-robert-allen-bob-of-grand-bend/
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