BX3 Supply & Rental owner Bill Kelley (center) is flanked by (from left) general manager John Sprout, Barbara Zielinski from accounting, Jessica Turner from financing, and marketing director Samantha Sebring.
BX3 Supply & Rental is celebrating its 15th anniversary with a pair of open house events, the first at its Tunkhannock location on Saturday, May 15. There will be a yard sale, equipment demos, and a cookout. Families are encouraged to attend.
Bill Kelley and his son, Bill, started Taylor Rental in Montrose in 2006, opened a Tunkhannock office in 2008 and moved to their current location along Route 6 on Mile Hill in Tunkhannock in 2012. Initially, the company rented tools and heavy equipment to small contractors and homeowners. That is still a big part of their overall operations, but things escalated quickly when the Marcellus shale boom began.
“When the gas companies came to town, we listened,” the senior Bill recalled. “They taught me the business, and they helped me learn the language.”
At first, Taylor rented light towers, excavators, skid steers, and generators. “We customized our inventory to what they needed,” Bill noted. “They’ve given us a lot of opportunities, and we grew like crazy because of them.”
As the scope of the industry expanded, Bill and his board realized they needed a new business model to meet ever-changing needs. Bill began bidding out equipment to sell directly to the gas companies and their industry partners.
“We try to have what the guys need on the shelves here,” Bill remarked. “We are customer-driven. The customer tells us what they need, and we get it for them.”
That courtesy is still extended to the homeowners and contractors who need rototillers, cement mixers, and stump grinders. In fact, Bill insisted, dealing with the public is still his favorite part of the job. He also takes pride in coaching his employees to success.
While the business was always locally owned and family operated, Taylor Rental was part of a co-op franchise owned by True Value. When it came time to renew the contract in 2018, Bill and his board opted out. The original corporation name of BX3 was tapped as the new name of the business, and all the product lines and services were reevaluated.
As the company passes the 15-year milestone, it is undergoing a period of transition, leaning on the younger generation to take over the responsibilities of the business. John Sprout, who has been with the company for about nine years is its new general manager.
As Bill looks at another opportunity to step back from the day-to-day operations, the current challenge is trying to build back a crew that was downsized when there was a lull in the gas industry.
BX3 needs truck drivers, mechanics, management trainees, and counter help. The problem is that the workforce was changed forever by the pandemic. “There are good people out there,” he maintains. “You just have to look harder to find them.”
A second open house event is planned at the Montrose location on Saturday, May 22.
To learn more about what the company has to offer, log on to BX3inc.com or follow them on Facebook.