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By Pete SigmundCEG EDITORIAL CONSULTANT

In the beautiful Bluegrass Country of central Kentucky,Wilson Equipment Company is almost as old as theKentucky Derby and as customer-friendly as a mint julep.Headquartered in Lexington, “the Horse Capital of the

World,” Wilson Equipment Company is observing its125th anniversary this year, only 15 years behind theDerby’s 140 years. While it’s not as world famous as thehorse race, Wilson Equipment Company has its ownunique story of evolving with the times.The story begins with a horse farmer named B. B.

Wilson. Raising horses came naturally in the BluegrassCountry (so named because the minerals and soil gives thegrass a blue hue in the sunlight.)

Wilson went from hauling wagons forfarmers to the lucrative business of rentinghorses and buggies to thousands of peoplewho would trot out in the lovely surround-ings, for family outings, picnics or weekendexcursions. The Kentucky River, about 20miles from Lexington, was a favorite desti-nation.B.B. founded the Wilson Buggy

Company of Lexington in 1889. He becameknown as “the Buggy Man of CentralKentucky.” One year he sold more than 700buggies. His rental business, far ahead of itstime, was even more successful. It wasalways personal service with a Kentucky fla-vor.“The company started out as one man

renting and selling buggies; now, 125 yearslater, it’s renting and selling loader backhoes,excavators, crawlers, loaders and otherequipment,” said Allen Rodes, who led thecompany from 1966 to 1996, its period ofgreatest growth. “I would like to think thatB.B.’s success was the genesis of our beingin the rental business.”The story goes that, when demand for

Headquartered in Lexington, “the Horse Capital of the World,” Wilson EquipmentCompany is observing its 125th anniversary this year, only 15 years behind theDerby’s 140 years.

Wilson Equipment Celebrates125 Years in Business

B.B. founded the WilsonBuggy Company ofLexington in 1889. Hebecame known as “theBuggy Man of CentralKentucky.”

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buggies slowed, B.B., always the entrepre-neur, would haul Bluegrass-bred thorough-breds to Georgia, returning with mules whichhe sold to Kentucky farmers or others in needof animals.

Changing With the Times

The days of B.B.’s business were num-bered, however, ever since ThomasDewhurst assembled his “Dewabout” autopiece-by-piece in his bicycle repair shop,which was in the basement of Lexington’sPhoenix Hotel. People on the streets gaspedwhen the Dewabout first chugged down thecity’s streets in 1901 as the first automobilebuilt in Kentucky. The number of carsincreased rapidly after this. Lexington’s citycouncil even enacted “rules of the road” forthe new horseless carriages in 1908.B.B. had three sons: Tilford, Reed, and

Horace. They were well-known around town,Reed even being elected mayor in 1936. Asthe sun began to set on B.B.’s time at thehelm, he gradually turned the business over tothe three, who were known to others in the company as Mr. Tilford, Mr. Reedand 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 busi-ness is a big deal now but, back in those days, it was unheard of. You eitherbought equipment or you didn’t, or hired someone who owned what youneeded. The Wilson brothers broke new ground by renting buggies and endedrenting construction equipment.”

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

Under Allen’s leadershipas president and chiefexecutive officer, Wilsonexperienced its greatestgrowth, going from alocal dealership to servinga 35-county area.

Allen Rodes, chairman.

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www.bomag.com/us

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

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It soon became apparent that the threesons had inherited B.B.’s entrepreneurialspirit and business acumen. Soon realiz-ing that the buggy days were over, theyintegrated new products and servicesinto the company, offering everythingfrom hardware to farm supplies, lathes,industrial equipment, hardware and evenhome appliances, including refrigeratorsto replace ice boxes. They even ven-

tured, unsuccessfully, into sellingMaxwell cars (the butt of many jokes bycomedian Jack Benny), but did betterrepresenting, for decades,Chrysler/Plymouth at a separateLexington location. And, of course, thefamily also owned horse farms.Tilford, Reed and Horace directed

Wilson Equipment through acquisitionsand divestitures, evolving with the times

from horse buggies and the early days ofthe century all the way into the special-ized equipment of the 1960s. Theymoved from renting horses andcarousels to rehabbing the buggies andgradually evolved further into farmequipment and then into constructionequipment.The stage was set for three more sons,

in a different family, to run the company.

Jay Rodes, President Will Rodes, Vice President Charlie Rodes, Vice President

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New FamilyAllen 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 jobbecause my aunt was married to HoraceWilson. They were all in their 60s or 70s atthe time, which was what gave me theopportunity to buy the company a fewyears later. After a while, I got into man-agement as a junior manager. The brotherswere selling the business because they did-n’t have any heirs to succeed them.“I was in the Heavy Equipment

Division, which the brothers sold in theearly 1960s to Kentucky Machinery inLouisville. They also sold the industrialsupply business, which made grindingwheels, belts, and that sort of thing. Theywere trying to sell the Farm EquipmentDivision, but no one would buy it becauseit wasn’t making any money at all. So Iasked them, ‘If I go to work for the FarmEquipment Division at a very, very meagersalary, and make it profitable, will you sellit to me on credit?’ I did, they did, and wedid. “I came to work (at the division) in 1959

and in 1966 they sold it to me on credit. Asgeneral manager, I switched the emphasisfrom farm equipment to constructionequipment and worked my way out offarm. In 1970 or the early 70s, we had anauction and sold all the farm equipment,

again taking on more and more lines ofconstruction equipment. The principal linewas, and still is, Case.“My sons, Jay, Will, and Charlie, came

along and I sold the business to them in the90s. They’ve done a good job with it. Mywife, by the way, worked in the office as abookkeeper and that’s how I came to meettheir 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 experi-enced its greatest growth, going from a

local dealership to serving a 35-countyarea. Sales grew from $600,000 in 1966 towell over $10 million in 1989, when thecompany observed its 100th anniversary.This expansion included adding new linesand opening branches in Corbin, Ky., in1980 and Prestonsburg, Ky., in 1988. Bothare full-service operations, offeringEquipment rentals, sales, parts, andservice. Allen achieved a lifetime goal of own-

ing and operating his own company.“When we switched to construction

equipment, we were able to get some goodlines,” Allen said. “That’s when Casemade their move with the Case loader

Ed Lambdin, Corbin Branch Manager Charlie Martin, Territory Sales Manager Clyde Maggard, Vice President

John Schmidt, Rental Manager Mike Hackworth, Prestonsburg BranchManager

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backhoe in the early 1960s. ‘Till then, theyhad just been a farm manufacturer. So Iguess they were looking for dealers. Theyhad a lot of wide-open territories. We wereable to buy some small businesses insouthern and eastern Kentucky and wereable to open our two branches there. I alsobought the branches on credit.”It was the right time, and the right

place, for a growing construction busi-ness.“Lexington was experiencing phenome-

nal growth as a city,” Allen said. “The coalbusiness was also very active in easternKentucky where we had one of ourbranches. We didn’t have a lot of equip-ment for excavating but we did have a lot

for reclamation. We were able to sell a lotof the smaller backhoes, dozers and thatsort of thing to the coal mining industry toreclaim the areas where strip mining haddepleted all the coal. Every year I tried todo a little better than the year before. Thenthe boys came along and they’ve done areally great job.”

The BoysThe “boys” are sons Jay, Will, and

Charlie. Jay, 51, is president, directing thefinancial end of the business as well aslong-term strategy. Will, 49, is vice presi-dent/sales and marketing. Charlie, 46, isvice president and a territory manager. Allhave been blessed to work with so many

wonderful and dedicated team members. “I retired in 1996,” Allen said. “We had

outgrown our facility at one location inLexington and opened a new locationwhere we are now (2180 Old FrankfortPike). The boys designed the building. Inoticed in looking at the plans that theydidn’t have an office for me, so it just madea nice natural break. We had a new build-ing and the boys took over the business.I’m now retired and live in Lexington. I’vegotten very much involved with severalcharities here. I was president ofShepherd’s House, which is a halfwayhouse for alcoholics and drug addicts, forfive years. We’ve opened several morelocations. It’s very satisfying work. The

1970s aerial shot.

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

Commented Jay, “Our being in therental business from the beginning gave usthe opportunity to carry all lines and pro-vide multiple solutions, from water pumpsto large excavators to meet customerneeds. We were one of the first rental com-panies in Lexington, which was one of myfather’s visions. As farm tractors andimplements were phased out, and as build-ing methods changed, we’ve adapted withproducts which customers needed.Looking at our history, over 125 yearswe’ve gone from renting one horsepowerwater buggies to the horse industry to 300hp equipment.”

Growth ContinuesAfter Allen sold the business to his sons,

Wilson continued to evolve into a highlyspecialized provider of construction equip-ment. The business stayed in construction,but the ability to manage with the aid ofcomputers changed operations dramatical-ly. The company has experienced an amaz-ing technological transition since 1990 ineverything from monitoring its equipmentto using advanced computers in all phasesof business. It moved in 1996 from its oldlocation on West 4th St. in Lexington,where it had been based for 65 years, to itspresent location on Old Frankfort Pike.

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

we were expanding and saw this opportu-nity in the industrial park on the edge ofLexington,” Charlie said.

Case has been the principal line sincethe early 1960s. The company also offers awide range of other equipment, includingKawasaki wheel loaders, Bomag com-paction equipment, asphalt rollers and dirtrollers, Link Belt excavators, Norammotorgraders, Takeuchi crawler loadersand mini-excavators, Atlas Copcohydraulic hammers and air compressorsand several other specialized lines.

“A large part of our business was builton the shoulders of the Case tractor loaderbackhoe,” said Will. “It’s still an importantpart of our business, but many of our

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

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Congratulations to on 125 years of service!

KAWASAKI CONGRATULATES WILSON EQUIPMENT COMPANY

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customers have shifted from the backhoeto excavators and compact equipment tomeet their project requirements. We areproud of the manufacturers we represent

and are honored to be partnering withthem.”

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

U.S.” The company alsoreceived Case’s Partner inExcellence Award in 1986as one of the eight bestCase distributors in NorthAmerica. Over the pastseveral years, Wilson hasbeen recognized forachievement in Case

Construction’s Partnership program andwere presented Link-Belt’s President'sAward in 2012.

Utilizing TechnologyWilson has progressed over its 125

years from horse buggies to the latest com-puter technology.

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

Aided by computers andequipment manufacturers,

Wilson’s service departmentalso performs research to spot

possible future problems onthe company’s machines.

Wilson’s computerized servicebegins with a work order whena customer comes in. Recordsof maintenance services like oilchanges, including the exacttime when they’re done, latergo right into the computer.

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

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monitoring how equipment is operating,and vastly increasing the efficiency of ourinternal operations. When I first came towork here in high school, we kept track ofeverything manually, on ledger books andindex cards, and we typed up statements.Now we receive e-mail reports every houron certain things and the computer auto-matically generates reports, which is areal time-saver. Everyone, including ourcustomers, is much more productive.”Will said, “Informational technology is

changing the construction equipmentindustry. Access to critical operationinformation allows customers to betterpredict their costs and plan for mainte-nance. We allocate resources annually toservice technician training in tra-ditional areas such as dieselengine, hydraulics and transmis-sions but also to the role theonboard computers have in equip-ment."In the early days of Wilson

Equipment, rubber-tired buggiesbrought a new level of comfort tocustomers. The company hascome a long way since then. Nowthe company can survey equip-ment in the field to immediatelycheck things like fuel consump-tion and the engine’s operatingtemperature.

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

The Corbin store facility in the mid 1980s.

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

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

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“We can now check practically every-thing that is going on in the equipment.Our remote diagnostics allows both our-selves and customers to check streamsof telemetry data. This technology givesequipment visibility. I wouldn’t be sur-prised to see, five years from now, 90percent of all major pieces of equipment,equipped with some type of telemetricinformation system. An on-board com-puter for instance, can monitor 100 ormore points and raise a red flag so thatyou have advance knowledge of prob-lems. Systems like this help with plan-ning. Advance information allows ourservice departments and technicianstroubleshoot quickly and replace a partbefore it fails. The goal is to take care ofthe customer and keep their machines upand running .”“Our computer-based parts inventory

is so complete that we can immediatelycomply with parts requests in virtuallyevery situation, even for older models,”said Jay. Commented Charlie, “The technolo-

gy transition from 1990 to today isamazing — in everything from equip-ment to our computer systems. We canmonitor everything much more easily asour equipment line has become morespecialized to meet our customers’needs. There has been a huge transitiontoward mini-excavators and compacttrack loaders so customers can special-ize.”The Internet is now also a significant

factor, particularly in used equipmentsales. “Although our focus is Kentucky,we have sold equipment to many placesoutside our state through the Internet,which has exposed us to a whole newmarket,” Will said. “We have soldequipment that has been shipped tomany places such as China, Poland, andSri Lanka. Wilson also employs computers in

many other ways that would makefounder B. B. Wilson proud — fromanalyzing sales data to checking over-head expenses, bottom-line profits andinvestment levels. It’s a long way fromhorse buggies.

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

After Allen Rodes sold the business to hissons, Wilson Equipment continued to evolve into a highly specialized

provider of construction equipment.

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Fast Reaction“We’re certainly not the largest equip-

ment dealer in our area,” said Will. “Wepride ourselves over the years as being asolutions-focused company offering quali-ty products and quality customer serviceon time. We have three active owners inthe business and customers can alwaysreach one of us. One of the things we hangour hat on is that we offer personal serviceand access to ultimate decision makerswithout having to go through several lay-ers of people. We are committed to deliv-ering value-added service to customers interms of people, product support, and assets to helpthem achieve their goals.”

Service Manager Bill McQuerry, who has beenwith Wilson since 1987, commutes each day fromthe small town of Paint Lick, 50 miles fromLexington.

“Being in the Bluegrass is a country way of life,”he said. “You kind of look out for one another. Youknow people, where they live, what they like to do.Your relationship with customers doesn’t end whenthey walk out the door. There are people that I’veknown here since the day I began in 1987. They’restill coming around. I know these people. If theycome in, they make a point of coming over andsaying ‘Hi.’ Or, if I see them in the showroom or

out on the yard, I make a point of goingover and talking to them to see if there isanything I can help them with.”

Charlie Rodes said business “isabsolutely more person-to-personin this area; every day all of oursales people, including myself,go to customer jobs and do face-to-face business. We’ve had thesame customers for many years.I would like to think that we areunique in that a lot of our cus-tomers are very loyal and havedone business with us fordecades.”

The company received Case’sPartner in Excellence Award in1986 as one of the eight bestCase distributors in NorthAmerica.

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Employee Loyalty“Many of our employees have been with us for a very long

time; we must be doing something right,” said Charlie. “Eachlocation has several employees with over 20 years of service." Vice President of Parts Clyde Maggard, who joined Wilson in

1976, said, “One of our strengths is the length of time employeeshave been here, an average of 15 years. I’ve lived here all my life,like a lot of other people. The economic stability in this area is out-

standing, with good employment, a university, majormedical centers, and four wealthy surrounding coun-ties with a lot of large landowners. One reason why wekept the Wilson name is because it is well-known here,where our business is all about building relationshipswith people. Lexington is a fairly small community sowe can socialize with customers in everything fromdinners to athletic endeavors among our kids.”

Customer BaseConstruction activity in the Bluegrass Country has

helped spur Wilson’s success.“This company began by being very dependent on

the thoroughbred industry,” said Jay. “We still do a lotof rental business in that industry. We have very scenic

horse farms here where people breed and raise horses, includingracehorses. They are one of the signature industries here inCentral Kentucky. People are building barns, roadbuilding, shap-ing the land using almost all our equipment, from loader backhoesto pumps and rollers. For the last few years, our two brancheshave also done a lot of business in the coal country of EasternKentucky, where our excavators and hammers are widely used ininitial operations, while dozers and articulated trucks assist in

Bill McQuerry, service manager of Wilson Equipment Co.,was born and raised in a small town called Paint Lick, about 50miles from Lexington. He still lives there, and commutesevery 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 camealong 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 pioneer-ing the newest areas of computer-aided service for Wilson’scustomers.“All the machines now require computers to troubleshoot,”

he said. “It’s unbelievable; if not for computers, we couldn’tget the work done. We get software updates all the time, whichwe install in our machines.”Wilson’s computerized service begins with a work order

when a customer comes in. Records of maintenance serviceslike 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 onthe 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 theproblem is. If a dozer has a low fuel level, it will warn you bye-mail We now pick up the phone and let the customer knowthe machine is about ready to run out of fuel. This advancementin equipment is incredibly helpful.”Aided by computers and equipment manufacturers,

Wilson’s service department also performs research to spot

A Small-Town Man With Small-Town Values

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.

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reclamation.”“We have a very diverse customer base focused on Central and

Southeast Kentucky,” Jay continued. “Utility contractors are a bigpart of our business as infrastructure like water, sewer and gaslines need to be replaced after 50 plus years. Our crawler dozers

and excavators are also reclaiming mountains, restoring vegeta-tion, landscaping, performing other environmental cleanup, andsupporting a wide range of other customer needs.”

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

possible future problems on the company’smachines.

“Our service reflects the tenacity of thefamily,” McQuerry said. “We’ve changedand evolved several times over building onthe family philosophy of adapting to thetimes. There’s not much market for horsesand buggies these days. If you don’tevolve, you become extinct. There was aneed for construction equipment so theymet that need, and here we are today.

“When you boil it down, it’s a prettysmall business. It looks like a big corpora-tion because it’s run so efficiently, withgreat attention to detail. To talk to Jay, the man who makes theultimate decision, all I have to do is walk out my door and godown the hallway and he’s there. When we have a problem, wediscuss it. We sit down and solve it. That’s one of the greatthings about working for a small business. The approach hereis also cradle to grave. People know one another here. Theylook out for each other. When somebody else’s businessthrives, it will make our business thrive. We have to respondto our customers’ needs in a timely manner, and send thebest-trained technicians with the latest technologies and the

specialized tooling to solve these prob-lems.”

McQuerry grew up on his family’scattle and horsefarm in Paint Lick.

“I had a lot of part-time jobs growingup,” he said. “I mowed lawns, worked fora gun club, clerked in a grocery store. I’vebeen a mechanic all my life, beginningwith a construction company for a fewyears. Then I joined Wilson in 1987 andwas a mechanic here for about eight yearsbefore I became manager of the servicedepartment.I’ve been married to the samewoman since 1979. We have a son that’s

30 and a daughter that’s 27. I’m very proud of them. He’s anelectrical engineer and she’s a doctor of obstetrics and gyne-cology. They’ve done very well and I feel like I take a littlecredit for what they’ve done with themselves.”

Asked about horse racing, McQuerry said, “I haven’t beento a horse race. I’ve lived in Kentucky all my life and grew upwith horses. I’ll be 55 years old this month and I’ve never beento the Kentucky Derby, which is approximately one hour away.It’s shame on me, I guess. I’ve been to a lot of places all overthe world, but I always love to come home.” CEG

Bill McQuerry, Service Manager

The company offers a wide range of equipment.

Tilford, Reed and Horace directed Wilson Equipment throughacquisitions and divestitures, evolving with the times fromhorse buggies and the early days of the century all the way intothe specialized equipment of the 1960s.

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