Willie Swisher and Mike Farley recently acquired Noble Rents Inc. in what they call the “reinvention” of the former Noble Iron equipment dealership in Houston.
Along with a new name, Prime Equip Solutions, the company also has a “new capital structure — and most importantly, a new strategic direction,” said the business partners.
Prime Equip Solutions' new direction is built around offering customers the choice of “rent, own or flex”, and the company's equipment line will be anchored by two manufacturers with strong ties to Texas — LiuGong and Dressta.
Options Galore
“Customers come in all shapes and sizes,” Swisher said, regarding his company's “Rent-Own-Flex” program, which allows customers to buy a piece of equipment, rent it, or in the case of the flex option, rent it with the goal of future ownership.
Customers may choose the rent option for a host of reasons:
• They may only need the particular machine on a short-term basis;
• They may have a demand for the equipment today that they do not anticipate will continue; or
• They may lack the capital resources or other resources that are needed when buying, such as transportation.
Ownership, Swisher said, is often the appropriate option when the contractor has steady work for the machine and a capital budget that allows for the purchase.
Swisher believes the Flex option will be popular among those customers who are unable to purchase outright at the time they need the equipment. This could be a good fit for contractors who are unsure of their future workload going forward. The Flex option can be used without a down payment.
The Rent-Own-Flex program is just one component of what is seen as a total company philosophy to help contractors with their equipment needs.
“Our challenge is to find solutions,” Swisher and Farley said. “We train our people to be problem solvers, not order takers. When we solve problems, we build relationships.”
Strengthening Support
The dealership also is putting a renewed focus on service. They brought in Charles Cornette as the company's new service director. Cornette had previously worked for H&E Equipment and United Rental.
Cornette is excited about bringing the LiuGong and Dressta lines to Prime's service area.
“I see LiuGong as comparable to other equipment on the market,” he said. “Both lines represent a good value for the dollar, and the proximity of LiuGong's parts warehouse, in nearby Katy [Texas] will be a huge benefit to our customers. Dressta has also impressed me with their customer service, especially after having recently flown a support person in from Poland to assist with us an issue in the field.”
Currently, Prime Equip Solutions has four service technicians, who provide a rapid response time for onsite repairs.
While Prime Equip Solutions' sales efforts will focus on LiuGong and Dressta, the company also offers parts, service and maintenance contracts for all major lines.
Lucky Number 13
The company's service area is the 13-county region surrounding Houston (essentially, from the southern Louisiana border, west to the College Station area.)
They expect the company's business to have a mix of 65 percent earthmoving and 35 percent aerial access, which was a focus of Noble Rents. Mid to large size contractors use both, especially road and bridge builders. Their long-range goal is to “create a dealership second to none in Texas, while focusing on our 13 counties.”
“I'm proud to be a Texan, and it was time to come home,” Swisher said. “But that isn't all … we're here to stay and we won't be blind to opportunities to expand to other parts of Texas, as well.”
CEG
