White Oak Equipment Inc., one of Virginia’s most well-respected construction equipment dealers, welcomed scores of visitors to its Fredericksburg headquarters Feb. 28 for a customer-appreciation event.

The dealership brought in bucket loads of steamed and fried Chesapeake Bay oysters for the party as a way to thank its construction clientele. They were given the opportunity to eat great food and talk to White Oak Equipment personnel while surrounded by the firm’s extensive inventory of heavy machinery.

The event was held in tandem with White Oak Equipment’s 29th annual oyster roast for charity, which took place March 2. Started by company founder Frank McCarty and held in cooperation with Fairview Baptist Church in Fredericksburg, the oyster roast fed more than 1,500 people in 2012 and raised more than $43,500 for a needy recipient. A total of $711,000 was raised in the first 28 years of the event.

Mark McCarty, manager of the Fredericksburg location and one of the owners of White Oak Equipment, was very appreciative to everyone who turned out for the oyster roast and spent most of the evening visiting customers and thanking them for their patronage.

“I think the biggest thing that I got out of the customer-appreciation dinner this year was the positive feedback that we heard from customers,” McCarty said a few days after the event. “This was probably the first year in the last five years that I have had people actually ask me about purchasing a piece of equipment. Since the other night, I have been real busy working up quotes for people on various machines. That has been very encouraging.”

White Oak Equipment also has locations in Suffolk, Ashland and Manassas. Started in 1970, the company offers a full-line of construction equipment, including the Kubota and Takeuchi lines of machinery.

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