Shane Smith (L), Sales Representative, and James Hanson, Strategic Account Manager, both of Curry Supply Co., welcome customers to their booth.
More than 200 attendees stopped by Alban Cat's annual Cat-A-Thon sale on Oct. 10 at the company's Baltimore, Md., location.
The event featured hundreds of pieces of equipment, 30 allied vendors, attachments and more with special pricing and financing. Guests enjoyed a catered lunch from Chaps Pit Beef and several giveaways, including a wine tool set for the first 14 customers who had their stamp sheets stamped by 30 of the 35 vendors. Continuing a Cat-A-Thon tradition, Alban Cat also collected vendor donated items and sports memorabilia for a silent auction to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project.
Graduate students from the University of Maryland also came by for a special opportunity through Caterpillar.
“The students are doing an internship program, so instead of taking them to Peoria, Illinois, Caterpillar brought them out here today to show them what a dealership looks like, and what a perfect day to see that,” said Ryan John, Vice President of Marketing and IT. This is the second year we've done this. Allen Shock [Customer Experience Manager] is showing them around, and they have the opportunity to interview customers and employees. The students have a project they're working on that's related to Caterpillar, so this is how they get some of their field experience. It's a neat opportunity for them to see what we do as an organization.”
This year, there was yet another new face at the Alban Cat-A-thon — Dante DiLuzio, the company's new General Rental Manager.
Before Alban Cat, DiLuzio was working for Hertz Equipment Rental and has a total of 10 years of experience in the rental industry.
“My prior experience in the rental industry has helped me because I know the industry and what the customers' needs are and what they're looking for,” said DiLuzio. “Also, my past experience in both sales and operations lends me to be able to work both sides of the fence, so I can work well with the sales team and I know how the operational side of the business should work.”
His new responsibilities include managing the rental fleet, working with the rental representatives and managing the operational side of the business. Beyond his day-to-day duties, DiLuzio hopes to augment the Cat fleet with allied equipment, as well as other items that will allow the company to expand its customer base.
“I have a strong background in aerial and telescopic reach forklifts, as well as the compressor business and things of that nature, so I think I can help the sales team with the add-on side,” said DiLuzio.”
This was DiLuzio's first Cat-A-Thon and he said it was a great opportunity to reach new and existing customers.
Rob Miller, Vice President of Sales, has a few more Cat-A-Thons under his belt — 11 to be exact — and said the company tries to do something different every year.
“I've been involved in each one,” said Miller. “I was on the ground floor of the first one, which was actually a fluke. We weren't even trying to make it a retail event; it was more of a cookout and open house. This year, we've done some things with warranties and financing. We have some promotions on new machines and smaller tractors, which is a little different than what we've done in the past. We want to provide different options for customers this year.”
Another popular promotion at the event involved Caterpillar's compact construction equipment line. Customers received a free Yeti tumbler if they demoed a piece of equipment, and if they bought it, Alban Cat threw in a Caterpillar cooler.
“We're always looking for new customers,” said Ryan John. “We want them to feel like this is a place that they can come and be treated fairly. This is a dealership for everyone, whether you're a one-machine owner or a 100-machine owner.”
For more information, visit www.albancat.com.
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