John Parsons

Deep South Equipment Co owner John Parsons has sold Hysters since 1972, seen the dealership rebuild after a hurricane and, since 15 February, represented Yale in two markets.

In 1990, Parsons was selected to buy Hyster New Orleans and three related locations. Nacco Industries Inc acquired Hyster Company, sold numerous branches to selected entrepreneurs and established dealer networks with separate distribution channels for Hyster and Yale.

Parsons created the Deep South identity for Hyster sites in New Orleans, Shreveport and Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Pearl, Mississippi. Also with a Hyster orientation, "we opened Tyler (Texas) in 1996", he recalls. More than 90% of revenues are derived from Hyster sales, rentals, service and parts.

Parsons, who has served as president of the Hyster dealership group, has his principal office in Shreveport, while Deep South secretary-treasurer Gerald Boudreaux is located in New Orleans.

Hurricane Katrina delivered a major blow on the morning of 29 August, 2005, when the storm reached south-east Louisiana and destroyed the dealership's New Orleans headquarters facility. The Atlantic Ocean storm formed over the commonwealth of the Bahamas on 23 August, crossed southern Florida into the US, destroyed property along the Gulf coast and made its second landfall as a Category 3 hurricane in Louisiana.

"We spent more than USD1.5 million rebuilding New Orleans in about six months," Parsons says, adding his was one of the first rebuilt businesses to resume regular operations after the devastation.

Parsons notes how Deep South Equipment helped its employees. "Twenty-two of 47 lost homes" during the hurricane, he says. "We found them places to live" and, post-Katrina's massive dislocations, succeeded in retaining "all but about two people" as employees.

The New Orleans site housed an IBM computer system that was a key element in the business and that was destroyed. After investing about USD50,000, Deep South Equipment operates "an expensive, elaborate" computer system with duplicate servers in the New Orleans and Shreveport facilities. "We back up (business data) every night in both locations," Parsons says.

"Deep South Equipment has been appointed the Yale dealer in the northern portion of Louisiana and portions of east Texas," says Colin Wilson, vice president and chief operating officer for Yale-Hyster brand owner Nacco Material Handling Group Inc (NMHG) in Greenville, North Carolina. Since mid-2009, NMHG has moved to strengthen its brand representation and market presence, in some cases altering a long-standing single-brand practice and allowing a dealership to sell both brands.

Deep South Equipment obtained the 45-county Yale territory after providing that brand's service and support to NMHG for several months through its existing locations in Shreveport and Tyler. NMHG's "Scott Atchison asked me to help, and we took care of this Yale account for more than 600 forklifts" since September, Parsons says. "They were satisfied with us."

Previously, H&E Equipment Services Inc of Baton Rouge represented that Yale territory.

"I like the opportunity" to sell Yale equipment in the Shreveport and Tyler markets," Parsons says. "We are still learning (the Yale software codes), but basically we are picking up the same system we have had for years. Eventually, we will have an inventory of Yale equipment."

Parsons' son, Patrick, is Yale sales manager based in Shreveport, and Parsons' son-in-law, Lindsey Hernandez, is Hyster sales manager based in New Orleans.

In addition to its NMHG business, Deep South has represented lines from equipment makers Manitou Group since 1995 and Omega Lift Manufacturing Inc since 2006. Manitou equipment fits needs at chicken processing plants that Deep South serves, and the Omega's single-wheel forklift fills an oil-industry void in the Deep South product line.

Also, Deep South supplies Kärcher-Cuda's environment-friendly power washers and Minuteman PowerBoss commercial and industrial sweepers and scrubbers.

Deep South employs 155 people, down from 190. "We had to downsize last year," he notes.