30.03.2015

New facility for ASCO

US equipment dealer and rental company Associated Supply Company (ASCO) broke ground last week on a new 1,500 square metre facility in Tyler Texas.

The new building will include a showroom for new equipment, a rental department, a parts warehouse and a six-bay workshop. According to the permit submission it will cost $2.6 million to construct.

ASCO was founded by J.W. (Bill) Wright in Lubbock, Texas in 1960 to distribute Towmotor lift trucks, and sell U.S. Army surplus equipment. A mechanical engineering by training, Wright served with the Navy Seabees in the Philippines during World War II and then spent 15 years as an engineer with Humble Oil and Refining, prior to returning to Lubbock to start his company.

In 1965 Towmotor was acquired by Caterpillar, and ASCO became a Caterpillar lift truck dealer. In 1969 it took over the Clark Michigan dealership for West Texas and New Mexico. In 1985 it took on Volvo Construction Equipment, following the Clark Michigan/Volvo merger.

In 2008 ASCO acquired Roberson Rent All in San Angelo, Texas. Followed a year later by Texana Machinery in San Antonio and Austin. Today the company operates from 22 locations in Beaumont, Lubbock, Amarillo, Odessa, Perryton, Midland, Clovis, Wichita Falls, Houston, Abilene, Euless, San Angelo, Sherman, San Antonio, Tyler, Austin, Bryan, Brenham, and Belton. It represents JLG, Genie, Bobcat, Crown and JCB as well as continuing to sell Caterpillar lift trucks.

Wright’s sons joined the company during the 1970s and today three of their children work in the company. The company is currently managed by Bill’s sons – chief executive Brax Wright, in Lubbock, and president Steve Wright based in Amarillo.
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The new building will be similar in many ways to Asco's facility in Euless