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Posted: Apr 15, 2016
By Chris Mc Loone
This year marks 70 years since P.L. Custom Body and Equipment Co., Inc. (PLCB) opened its doors in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey.
In 1970, the business was purchased by the Smock family, led by Martin V. “Bud” Smock, and has been owned and operated by the Smocks ever since. The company thrived during the ensuing years, based in large part on its methodical, calculated growth; its focus on people-both within the company’s walls and its customers; and maintaining a size that allows it to turn on a dime when necessary.
Origins
The company was founded in 1946 and built brush truck and responder vehicles. At that time, it had not gotten into ambulance manufacturing. In the 1960s, the company moved to Brick, New Jersey, and continued to manufacture brush trucks and other small fire trucks. “My father was selling for Swab Wagon, out of Pennsylvania, in the 1960s,” says Deborah Smock Thomson, president of PLCB. He discovered PLCB in the 1960s, hooked up with the company, and started developing an interest in ambulances. He had been a first-aid member in Spring Lake and Manasquan, New Jersey, and, according to Thomson, “He said there’s got to be a better way to build a better ambulance,” and figured PLCB would be able to do it. He started selling for PLCB and in a short amount of time made the investment to buy into the company and then bought the company. “He kept all the employees,” adds Thomson. “So if you go back to 1970, it’s always been our structure to say we’re going to keep the people we have, expand their talents, and promote from within.”
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| 1 P.L. Custom Body and Equipment Co., Inc. is celebrating 70 years in business during 2016. The company has used this facility in Wall Township, New Jersey, since 1987. (Photos courtesy of P.L. Custom Body and Equipment Co., Inc.) |
As the modular ambulance started to become accepted, the company needed more space because until then it could only work on one truck at a time. So, in the mid 1970s, PLCB moved to a facility in Wall Township, New Jersey. Since that time, the company has been in four buildings on Atlantic Avenue. “We’ve continued to grow and continued to move into larger facilities,” says Thomson. “Every time we got to one, we said, ‘That’s it. We’re never going to need more space.’ And, a couple of years later, we would say, ‘We need more space.’ As our footprint in the industry increased, we needed bigger facilities.”
The company moved into its current facility in 1987 after Bud Smock looked across the driveway from his office in a building the company built and saw that the complex was for sale. “He said, ‘Think we should do it?’ and went home to talk to Jean Smock, the company’s current owner and CEO. He and Jean talked about it, and she said, ‘Why not? Let’s go for it.’ So, we bought the building in 1987 and had no idea how we were going to fill it up.” Jean Smock adds, “The interest rate in those days was 18 percent. What a leap of faith!”
Read more
- 454
- Article rating: No rating
Posted: Apr 15, 2016
By Chris Mc Loone
This year marks 70 years since P.L. Custom Body and Equipment Co., Inc. (PLCB) opened its doors in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey.
In 1970, the business was purchased by the Smock family, led by Martin V. “Bud” Smock, and has been owned and operated by the Smocks ever since. The company thrived during the ensuing years, based in large part on its methodical, calculated growth; its focus on people-both within the company’s walls and its customers; and maintaining a size that allows it to turn on a dime when necessary.
Origins
The company was founded in 1946 and built brush truck and responder vehicles. At that time, it had not gotten into ambulance manufacturing. In the 1960s, the company moved to Brick, New Jersey, and continued to manufacture brush trucks and other small fire trucks. “My father was selling for Swab Wagon, out of Pennsylvania, in the 1960s,” says Deborah Smock Thomson, president of PLCB. He discovered PLCB in the 1960s, hooked up with the company, and started developing an interest in ambulances. He had been a first-aid member in Spring Lake and Manasquan, New Jersey, and, according to Thomson, “He said there’s got to be a better way to build a better ambulance,” and figured PLCB would be able to do it. He started selling for PLCB and in a short amount of time made the investment to buy into the company and then bought the company. “He kept all the employees,” adds Thomson. “So if you go back to 1970, it’s always been our structure to say we’re going to keep the people we have, expand their talents, and promote from within.”
|
| 1 P.L. Custom Body and Equipment Co., Inc. is celebrating 70 years in business during 2016. The company has used this facility in Wall Township, New Jersey, since 1987. (Photos courtesy of P.L. Custom Body and Equipment Co., Inc.) |
As the modular ambulance started to become accepted, the company needed more space because until then it could only work on one truck at a time. So, in the mid 1970s, PLCB moved to a facility in Wall Township, New Jersey. Since that time, the company has been in four buildings on Atlantic Avenue. “We’ve continued to grow and continued to move into larger facilities,” says Thomson. “Every time we got to one, we said, ‘That’s it. We’re never going to need more space.’ And, a couple of years later, we would say, ‘We need more space.’ As our footprint in the industry increased, we needed bigger facilities.”
The company moved into its current facility in 1987 after Bud Smock looked across the driveway from his office in a building the company built and saw that the complex was for sale. “He said, ‘Think we should do it?’ and went home to talk to Jean Smock, the company’s current owner and CEO. He and Jean talked about it, and she said, ‘Why not? Let’s go for it.’ So, we bought the building in 1987 and had no idea how we were going to fill it up.” Jean Smock adds, “The interest rate in those days was 18 percent. What a leap of faith!”
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