Guy Taylor, a native of Macon, GA, started in the equipment business more than 50 years ago in 1948 where he began his employment in the parts department at Tri State Tractor Co., Macon, GA. In 1956, he started in a “training territory,” and in 1958 was promoted to a territory sales representative for Athens and northeast Georgia for Tri State Tractor. In 1965, he was promoted to the Atlanta branch. Two years later, he became the Georgia sales manager and was responsible for 18 sales representatives in eight locations.

In 1970, when Tri State Tractor formed Trico Equipment Co., Taylor was named vice president and general manager. Two years later, he became the company’s president, a position he held until 1989. Trico Equipment Co. was later purchased by Burch-Lowe Inc. and Taylor retired in 1990 to Lake Burton in northeast Georgia. Later that year, he found himself not ready for retirement and came back to the heavy equipment industry.

In 1991, Rich Dundon, vice president and general manager of Trax Inc. called on Taylor to join Trax to help strengthen the company’s management team and to reorganize the Atlanta service department.

According to Dundon, “Guy’s next responsibility was to go to Augusta, GA, and to find property and build a new facility, taking Jess Arnold and Bob Sandlin and the Augusta crew out of the old service station known as the homeless shelter garage that they were headquartered in for the Richmond County, GA, area. Four years ago, Guy was our point man in starting our operation in Savannah, GA. Again, he found the property and built the facility. He managed both Augusta and Savannah for three years and commuted on a regular basis between the branches.” Interestingly enough, Taylor hired and trained Rich Dundon in the equipment industry in 1970.

According to Taylor, “I have enjoyed every day of work because of the customers and co-workers that I’ve worked around. This industry has given me the opportunity to go around the world, something that I probably would not have done on my own.”

Taylor also said he has never seen so many changes in the equipment industry as he’s seen in the last 10 years with regards to shifts of companies on a global basis.

Taylor’s part-time status with Trax came to be very much a full-time job for the last 10 years, and, accordingly, Trax became a second home to him. “I have nothing but gratitude for the opportunity to work with the nice bunch of people at Trax. Everybody here gives 100 percent and it’s hard to leave.”

The industry hasn’t seen the last of Guy Taylor. He will be called out of retirement on a part-time basis to help Trax with its future expansion into the Macon, GA, market; the same area where it all started for Taylor in 1948.

Taylor’s son Tony follows in his dad’s footsteps and has been in the industry for almost 20 years. He’s now the northeast Georgia Territory manager for Trax Inc., the same territory his dad worked earlier in his career.

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