After 120 days on the road, a well-traveled trailer loaded with ICS equipment pulled into its final destination: Portland, Ore., headquarters of ICS, Blount Inc.
Immediately following last year's ARA show in Orlando, Fla., technical training manager Jim Ballew began a cross-country journey in a trailer equipped with ICS' gasoline- and hydraulic-powered concrete-cutting chain saws and various demonstration materials. Because of the difficulty of getting potential customers out to test the saw in Portland, ICS decided to bring the saw to the customers in as many locations as possible.
Despite a broken gas gauge and some difficult maneuvering through New York City, Ballew encountered unbelievably good luck throughout his journey, he said. On his two-weeks-on, two-weeks-off schedule, Ballew was not involved in - nor aware of having caused - any accidents, and weather conditions were never unconquerable. He did, however, find himself only 10 miles away from a devastating tornado, but he was just far enough away to miss it.
The one stroke of misfortune happened early on in the trip in Tampa, Fla., when a thief broke into the trailer, stealing tools and saws.
But despite that setback, the eight-month journey was successful overall, says Ballew. "The word is out now about the saw," he says. "People want to know more. The trailer broke down barriers and made it easy to talk. Plus, people need to see the saw to believe it and to see that we are not making exaggerated claims."
Saws were even sold on the road to motorists who were attracted by the large pictures of the saw on both sides of the trailer.
The success of the trip will result in another journey soon, says Tom Morrissey, national sales manager. "A lot of saws have been sold as a result of going out on-site," he says. "Sales went up for at least a month in each territory Jim was in."
