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.
1 Comment
Dan Wheeler
10/29/2024 07:54:01 am
Incredible people and incredible story. Absolutely love working with these guys. Kudos to you Davis brothers!
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