Wilson 125th Anniversary

Wilson Equipment Celebrates 125 Years in Business B.B. founded the Wilson Buggy Company of Lexington in 1889. He became known as “the Buggy Man of Central Kentucky.”

By Pete Sigmund CEG EDITORIAL CONSULTANT

In the beautiful Bluegrass Country of central Kentucky, Wilson Equipment Company is almost as old as the Kentucky Derby and as customer-friendly as a mint julep.

Headquartered in Lexington, “the Horse Capital of the World,” Wilson Equipment Company is observing its 125th anniversary this year, only 15 years behind the Derby’s 140 years. While it’s not as world famous as the horse race, Wilson Equipment Company has its own unique story of evolving with the times.

The story begins with a horse farmer named B. B. Wilson. Raising horses came naturally in the Bluegrass Country (so named because the minerals and soil gives the grass a blue hue in the sunlight.)

Wilson went from hauling wagons for farmers to the lucrative business of renting horses and buggies to thousands of people who would trot out in the lovely surroundings, for family outings, picnics or weekend excursions. The Kentucky River, about 20 miles from Lexington, was a favorite destination.

B.B. founded the Wilson Buggy Company of Lexington in 1889. He became known as “the Buggy Man of Central Kentucky.” One year he sold more than 700 buggies. His rental business, far ahead of its time, was even more successful. It was always personal service with a Kentucky flavor.

“The company started out as one man renting and selling buggies; now, 125 years later, it’s renting and selling loader backhoes, excavators, crawlers, loaders and other equipment,” said Allen Rodes, who led the company from 1966 to 1996, its period of greatest growth. “I would like to think that B.B.’s success was the genesis of our being Headquartered in Lexington, “the Horse Capital of the World,” Wilson Equipment in the rental business.”

The story goes that, when demand for Company is observing its 125th anniversary this year, only 15 years behind the Derby’s 140 years.

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buggies slowed, B.B., always the entrepreneur, would haul Bluegrass-bred thoroughbreds to Georgia, returning with mules which he sold to Kentucky farmers or others in need of animals.

Changing With the Times The days of B.B.’s business were numbered, however, ever since Thomas Dewhurst assembled his “Dewabout” auto piece-by-piece in his bicycle repair shop, which was in the basement of Lexington’s Phoenix Hotel. People on the streets gasped when the Dewabout first chugged down the city’s streets in 1901 as the first automobile built in Kentucky. The number of cars Under Allen’s leadership increased rapidly after this. Lexington’s city as president and chief council even enacted “rules of the road” for executive officer, Wilson experienced its greatest the new horseless carriages in 1908.

B.B. had three sons: Tilford, Reed, and growth, going from a Horace. They were well-known around town, local dealership to serving Reed even being elected mayor in 1936. As a 35-county area. the sun began to set on B.B.’s time at the helm, he gradually turned the business over to the three, who were known to others in the company as Mr. Tilford, Mr. Reed and Mr. Horace.

“When the Wilsons took over from their father, they were centered on the rental business, so they stayed in it,” said Allen. “The equipment rental business is a big deal now but, back in those days, it was unheard of. You either bought equipment or you didn’t, or hired someone who owned what you needed. The Wilson brothers broke new ground by renting buggies and ended renting construction equipment.”

Allen Rodes, chairman.

Sales grew from $600,000 in 1966 to well over $10 million in 1989, when the company observed its 100th anniversary.

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Congratulations on Wilson Equipment’s 125th Anniversary and wishing them continued success.

www.bomag.com/us 5

Jay Rodes, President

Will Rodes, Vice President

Charlie Rodes, Vice President

It soon became apparent that the three sons had inherited B.B.’s entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen. Soon realizing that the buggy days were over, they integrated new products and services into the company, offering everything from hardware to farm supplies, lathes, industrial equipment, hardware and even home appliances, including refrigerators to replace ice boxes. They even ven-

tured, unsuccessfully, into selling Maxwell cars (the butt of many jokes by comedian Jack Benny), but did better representing, for decades, Chrysler/Plymouth at a separate Lexington location. And, of course, the family also owned horse farms.

Tilford, Reed and Horace directed Wilson Equipment through acquisitions and divestitures, evolving with the times

from horse buggies and the early days of the century all the way into the specialized equipment of the 1960s. They moved from renting horses and carousels to rehabbing the buggies and gradually evolved further into farm equipment and then into construction equipment.

The stage was set for three more sons, in a different family, to run the company.

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Ed Lambdin, Corbin Branch Manager

New Family Allen H. Rodes began working for Wilson in 1956 as a bill collector.

“I knew all three Wilson brothers real well,” he said. “They gave me a job because my aunt was married to Horace Wilson. They were all in their 60s or 70s at the time, which was what gave me the opportunity to buy the company a few years later. After a while, I got into management as a junior manager. The brothers were selling the business because they didn’t have any heirs to succeed them.

“I was in the Heavy Equipment Division, which the brothers sold in the early 1960s to Kentucky Machinery in Louisville. They also sold the industrial supply business, which made grinding wheels, belts, and that sort of thing. They were trying to sell the Farm Equipment Division, but no one would buy it because it wasn’t making any money at all. So I asked them, ‘If I go to work for the Farm Equipment Division at a very, very meager salary, and make it profitable, will you sell it to me on credit?’ I did, they did, and we did.

“I came to work (at the division) in 1959 and in 1966 they sold it to me on credit. As general manager, I switched the emphasis from farm equipment to construction equipment and worked my way out of farm. In 1970 or the early 70s, we had an auction and sold all the farm equipment,

Charlie Martin, Territory Sales Manager

Clyde Maggard, Vice President

John Schmidt, Rental Manager

Mike Hackworth, Prestonsburg Branch Manager

again taking on more and more lines of construction equipment. The principal line was, and still is, Case.

“My sons, Jay, Will, and Charlie, came along and I sold the business to them in the 90s. They’ve done a good job with it. My wife, by the way, worked in the office as a bookkeeper and that’s how I came to meet their mother.”

Did he buy the engagement ring on credit?

Allen laughed: “By then, I was able to pay for things.”

Under Allen’s leadership as president and chief executive officer, Wilson experienced its greatest growth, going from a

local dealership to serving a 35-county area. Sales grew from $600,000 in 1966 to well over $10 million in 1989, when the company observed its 100th anniversary.

This expansion included adding new lines and opening branches in Corbin, Ky., in 1980 and Prestonsburg, Ky., in 1988. Both are full-service operations, offering Equipment rentals, sales, parts, and service.

Allen achieved a lifetime goal of owning and operating his own company.

“When we switched to construction equipment, we were able to get some good lines,” Allen said. “That’s when Case made their move with the Case loader

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1970s aerial shot.

backhoe in the early 1960s. ‘Till then, they had just been a farm manufacturer. So I guess they were looking for dealers. They had a lot of wide-open territories. We were able to buy some small businesses in southern and eastern Kentucky and were able to open our two branches there. I also bought the branches on credit.”

It was the right time, and the right place, for a growing construction business.

“Lexington was experiencing phenomenal growth as a city,” Allen said. “The coal business was also very active in eastern Kentucky where we had one of our branches. We didn’t have a lot of equipment for excavating but we did have a lot

for reclamation. We were able to sell a lot of the smaller backhoes, dozers and that sort of thing to the coal mining industry to reclaim the areas where strip mining had depleted all the coal. Every year I tried to do a little better than the year before. Then the boys came along and they’ve done a really great job.”

The Boys The “boys” are sons Jay, Will, and Charlie. Jay, 51, is president, directing the financial end of the business as well as long-term strategy. Will, 49, is vice president/sales and marketing. Charlie, 46, is vice president and a territory manager. All have been blessed to work with so many

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wonderful and dedicated team members.

“I retired in 1996,” Allen said. “We had outgrown our facility at one location in Lexington and opened a new location where we are now (2180 Old Frankfort Pike). The boys designed the building. I noticed in looking at the plans that they didn’t have an office for me, so it just made a nice natural break. We had a new building and the boys took over the business.

I’m now retired and live in Lexington. I’ve gotten very much involved with several charities here. I was president of Shepherd’s House, which is a halfway house for alcoholics and drug addicts, for five years. We’ve opened several more locations. It’s very satisfying work. The

The expansion included adding new lines and opening branches in Corbin, Ky., in 1980 and Prestonsburg, Ky., in 1988. Both are full-service operations, offering equipment rentals, sales, parts, and service.

world of non-profits is a lot different, but interesting and challenging.”

Commented Jay, “Our being in the rental business from the beginning gave us the opportunity to carry all lines and provide multiple solutions, from water pumps to large excavators to meet customer needs. We were one of the first rental companies in Lexington, which was one of my father’s visions. As farm tractors and implements were phased out, and as building methods changed, we’ve adapted with products which customers needed.

Looking at our history, over 125 years we’ve gone from renting one horsepower water buggies to the horse industry to 300 hp equipment.”

Growth Continues After Allen sold the business to his sons, Wilson continued to evolve into a highly specialized provider of construction equipment. The business stayed in construction, but the ability to manage with the aid of computers changed operations dramatically. The company has experienced an amazing technological transition since 1990 in everything from monitoring its equipment to using advanced computers in all phases of business. It moved in 1996 from its old location on West 4th St. in Lexington, where it had been based for 65 years, to its present location on Old Frankfort Pike.

“We were on West 4th for a long time, but it was hard for trucks to get downtown;

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we were expanding and saw this opportunity in the industrial park on the edge of Lexington,” Charlie said.

Case has been the principal line since the early 1960s. The company also offers a wide range of other equipment, including Kawasaki wheel loaders, Bomag compaction equipment, asphalt rollers and dirt rollers, Link Belt excavators, Noram motorgraders, Takeuchi crawler loaders and mini-excavators, Atlas Copco hydraulic hammers and air compressors and several other specialized lines.

“A large part of our business was built on the shoulders of the Case tractor loader backhoe,” said Will. “It’s still an important part of our business, but many of our

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It soon became apparent that the three sons had inherited B.B.’s entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen. Soon realizing that the buggy days were over, they integrated new products and services into the company, offering everything from hardware to farm supplies, lathes, industrial equipment, hardware and even home appliances, including refrigerators to replace ice boxes.

customers have shifted from the backhoe to excavators and compact equipment to meet their project requirements. We are proud of the manufacturers we represent

and are honored to be partnering with them.”

Case has twice (in 1974 and 1975) named Wilson its “Top Performer in the U.S.” The company also received Case’s Partner in Excellence Award in 1986 as one of the eight best Case distributors in North America. Over the past several years, Wilson has been recognized for achievement in Case

Wilson’s computerized service begins with a work order when a customer comes in. Records of maintenance services like oil changes, including the exact time when they’re done, later go right into the computer.

Aided by computers and equipment manufacturers, Wilson’s service department also performs research to spot possible future problems on the company’s machines.

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Construction’s Partnership program and were presented Link-Belt’s President's Award in 2012.

Utilizing Technology Wilson has progressed over its 125 years from horse buggies to the latest computer technology.

“Use of computer technology has been a real driver on equipment,” said Jay. “We’re using this technology for everything from locating machines by the Global Positioning System (GPS) to

The Corbin store facility in the mid 1980s.

monitoring how equipment is operating, and vastly increasing the efficiency of our internal operations. When I first came to work here in high school, we kept track of everything manually, on ledger books and index cards, and we typed up statements.

Now we receive e-mail reports every hour on certain things and the computer automatically generates reports, which is a real time-saver. Everyone, including our customers, is much more productive.”

Will said, “Informational technology is changing the construction equipment industry. Access to critical operation information allows customers to better predict their costs and plan for maintenance. We allocate resources annually to service technician training in traditional areas such as diesel engine, hydraulics and transmissions but also to the role the onboard computers have in equipment."

In the early days of Wilson Equipment, rubber-tired buggies brought a new level of comfort to customers. The company has come a long way since then. Now the company can survey equipment in the field to immediately check things like fuel consumption and the engine’s operating temperature.

“A lot of things have happened since horse buggies,” Will said.

Allen Rodes achieved a lifetime goal of owning and operating his own company.

Construction activity in the Bluegrass Country has helped spur Wilson’s success.

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After Allen Rodes sold the business to his sons, Wilson Equipment continued to evolve into a highly specialized provider of construction equipment.

Case has twice (in 1974 and 1975) named Wilson its “Top Performer in the U.S.”

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“We can now check practically everything that is going on in the equipment.

Our remote diagnostics allows both ourselves and customers to check streams of telemetry data. This technology gives equipment visibility. I wouldn’t be surprised to see, five years from now, 90 percent of all major pieces of equipment, equipped with some type of telemetric information system. An on-board computer for instance, can monitor 100 or more points and raise a red flag so that you have advance knowledge of problems. Systems like this help with planning. Advance information allows our service departments and technicians troubleshoot quickly and replace a part before it fails. The goal is to take care of the customer and keep their machines up and running .”

“Our computer-based parts inventory is so complete that we can immediately comply with parts requests in virtually every situation, even for older models,” said Jay. Commented Charlie, “The technology transition from 1990 to today is amazing — in everything from equipment to our computer systems. We can monitor everything much more easily as our equipment line has become more specialized to meet our customers’ needs. There has been a huge transition toward mini-excavators and compact track loaders so customers can specialize.”

The Internet is now also a significant factor, particularly in used equipment sales. “Although our focus is Kentucky, we have sold equipment to many places outside our state through the Internet, which has exposed us to a whole new market,” Will said. “We have sold equipment that has been shipped to many places such as China, Poland, and Sri Lanka.

Wilson also employs computers in many other ways that would make founder B. B. Wilson proud — from analyzing sales data to checking overhead expenses, bottom-line profits and investment levels. It’s a long way from horse buggies.

The company received Case’s

Fast Reaction Partner in Excellence Award in 1986 as one of the eight best “We’re certainly not the largest equipCase distributors in North ment dealer in our area,” said Will. “We America. pride ourselves over the years as being a solutions-focused company offering quality products and quality customer service on time. We have three active owners in the business and customers can always reach one of us. One of the things we hang our hat on is that we offer personal service and access to ultimate decision makers without having to go through several layers of people. We are committed to delivering value-added service to customers in terms of people, product support, and assets to help out on the yard, I make a point of going over and talking to them to see if there is them achieve their goals.”

Service Manager Bill McQuerry, who has been anything I can help them with.”

Charlie Rodes said business “is with Wilson since 1987, commutes each day from the small town of Paint Lick, 50 miles from absolutely more person-to-person in this area; every day all of our Lexington.

“Being in the Bluegrass is a country way of life,” sales people, including myself, he said. “You kind of look out for one another. You go to customer jobs and do faceknow people, where they live, what they like to do. to-face business. We’ve had the Your relationship with customers doesn’t end when same customers for many years. they walk out the door. There are people that I’ve I would like to think that we are known here since the day I began in 1987. They’re unique in that a lot of our cusstill coming around. I know these people. If they tomers are very loyal and have come in, they make a point of coming over and done business with us for saying ‘Hi.’ Or, if I see them in the showroom or decades.”

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standing, with good employment, a university, major medical centers, and four wealthy surrounding counties with a lot of large landowners. One reason why we kept the Wilson name is because it is well-known here, where our business is all about building relationships with people. Lexington is a fairly small community so we can socialize with customers in everything from dinners to athletic endeavors among our kids.”

Customer Base Construction activity in the Bluegrass Country has The company started out as one man renting and selling buggies; now, helped spur Wilson’s success.

125 years later, it’s renting and selling loader backhoes, excavators, “This company began by being very dependent on crawlers, loaders and other equipment. the thoroughbred industry,” said Jay. “We still do a lot of rental business in that industry. We have very scenic Employee Loyalty horse farms here where people breed and raise horses, including “Many of our employees have been with us for a very long racehorses. They are one of the signature industries here in time; we must be doing something right,” said Charlie. “Each Central Kentucky. People are building barns, roadbuilding, shaplocation has several employees with over 20 years of service." ing the land using almost all our equipment, from loader backhoes Vice President of Parts Clyde Maggard, who joined Wilson in to pumps and rollers. For the last few years, our two branches 1976, said, “One of our strengths is the length of time employees have also done a lot of business in the coal country of Eastern have been here, an average of 15 years. I’ve lived here all my life, Kentucky, where our excavators and hammers are widely used in like a lot of other people. The economic stability in this area is out- initial operations, while dozers and articulated trucks assist in

A Small-Town Man With Small-Town Values when a customer comes in. Records of maintenance services like oil changes, including the exact time when they’re done, later go right into the computer.

“We also track how long the machine has been operating.

Computers do this by reading bar codes on machines and on the work orders,” McQuerry said.

He’s most excited about a new Case program called Sitewatch, which Wilson has been utilizing for about a year.

“If a machine has a problem, you don’t have to go in and check on it,” he said. “The machine’s computer calls you.

Depending on the severity, the computer will tell you what the problem is. If a dozer has a low fuel level, it will warn you by e-mail We now pick up the phone and let the customer know the machine is about ready to run out of fuel. This advancement in equipment is incredibly helpful.”

Aided by computers and equipment manufacturers, Wilson’s service department also performs research to spot

Bill McQuerry, service manager of Wilson Equipment Co., was born and raised in a small town called Paint Lick, about 50 miles from Lexington. He still lives there, and commutes every day to the company’s headquarters in Lexington.

“The story is that the Indians massacred the settlers and painted the trees with their blood,” he said. “The animals came along and licked the blood off the trees for the salt in the blood.

That’s why they call it Paint Lick.”

McQuerry calls this area of the Bluegrass Country “the most beautiful place in the world.” Rooted in the land, he’s pioneering the newest areas of computer-aided service for Wilson’s customers.

“All the machines now require computers to troubleshoot,” he said. “It’s unbelievable; if not for computers, we couldn’t get the work done. We get software updates all the time, which we install in our machines.”

Wilson’s computerized service begins with a work order

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Tilford, Reed and Horace directed Wilson Equipment through acquisitions and divestitures, evolving with the times from horse buggies and the early days of the century all the way into the specialized equipment of the 1960s.

The company offers a wide range of equipment.

reclamation.”

“We have a very diverse customer base focused on Central and Southeast Kentucky,” Jay continued. “Utility contractors are a big part of our business as infrastructure like water, sewer and gas lines need to be replaced after 50 plus years. Our crawler dozers

and excavators are also reclaiming mountains, restoring vegetation, landscaping, performing other environmental cleanup, and supporting a wide range of other customer needs.”

B.B. Wilson would be proud as his company observes its 125th anniversary. CEG

specialized tooling to solve these probpossible future problems on the company’s lems.” machines.

McQuerry grew up on his family’s “Our service reflects the tenacity of the cattle and horsefarm in Paint Lick. family,” McQuerry said. “We’ve changed “I had a lot of part-time jobs growing and evolved several times over building on up,” he said. “I mowed lawns, worked for the family philosophy of adapting to the a gun club, clerked in a grocery store. I’ve times. There’s not much market for horses been a mechanic all my life, beginning and buggies these days. If you don’t with a construction company for a few evolve, you become extinct. There was a years. Then I joined Wilson in 1987 and need for construction equipment so they was a mechanic here for about eight years met that need, and here we are today. before I became manager of the service “When you boil it down, it’s a pretty department.I’ve been married to the same small business. It looks like a big corpora- Bill McQuerry, Service Manager woman since 1979. We have a son that’s tion because it’s run so efficiently, with great attention to detail. To talk to Jay, the man who makes the 30 and a daughter that’s 27. I’m very proud of them. He’s an ultimate decision, all I have to do is walk out my door and go electrical engineer and she’s a doctor of obstetrics and gynedown the hallway and he’s there. When we have a problem, we cology. They’ve done very well and I feel like I take a little discuss it. We sit down and solve it. That’s one of the great credit for what they’ve done with themselves.”

Asked about horse racing, McQuerry said, “I haven’t been things about working for a small business. The approach here is also cradle to grave. People know one another here. They to a horse race. I’ve lived in Kentucky all my life and grew up look out for each other. When somebody else’s business with horses. I’ll be 55 years old this month and I’ve never been thrives, it will make our business thrive. We have to respond to the Kentucky Derby, which is approximately one hour away. to our customers’ needs in a timely manner, and send the It’s shame on me, I guess. I’ve been to a lot of places all over best-trained technicians with the latest technologies and the the world, but I always love to come home.” CEG

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