Construction Equipment Guide
470 Maryland Drive
Fort Washington, PA 19034
800-523-2200
Wed April 04, 2001 - Southeast Edition
Briggs Equipment has recently opened a 40,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility in Charlotte, NC, which will show the company’s commitment to the industry, according to Homer Denning, president of Briggs Equipment. The company will hold an open house at the new facility on April 26.
The new branch offers such equipment manufacturers as Case Construction Equipment; NPK - a hydraulic hammers and attachments manufacturer; Eager Beaver trailers; Hamm rollers; AGL lasers; and a full rental fleet including compactors, pumps, generators, skid steer loaders, excavators, trench shoring, air compressors with tools, message boards, plate compactors, tampers, mini-excavators, graders, light towers, fork lifts, dozers and wheel loaders.
The Charlotte location boasts 28 service bays, two 2-ton (1.8 t) overhead cranes, two 5-ton (4.5 t) overhead cranes and a 20-ton (18 t) overhead crane. It also features six service trucks. The company moved eight employees from other locations to work in the new facility. NPK and Case representatives already trained at the new facility, denning said.
Briggs has 97 percent over-the-counter stocked parts at the facility, which Denning said, “is not good enough yet.”
Briggs Equipment is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sammons Enterprises of Dallas, TX. It was purchased by Sammons, a division of Briggs Weaver in 1953. According to Denning, the company operated as a division of Briggs Weaver until Jan. 1, 1996, when the equipment division was spun off as Briggs Equipment.
“This was done to allow Briggs Equipment to focus on growing equipment sales and its rental business,” he added.
Today, this original division has grown to a more than $200 million lift, trench and aerial equipment dealer with 20 locations in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia and Mexico.
In February 2000, Briggs Construction Equipment was formed with the purchase of E.F. Craven Company, a Case construction equipment dealer with six locations in North Carolina, Denning explained.
In December, he noted, the company purchased Coastline Equipment, adding seven Florida and two Georgia locations to its roster.
“Sales in the 15 locations are expected to exceed more than $150 million in the near term with more than 300 employees,” Denning said.
Although the main line of equipment for Briggs is Case, the company is, “developing a full line of equipment for construction rental capabilities within its branches that will include other products to meet contractors’ needs. Briggs Equipment intends to be a full line dealership furnishing a broad range for contractors’ needs which includes sales, leasing, parts, rentals – short and long term, service, and short and long term leasing,” Denning concluded.