Let’s just say Dave Goose sees things a bit differently when it comes to financing equipment purchases.
 
Dave was the founder of Manufacturers Capital, LLC, which has been around since 2007, providing solutions to the unique needs of machinery sales concerns in the U.S. and Canada. And it’s among the latest businesses to be approved as a Premier Vendor for the MDNA.
 
Dave operates Manufacturers Capital from New Smyrna Beach, on Florida’s east coast. He co-founded the business with a partner and stayed on in his current capacity when Manufacturers was purchased in 2017 by Commercial Credit Corp. It’s now a division of Charlotte-based Commercial Credit.  
 
His career in finance began in 1980 in the commercial capital department at a south Florida bank. That’s when he discovered the world of machine tools and began concentrating his sales efforts there.  In 1989, he joined Maruka Machinery, the importer of Mori Seiki, and in 1997 moved into the emerging CNC market, where he opened his own used machine tool sales business, which expanded into new machine tools in 2001.
 
“Loved it, had a ball, but there's a lot more stress in selling machines than financing them,” he said in a recent conversation. “I jokingly tell people that nobody calls me on a Saturday, yelling that their money is not working. So, the finance business became much more attractive.”
 
In 2007 he put his own money to work with Manufacturers Capital, specializing in arranging loans and leases for equipment manufacturers and users that banks and other lenders might keep at arm’s length.
 
“We were mostly a brokerage then. but we took a lot of pride in coming up with products that other brokers didn’t have,” he recalls. “At Manufacturers Capital and with the founder and management of Commercial Credit Group we had the same philosophy, We were all disciples of the credit philosophy of a gentleman named Cal Palitz, who was the godfather of commercial capital equipment financing in the 1960s and ‘70s. He taught us to know your collateral and then know your credit. Before joining Commercial Credit, we put $5 to $6 million in private money toward what we call structured deals, which allow you to listen to the customer’s story and judge a credit or a customer's creditworthiness ‘from the shop floor up, not the balance sheet down.’ Now, as a division of Commercial Credit we funded 30 or 40 times more ‘structured’ transactions.
 
“We know the machines. We can tell if a shop is organized,” he explained. “There’s a ton of hidden equity not evident on the balance sheet that’s actually on the premises of a manufacturer. We can tell if a client is making quality parts by touring its facility. And that continues today with Commercial Credit.”

Family businesses are nothing new in the MDNA, but Carl Davis might have found a new way to get his generational enterprise started.
 
Carl is co-founder and president of The Equipment Hub, a used machinery sales operation in Stone Mountain, Ga., not far from his hometown of Atlanta. He cut his teeth “selling random stuff” as a 15-year-old with an eBay account. He also started a tennis racket stringing business when he was in the 8th-grade. Years later, Carl had the idea of making a living selling surplus equipment.
 
Out of college, Carl used his chemistry degree from the University of Georgia and went to work in chemical manufacturing. “There was a moment in time when the company I worked for had some surplus equipment, “ he recalled in a recent interview. “I said, ‘Hey, let me help you out. I'll put it up on my eBay account and see if it sells.’ So I did, and the light bulb went off in my head.”
Carl knew how chaotic the manufacturing process can be as jobs are completed and new assignments come in. “When you do contract work you’ve got to have the right machinery for that work,” he observed. “And sometimes you lose the job and, all of a sudden you have equipment you're not using anymore. Industries are very fluid in terms of equipment needs.”
Years later, having never forgotten that business idea, Carl decided to make cold-calls to some manufacturers in and around Atlanta before he arrived at work.  He was curious to see if he could find another company that would let him sell its equipment.  Out of sheer luck, the first morning he made calls, he found a company that needed to sell surplus equipment.  He ended up getting the deal and making some money quickly.
"I wasn't expecting things to play out this way, quite frankly,” he declared. “I was expecting to have no luck and give up on the idea. Instead, I took some pictures of the machinery a prospect had and put it up on eBay. Within a week, one of the machines sold for pretty good money. And after that I thought, ‘Hey, I think I can make this work. I can pursue this.’”
After some deep thought, he told his soon-to-be wife he thought he could start a business selling equipment.  He told her it was a long shot but if she was good with temporarily supporting both of them financially, he would give it a try.  She agreed.
That was in 2011, a time of both economic uncertainty and opportunity. Carl founded The Equipment Hub working from his house.  His brother Mark joined him a few months later as the company’s co-founder and partner. Seizing whatever opportunities arose, they’ve built a thriving business with a predominantly domestic customer base. The Equipment Hub is selling as many as 1,000 used machines every year through the efforts of a staff of 16 that includes inside and outside sales teams, a CNC service manager, a trio of mechanics to prep equipment for resale, and an auction manager — all working with a 40,000-square-foot showroom.
Carl learned about the MDNA from early contacts in the used machinery trade. “Some of them spoke really highly of it and got me interested,” he recalled. The Equipment Hub has been a member of the organization for the past decade, and Carl currently serves as the treasurer of MDNA’s Southern Chapter.
The Equipment Hub story is not your standard account of organic growth and incremental expansion, but it’s now a business that sells used equipment to create, shape, or finish nearly any item. It’s a story of entrepreneurial boldness and the good fortune it can yield. And it’s largely Carl Davis’s story, which he’s happy to share with his MDNA colleagues as an example of good things that can happen in the business they all love.

Whenever you need to transport something — whatever the quantity and wherever the destination — Northwest Shippers can get it there for you.
 
Versatility and load economy are the bywords at Northwest, which — not surprisingly — is located in the Pacific Northwest and does business in every mainland state as well as Canada.  Owner and CEO Phil Dalrymple launched the brokerage in 1990 and it has recently attained Premier Vendor status with the MDNA.
 
Think of Northwest as the go-between for machinery manufacturers and contract haulers, primarily using both Conestoga-style curtained trailers and regular flatbed transport.  After securing a delivery schedule and safety requirements from the client, Phil finds an available shipper, negotiates a price for the job, and makes the pickup/delivery arrangements.
 
“We are strictly a broker and a broker can do deals with specialty pieces,” he said in a recent interview. “In the machinery world, things can get damaged very quickly if you don’t know what you’re doing.”
 
Phil hails from Hollywood — yes, that Hollywood. He moved to Washington at age 16 when his father, a Baptist pastor, was called to serve there. Growing up in the metro Seattle city of Puyallup, Phil went to college and wasted little time finding work. “I was offered a job as a freight broker so I dropped out of school,” he recalled. “It took me two years to become the top salesman for the company and, at that point, I didn't have a need to go back to school.”
 
But he did go back, picked up an associate’s degree in business and quickly expanded his trucking contacts.  Northwest Shippers, Inc., was the result. Now, Phil and an experienced and closely knit staff of six — all living and working in the state of Washington — take care of business coast-to-coast. Regardless of the complexity of the job, Phil knows what keeps Northwest rolling.
 
“We take care of our people, because they're professional and we need professionals,” he explained. “Customers understand they have people who know what they’re doing, who’ll talk to you daily when we’re moving freight for you. The importance of relationships can’t be stressed enough.”
 
Northwest will arrange most machinery and high-end metal shipments that are not both overweight and over-dimensional. Phil says customers are usually relieved to find a less-than-truckload load option, which can save them both time and money.
 
Northwest Shippers became acquainted with some MDNA member businesses about a dozen years ago, and those contacts resulted in referrals for Premier Vendor status.  Phil sees the achievement as validation of his approach to his work.
 
“There’s a niche in our market for professional people who do a good job, who do the best work possible,” Phil declared. “That’s our goal and we're pretty good at that. People are more important than money. I tell my customers: ‘You need me — and I need you!’ That’s my philosophy and we do business that way.”

As used machinery becomes an increasingly international business, the need grows for
associates who can confidently navigate unfamiliar waters. New Jersey’s AMS Container Line,
Inc., is one of those businesses, and one of the MDNA’s newest premier vendors.
 
Inder Khokhar is founder and owner of AMS Container, headquartered in East Windsor, just off
the New Jersey Turnpike about midway between New York City and Philadelphia. From his
office, he oversees freight forwarding in and out of major American seaports and airports, as
well as surface transport. He specializes in moving used machinery — most of it by ship — to
customers both foreign and domestic.
 
“Our core business is international shipping,” Inder explained in a recent interview. “We do
export a lot of used machinery— especially to Japan, India, and Bangladesh, and also a few
shipments to Europe. We can also provide short-term warehousing at multiple locations in the
U.S. if it is some machinery we need to pick up inland and get it to New York, we can bring it to the yard and load the containers there. We are a general domestic company for international
shipping, and we also do domestic trucking. We outsource the trucking and have a brokerage
license.”
 
Customs is a key consideration for customers, and Inder’s team knows those ropes well. AMS is licensed by the Federal Maritime Commission as a Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier,
which Inder calls “a premier certification to handle sea freight into and exports out of the
U.S., where we can issue our own bill of lading.
 
“Customs are very regulated as those regulations are very, very straightforward,” he continued.
“Nobody can expedite Customs. If they say they can it’s probably just a sales pitch. With
customs, it is right or wrong — no gray areas. There are terrorism concerns, for instance, I’ve
had somebody stuck with some machines that are very old, but which could be modified to
make something dangerous. Customs held it to make sure that it is not going to some country
where they can start producing barrels for guns and things like that.”
 
Inder has been in the shipping business since he was a 19-year-old college student in his
hometown of Delhi, India.
 
“I joined a company that wanted to have a U.S. office and that’s how I migrated to New Jersey
in 2002,” he recalled. “At that time, we were primarily looking at Indian subcontinent business,
and New Jersey/New York was one of the biggest gateways. So I made my base here and in
2008, I started this company on my own.”
 
AMS operates from the East Windsor offices and a warehouse in nearby Linden. N.J., near
New York City.
 
As Inder began attending sale events in the New York area seeking export prospects, he
became acquainted with MDNA-affiliated machinery dealers. Those associations led to eventual sponsorships for AMS as an MDNA premier vendor.
 
“We’re blessed to have established a business in the U.S.A” Inder said of his business as he
enters his third decade on the U.S. scene. “It’s the American dream.”

“Hit the ground runnin’,” singer David Lee Roth’s lyrical shout from the Van Halen ‘80s rock hit “Unchained,” inspired the name for HGR Industrial Surplus. The MDNA member business took Roth’s advice from the day it opened in 1998 in the Cleveland suburb of Euclid, Ohio — and it’s not about to slow down.
 
Alex McNealey is a few months into his job as HGR’s chief operating officer, and is excited about the prospect of continuing the strong growth and diversification the company has achieved in recent years.
 
“We’re looking to expand and looking toward the international market,” he said in a recent interview. “We’re there whenever a manufacturer needs to facilitate and find buyers in a surplus equipment space.”
 
Alex came to HGR recently, bringing with him a long background in “the operational side of business … when companies need to scale up and achieve efficient growth. I like change.
 
“The only business constant is change,” he opines. “We facilitate that change.”
 
Recent changes have included HGR opening new spaces in Wisconsin and Texas to complement warehouses across the U.S. and Mexico. The range of services the company offers make it an option for almost any machinery business considering expansion, moving, retooling, or liquidation.
 
“One value we provide that is very desirable is that we have the ability to clear their four walls, quickly,” Alex said, adding that other HGR services provide cash up front to sellers; consignment sales; brokerage services, primarily for sales of large equipment; the potential to engage in joint ventures; and facilitating auctions.
 
HGR’s equipment acquisition services have both end users and resellers as its primary customers. “We’ll buy almost anything that is quality equipment,” Alex adds. “and we’re known for having a wide selection.”
 
The company hosted the annual MDNA Cleveland Chapter meeting this spring. Its new leader sees MDNA as “a forum to bring people together, share experiences, and help problem-solve among each other.”

Hydraulic Parts Source is among the newest businesses in the select circle of MDNA Premier Vendors, with an experienced executive team that is becoming well-known in the used machinery business.
 
Andrew Pringle is Director of Business Development and Surplus for Hydraulic Parts Source, which is headquartered in Harrison Township, Mich., in north suburban Detroit. He’s relatively new to Hydraulic Parts Source but is a veteran of the surplus machinery trade and sees great potential benefit for both his new employer and the MDNA member businesses the company will serve as a Premier Vendor.
 
“It’s not just that we can help you with your hydraulic components,” he explains of the connection with MDNA members. “We can acquire good surplus stock from anyone who wants to pass it along. We can do repairs. We do drop shipments to protect your customer base and not involve our organization at all. We're really willing to do whatever we need to do to facilitate and keep sales relationships together for your customer base and, obviously, to grow ours in return.”
 
Pringle and his family reside in his hometown of Twinsburg, Ohio, several miles south of Cleveland and his previous employer, HGR Industrial Surplus. He began at HGR in sales and worked his way up through the supervisory ranks to director of sales. At Hydraulic Parts Source, he’s involved in strengthening and expanding the company’s brand as well as procurement, which takes him to customers for on-site assessments and relationship-building.
 
HGR was one of the MDNA members that stepped up on behalf of Hydraulic Parts Source when the Michigan company applied for Premier Vendor status. The MDNA Premier Vendor networking and marketing program designed to broaden relationships between MDNA members and key industry-supporting partners.
 
“I knew HGR was a major player with the MDNA,” Pringle recalls. “I was familiar with the organization and appreciated the benefit of getting involved with the (used machinery) community. So, basically, we found sponsors to vouch for the quality and character of our business, and one of them was HGR.”
 
“I joined Hydraulic Parts Source in the first place because I know that (CEO) Corey Gilbert is a man of character, that the organization operates with Integrity, and that they really value customer service.”

Like many other machine sales businesses, family ties and professional friendships have helped secure the foundation of Walker Machinery LTD. And there’s every reason to believe that, through the Machinery Dealers National Association (MDNA), those same factors will play an important role in the Canadian company’s future.
 
‘Taking part in (MDNA) events and the networking through the years has really helped us do our job better,” says Chris Walker, CEA, president of Walker Machinery. The company specializes sales of new and used metal-cutting and shaping equipment, primarily lathes, saws, drills and horizontal and vertical  boring mills.  Walker also offers appraisal services for used equipment and is a member of the Association of Machinery and Equipment Appraisers (AMEA). The company was founded in 1996 by Chris Walker’s father, Lee, who officially retired just last year. Vice President Ryan Walker now heads the five-person operation with his brother Chris, doing business from a facility in Milton, just 25 miles from Toronto International Airport and not far from the western shore of Lake Ontario.
 
The company is marking its 25th year of MDNA membership in 2024, and Chris Walker says that relationship has been instrumental in making the business what it is today. Most of Walker Machinery’s customer base is in Canada, but it also does considerable business in the U.S., as well as in Eastern Europe and Taiwan. Joining he MDNA, Walker says, “defined a way for us the stretch our legs to the U.S. market,” and was the right move for the company.  Membership not only provided Walker with the kind of professional credibility others value, but Walker came to rely on fellow MDNA members for advice and direction as the company grew. “It has made it easier for us to do business internationally,” he notes.
 
Though Walker Machinery’s initial sales emphasis was on used equipment, the strong relationships that developed with new-equipment suppliers like Heidenhain and several other European-based concerns, shifted the company’s emphasis, and Walker says, “We’re now involved with more new machinery than with used.”
 
As time has seen significant changes at Walker Machinery, one constant in their business focus will be the stability and other advantages that has come with MDNA membership. Walker doesn’t see that changing.
 
“Frankly, as you get a little older you look for ways to make life more convenient,” he reflects. “Through the MDNA and the AMEA, we have found ways to do what we can to make our demanding jobs a little easier.”

Bob Nurko will tell you he’s among  “the last of the one-man bands” on the machinery sales scene. That being the case, then he can still carry a tune.
 
Nurko is the founder — and sole employee — of Easton Machinery, Inc., located an hour from both New York City and Philadelphia, in the rolling hills of eastern Pennsylvania. He has been part of the machinery sales business for nearly a half-century and established Easton Machinery in 1984 following a 15-year stint with Ingersoll-Rand. This May, he and his business observed 25 years of membership in the Machinery Dealers National Association (MDNA). Nurko wasted no time joining MDNA’s leadership ranks, serving as Philadelphia Chapter chair from 2005-2007. The knowledge gained and connections made have brought him satisfaction and confidence.
 
“The MDNA has meant a lot of joint ventures and business friendships for me over the years,” he said in a recent interview. “And it provides a code of ethics for our industry that we’ve maintained.  That’s what all members get as a benefit.”
 
Easton dealt strictly in used machinery in its early days, then moved into new equipment sales in 1990, a year after being named a key distributor by Summit Machine Tools. Since, then, Easton has added nearly a dozen other new-equipment, lines. Nurko takes pride in offering his sales customers what he considers the best of both worlds — the responsiveness and attention of a small shop combined with the availability of major brands.
 
“Having now been with MDNA for 25 years and as a past chairman of the Philadelphia Chapter, I’d like to extend heartfelt appreciation to all previous, current, and future MDNA members,” he concluded. “And I sincerely hope they all had a meaningful Memorial Day.”

Terry Yoder runs a second-generation family machinery sales business in the Heartland, and part of his mission is to prepare the third generation for success.
 
Yoder Machinery Sales operates under 300,000 square feet from three facilities in the greater Toledo, Ohio area.  The business dates to 1957, when Terry’s father, Lowell Yoder, established Yoder Machinery. It has grown to have a place today among the largest used machinery dealers in America, with more than 3,000 production items in stock.
 
“Our typical customer is a family-owned business employing 75 or fewer people." says Terry, the company’s president, who adds, “We’re mostly manual equipment. We work with metal — no plastics. And we don’t offer much CNC.”
 
Even when your stock-in-trade is offering “Old School" wares, you keep up with the market and prepare for tomorrow’s opportunities. Yoder is positioned to do that.  Terry is the father of three and since he bought out his brother Tim’s share of the business in 2019, has had an eye toward the company’s next chapter. His son, Cody, is Yoder’s vice-president and Terry’s first cousins, Jake and Shane Yoder, have joined Cody on the sales team. They help represent a business that buys, sales, repairs, cleans, paints, rigs, and ships machinery for delivery to a mostly American customer base.
 
Terry keeps his finger on the pulse of the used equipment business through his involvement with the Machinery Dealers National Association (MDNA), which he joined after driving a truck, working eight years in the warehouse, and serving as a bookkeeper for his father.  He has been involved with the MDNA at the leadership level for more than two decades.
 
“I hope (the company) keeps on growing and the family continues in the machinery business,” he summarizes. Listen carefully, and you can hear the smile in his voice.

Welcome to “The Women of MDNA,” a series of posts where you’ll meet some of the remarkable women in our industry. Their contributions enhance our organizations and industries on a daily basis. That’s especially true for Doris Toronyi of Maynards Industries USA LLC. As one of the few women in the machinery and equipment appraisal business, she is always encouraging more women to join the field.
 
How did you get involved in the industry?
I was coming from an automotive manufacturing background. Back in 2009, after taking some time off to homeschool my son, I was looking for a way to get back into the workforce. A job came up at Liquid Asset Partners, which at the time did auctions and liquidations. It was part time with the opportunity to turn into something full time down the road, which worked well for me.
 
At first I did the accounting and the payroll, but having proved myself in that department, I earned the opportunity to transition to the newly formed appraisal department, started in 2010. I instantly took to the appraisal side of the business and found that I am very good at it. I joined the Association of Machinery and Equipment Appraiser (AMEA) in April 2015 to further my knowledge in this area, and in September of that same year began volunteering for the organization. Fast forward to 2024, and I now work for Maynards Industries as a Senior Appraiser, and I love my job and the industry.
 
How has your company benefitted from MDNA? 
I think that being one of the few women in the room gets attention on its own. That leads to the “where do you work and what do you do there” conversation, which in turn brings visibility to our company. Anytime I can bring up the possibility of working with another appraiser is an opportunity for both companies to win. I will also say that my social skills and ability to speak in front of others has increased dramatically since my involvement with the MDNA and AMEA.  There’s just a sense of self-confidence that has grown from the camaraderie and relationships that have been built by being a part of these organizations. It’s immeasurable.
 
How have you served with MDNA?
I’ve served on the AMEA Board of Directors since 2016. MDNA is the parent of AMEA. We handle the appraisal and valuation of machinery, equipment, and other business assets. I am currently the first vice president and am on track to be the first female president of the AMEA in mid-2025. Also, at the 2023 MDNA Convention, I was presented with the Dick Goldstein award for leadership and contribution to AMEA.
 
What is the value women bring to the industry? 
We can give the guys a different point of view in a topic of discussion. I think that when we talk, they listen to what we have to say (versus another male voice). Many of the men in the industry have been doing this for generations, so while we may not always be able to bring new knowledge, we can give them a different perspective. They listen and want to hear what we have to say. I also feel as if we’re able to bring people together better, that having women in a room can make it more comfortable—more of a family environment. I love to hear updates about people’s personal lives and families. I think just that alone makes the guys feel more at ease. They are willing to talk more easily and stress a little less. It’s business, but it’s also friendship.
 
What advice would you give other women in the machinery sales business?
It’s important to fit in, but it’s even more important to keep your individuality. Men (usually) work and think in a different manner than women. We have to accept that. When you do something differently, that doesn’t mean it’s wrong, it’s just different. Also, in the words of George S. Patton Jr., “Say what you mean and mean what you say.”  
 
What do you like best about the industry? 
I love learning new things, and the amount of information I get from other MDNA and AMEA members is incredible. There is so much I still don’t know, and they’re here to help with that. There’s always someone I can call when I have questions or if I just need to talk. It’s family and friends doing business, but it’s also being there for each other through whatever life brings us.