The Formation of Caterpillar, Inc.
Prior
to World War I, there were more than 200 manufacturers building
track-type tractors, a new industry for America. Tractors were
replacing horses and mules on farms and construction sites all over the
country. In 1925, two prominent tractor manufacturers, C.L. Best
Company and Holt Manufacturing Company, merged to form Caterpillar,
Inc. The new enterprise had just three products to sell: the 2-ton,
30-ton and 60-ton tractors. Caterpillar established a good dealer
organization and developed a dependable supply of parts and service
readily available for the products sold.
Before Wheeler Machinery Co.
In
1926, Herbert Landes acquired the first Caterpillar dealership in the
Intermountain West and Jesse Wheeler, a retired Studebaker dealer, came
out of retirement to help him run the business. In 1929, Jesse's son,
J.K. Wheeler, joined the firm as a sales representative and sold
Caterpillar products throughout the Intermountain West.
Landes
sold out to Don Robinson in 1944, who then sold out to J.K. Wheeler and
Walter Kershaw in 1951. Wheeler and Kershaw’s new corporation, the
Wheeler-Kershaw Company was formed. J.K.'s son, Don Wheeler, began
working in the shop and yard in 1947 while attending the University of
Utah. After graduation and two years in the U.S. Air Force, Don Wheeler
rejoined the firm in 1955 as a floor sales representative. In 1956,
Lyle Campbell, also a graduate of the University of Utah and a
trained U.S. Air Force pilot, was hired as the administrative assistant
to J.K. Wheeler.
Wheeler Machinery Co. - A Dream Is Finally Built
Walter
Kershaw sold his interest to J.K. Wheeler in 1957, and the company's
name was changed to Wheeler Machinery Co. Two years later, the company
moved to a new and larger facility located at 300 West 2100 South in
Salt Lake City, Utah. Wheeler conducted its business from this location
for 21 years. In 1971, Don Wheeler and Lyle Campbell assumed leadership
of the company, as J.K. was approaching retirement and acquired
ownership control in 1981 after J.K.'s passing.
Two of Lyle's
sons, Rob and Scott Campbell, began working in the parts and service
departments in 1978 and 1979, respectively, while attending college.
Another of Lyle's sons, Paul Campbell, began working as a sales
representative in 1988 upon his graduation from college.
Service, Integrity, Stewardship
Don
Wheeler and Lyle Campbell led Wheeler Machinery Co. competently for 25
years, during which time they built a legacy of service, integrity and
stewardship while doubling the number of employees from 300 to 600. In
1980, as a result of company growth, Don and Lyle once again moved the
company to a larger facility on 80 acres of land at 4901 West 2100
South Salt Lake City, Utah. Today, this state-of-the-art structure is
still among the largest, most advanced equipment dealer facilities in
the world.
In 1996, Rob, Scott and Paul Campbell acquired
ownership control and assumed the leadership of the company. The
Campbell brothers formally adopted Service, Integrity, Stewardship. Today, the company is thriving with Rob Campbell as president and Paul Campbell as executive vice president.
Strength, Support, Solutions
Much
has changed in the 83 years since Caterpillar began selling its small
variety of tractors. Today, Wheeler Machinery Co. sells, rents and
services more than 400 Caterpillar-brand machines and power systems,
from generator sets to excavators and mining trucks. Caterpillar
machines and power systems are industry leaders in reliability with a
reputation for retaining high market values.
Wheeler also
sells, rents and services Trail King trailers, Multiquip
construction equipment, trench boxes, Valew water tanks, Pioneer pumps,
Sullair air compressors, Metso crushing and screening equipment,
Trimble laser and GPS systems plus many more products to help
your projects run smoothly.
Safety is an important part of
Wheeler Machinery Co. During 2007, Wheeler hit a milestone of working
1-million hours without a lost-time accident. Because of this, Wheeler
was recently named the safest Caterpillar Dealer in the West and the
third safest dealer in the United States. This was achieved by using
the TRACK safety awareness system: Think through the task, Recognize
the hazards, Assess the risks, Control the hazards, Keep safety first
in all tasks.
Wheeler Machinery Co.'s 500-plus employees are housed in convenient locations throughout Utah including Salt Lake City, Ogden, Lindon, Logan, Vernal, Salina, Cedar City, Hurricane, Roosevelt and Moab. Wheeler also operates a branch in Ely, Nevada.