Manasquan, NJ—P.L. Custom Body and Equipment Co., Inc. (PLCB) has added Vander Molen Fire Apparatus Sales and Service (VMFire) to its growing family of distributors. VMFire will be providing sales and service to emergency services providers in the central and northeastern part of New York. In addition to providing sales and service for both PL Custom Emergency Vehicles and Rescue 1 vehicles, VMFire will be able to provide remounting and specialty conversions through PLCB as well.
Chad Newsome, national sales manager for PLCB, is very pleased to have VMFire as part of the PLCB family. “VMFire Equipment, a dealership that is focused on service and shares our family-run business values, is a strong addition to our dealer network and one that will greatly benefit customers in this region. VMFire will be handling the following counties for us in New York State: Albany, Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, St. Lawrence, Tioga, Tompkins, Warren, and Washington counties. On behalf of all of us here in Manasquan, we wish to express our thanks to VMFire Equipment, Inc. for joining our team!”
VMFire is currently a dealer for Sutphen Corporation and Fort Garry Fire Trucks. What began in 2004 as a single-salesman operation has grown into the full service organization it is known for today. Phil Vander Molen, president of VMFire, was introduced to Sutphen Fire Apparatus while in the role of committee co-chair for the DeWitt (NY) Fire District. Phil was a full-time English Teacher at the time, has spent 25 years as a volunteer firefighter, and now serves as fire commissioner for Dewitt Fire District. VMFire incorporated in 2005 and began building a sales and service team over the ensuing years. Successful sales and service relationships led to expanding the service and sales departments to seven vehicles and two maintenance trailers. In 2016, VMFire undertook the next step in growth by purchasing three acres of land to design and build its new 9,000-square-foot service and sales facility building. This new facility is equipped with the latest service capabilities to better support our customers. Vander Molen says, “VMFire looks to 2018 as a new phase in our growth process. To better serve emergency service providers, we welcome the addition of the PL Custom Emergency Vehicles and Rescue 1 product lines to our sales and service family. This growth is a natural fit for both our customers’ needs and our organizational plans”.
P.L. Custom Body and Equipment Co., Inc. has been in business since 1946 and owned by the Smock family since 1970. The company employs 175 people at its Manasquan, New Jersey, plant and sells through a network of 17 independent dealers covering 28 states, the District of Columbia, and also distributes their Rescue 1 product in Canada. PL Custom Emergency Vehicle and Rescue 1 are the man