(L-R): Jenny Timko, used equipment administrative assistant; Denny Thompson, assistant used equipment manager; Mike Slater, used equipment sales center manager; and Jared Briesch, machinery sales used equipment and heavy rental manager.
After talking with Caterpillar, as well as veteran salespeople for the popular global construction equipment line, New Jersey's Foley Inc. is confident it has come up with a novel idea.
On June 22, Piscataway-based Foley Inc. opened its own used equipment operation in Monroe Township, Middlesex County, N.J. Located in the central part of the state, the facility is specifically geared to handle the growing demand for used construction and agriculture equipment.
Foley believes its Used Equipment Center is the first of its kind for Cat dealers.
"For a variety of reasons, Foley has decided to use the location to concentrate on used sales versus a full branch — no parts and no external customer service," said Jared Briesch, Foley's machinery sales used and heavy rental manager. "This structure will be a first for the Cat dealer network."
He added the dealership has long had the Monroe space available where it was once a branch location then later used for machine storage. Opening a used machinery branch therefore solved the company's space problem, as the sales departments had fully packed its dealership yards.
It is one of six Foley branch locations, which serve customers throughout the Garden State, as well as eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware and Staten Island, N.Y.
But the new location will do more than give Foley bragging rights for the first Cat used equipment center. It also will consolidate those machines in one 70,000-sq.-ft. yard in a place centrally located to the dealership's customer base.
The Foley salesforce welcomed the center overall, Briesch said, because if they send a customer to Monroe, they know seasoned professionals are available to show/answer questions about the machines and the variety of inventory is concentrated in one location to help their customers find the right machine for their business.
"Every trade Foley takes is coming down to this center," he said. "When we take a machine from our rental fleet and roll it out, we bring it down here to sell. When it's no longer available to rent, we get a new one from Cat. The roll outs are coming from multiple divisions within our company. It will be a very retail-focused yard. We will be open from 8 to 5 p.m. and are encouraging anyone looking for used equipment to come visit us down in Monroe to view all inventory."
He added that the used equipment center will be operated by Mike Slater, whom Briesch described as being "very successful at selling, wholesaling and exporting used equipment."
As Foley's used center manager, Slater's role will include expanding the division with a product already trending upward.
"Over the last five years, we have increased our used equipment sales, unit-wise, by 85 percent, so that's something we are capitalizing on," Briesch said.
The Used Equipment Center in Monroe Township also will be staffed by Jennifer Timko, who will primarily be tasked with spearheading Foley's social media presence to market and sell its used machines. Additionally, the facility employs a full-time technician and a loading dock attendant.
On the day it opened, Foley Cat's Used Equipment Center had approximately 175 machines in its yard, with a goal to increase that to 250, on any given day, in the next few months, Slater said.
"We have another 30 to 35 set up for transfer from other branches today [June 22], so that total number changes daily. If Foley plans to sell and market any used machine, they are going to come here." CEG
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