EESSCO LLC marked 25 years in the aggregate industry by welcoming customers, manufacturers, friends and industry partners to its Hanson, Mass., headquarters for an anniversary open house.
The event gave attendees an opportunity to tour EESSCO's facility, visit with employees and industry representatives, enjoy lunch and participate in giveaways while recognizing a company that has grown considerably since opening its doors in 2001.
Today, EESSCO provides equipment, parts, engineering, fabrication and service for aggregate and mineral processing operations, supporting customers with everything from individual replacement parts to complete multimillion-dollar processing plants.
The anniversary also provided an opportunity for three of the people involved from the beginning — Greg Donecker, Dick Vining and Greg Grey — to look back at how EESSCO got its start.
Starting From Scratch
The roots of EESSCO go back to Kemper Equipment and the experience Vining and Grey had accumulated serving the New England aggregate industry.
Donecker said Kemper Equipment, which at the time was operating primarily in Pennsylvania, was looking for an opportunity to expand. Rather than take the Kemper name into New England, however, the decision was made to establish a separate company and identity. EESSCO is now a part of the Kemper Group of companies.
“We were looking to grow, but we knew that we didn't want to take the Kemper name into New England,” Donecker said. “These guys had tremendous knowledge, not just of the industry, but of the customer base. It made a lot of logical sense for us to set it up as a separate business with a new name.”
That experience became one of the young company's biggest assets. Vining today has approximately 53 years in the aggregate industry, while Grey has spent virtually his entire working career in the business, beginning at age 18.
The timing also presented an opportunity. When Vining and Grey's previous company closed in 2001, customers throughout the region were left looking for support.
“We pretty much took over where they left off,” Vining said.
EESSCO opened its doors approximately 45 days before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The company had developed a business plan and expectations for growth when suddenly the economic future became uncertain.
“We had this business plan about how we were going to grow and what our sales were going to be,” Donecker said. “Then 9/11 happened, and I kind of scratched my head and thought, 'What did we just do?'”
EESSCO survived that uncertainty and continued growing. Over the next quarter-century, the company also weathered the 2008 economic downturn and COVID-19.
Donecker credits that longevity to three groups: committed employees, committed customers and committed suppliers.
From Parts to Complete Plants
EESSCO's early business was heavily focused on parts and aftermarket support, but its capabilities steadily expanded.
Today, its Hanson operation includes approximately 30,000 sq. ft., including 5,000 sq. ft. of office space and 25,000 sq. ft. of warehouse, fabrication and service space — and company officials already see the need for additional room.
EESSCO's relationship with Superior Industries has become an important part of its equipment business. As a full-line Superior dealer, EESSCO supports crushing, screening, washing and conveying equipment for aggregate producers throughout New England.
The company also performs engineering and fabrication for stationary projects and has expanded its service capabilities. While Superior Industries equipment is a primary focus, EESSCO can perform service work on crushers, screens and other aggregate processing equipment from a variety of manufacturers.
The company's conveyor belting operation also has become a significant part of the business. EESSCO began doing its own belting work in approximately 2006, and demand has continued to grow.
The result is an operation capable of supplying everything from a small replacement part to the engineering and supply of a complete multimillion-dollar aggregate processing plant.
Relationships That Last
Long-term supplier relationships have played an important role in EESSCO's growth.
Vining and Grey recalled that the first manufacturer agreement signed by the new company was with Durex Products. Twenty-five years later, EESSCO continues working with the same screen media supplier.
CMS Cepcor also has become an important supplier, providing crusher replacement and wear parts, including manganese and internal crusher components.
Superior Industries represents another important chapter in EESSCO's growth, with EESSCO providing sales, service and support for the manufacturer's crushing, screening, washing and conveying equipment throughout New England.
The founders, however, believe EESSCO's greatest strength is its people and their industry knowledge.
“We differentiate ourselves from a knowledge standpoint,” Donecker said. “We're not just going to hire anybody. We want to make sure they're committed people.”
Territory Sales Manager Chris Salafia is one example. A longtime member of the EESSCO organization, Salafia brings years of field experience to customers throughout the territory.
Vining also remains involved as a consultant despite retiring from full-time responsibilities, allowing EESSCO to continue drawing upon his more than five decades of aggregate industry experience.
That collective experience gives EESSCO an advantage when customers encounter difficult applications or production problems. With so many years in the aggregate industry represented within the company, chances are someone at EESSCO has encountered a similar situation before.
Celebrating 25 Years
The anniversary open house brought together many of the customers, employees, manufacturers and industry partners who have been part of EESSCO's first quarter-century.
For Donecker, Vining and Grey, it also provided an opportunity to consider how far the business has come.
What began primarily as a parts and aftermarket operation serving New England aggregate producers has developed into a company capable of supporting virtually every stage of an aggregate processing operation.
After launching shortly before 9/11 and subsequently navigating the 2008 downturn, COVID-19 and the normal ups and downs of the construction and aggregate industries, EESSCO continues to look toward additional growth.
As Donecker put it, “Not only are we still here, we're getting bigger.”
This story also appears on Aggregate Equipment Guide.
