Little Rock, Ark.-based Hugg and Hall Equipment opened a new 44,000-square-foot sales, rental, parts and service dealership in Tontitown, Ark., in the northwest Arkansas area. The new branch will serve the Springdale, Bentonville and Fayetteville market areas, which chairman John Hugg said is a strong economic area, despite the current downturn. Hugg expects a lot of growth in the region in the coming years.
Hugg recently told RER that 2008 looked to be a record year for the company, although fourth quarter performance was still uncertain. Hugg & Hall held a dedication ceremony to launch the new facility last week, attended by architects, engineers and contractors who worked on the facility, along with the local media. The mayor of Tontitown participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“It’s a very ‘green’ building,” Hugg told RER. “It’s very energy efficient, with high-efficiency windows, good insulation, air locks on office doors to keep air in and some other features as well.” Special lighting also minimizes the environmental impact.
The facility has a separate rental counter area, dock and warehouse and is well set up to facilitate rental customers getting in and out quickly. The new facility consolidates the company’s Fayetteville and Springdale branches. Hugg said the new facility is three times the size of each of the older stores.
The branch has a 15,000 square foot shop with 10-ton, 5-ton and 2-ton overhead hoists. It has a 4,000-square-foot rental warehouse and a 5,000 square foot parts warehouse. Another advantage of the new building is its location on a less-traffic street, offering easier and safer access to loading docks, service bays and a 5-acre rental yard.
Rick Volner, Hugg & Hall’s vice president of rental, lives in the area and will work out of the new branch. Hugg said Volner, now in his mid-40s, has been with the company since he was 17 and deserves much of the credit for the company’s development in rental. Chris Shields is general manager of parts and service in that area. Hugg said the company will hold a grand opening for customers in the spring.
Hugg & Hall has seven branches. It is a dealer for brands such as Toyota, Crown, Doosan, Sky Trak, Genie and JLG, Bobcat, Volvo Construction Equipment, Hitachi and others. The company is particularly strong in the forklift and aerial areas.
Hugg & Hall is a major rental player, No. 76 on the RER 100.
