Rich Myers, Owner of Genuine Sales Co., a Texas Iron Horse, LLC company, located in New Waverly, Texas.

Texas Iron Horse, LLC at work repairing the undercarriage on this Caterpillar D6T.

Texas Iron Horse, LLC, located in New Waverly, Texas, specializes in big machines—excavators, cranes, bulldozers and other equipment necessary for construction work. The company provides heavy equipment sales, rental, service, heavy hauling and third-party inspections. But Texas Iron Horse, founded in 2015 by Rich Myers under the name Genuine Sales Co., started out small, selling compact construction equipment out of a small yard in Magnolia, Texas. It only grew from there.

Big Dreams

Myers likes to dream big. A self-described “tinkerer,” he has always been mechanically inclined with a good eye for problem-solving. At the age of 19, he went to work for a large industrial company’s oil and gas division. While he started off sweeping the floors, within five years he had already been promoted to a global service technician for diesel hydraulics. While he enjoyed mechanics, he also had an interest in sales. So, in 2002, he went to work selling commercial trucks.

But Myers continued to envision bigger dreams. He saw a need in the construction market for heavy equipment sales and decided to start his own business. For Myers, it was the perfect way to combine his mechanical background in diesel hydraulics with his years in sales. “A good salesperson understands the machinery—how it works, how to fix it,” he says.

Myers set off to create what is now Texas Iron Horse. He still remembers the day in June 2015 when he took his two young boys, then 9 and 7 years old, to the courthouse with him to file the paperwork for the business. It was a proud moment that he still thinks about. “I asked them, ‘Do you want to start this business with me?’ It was fun to be able to share that experience with them.”

Myers started by selling compact machinery like mini excavators, but he didn’t realize how quickly the business would take off.

“People kept liking the equipment and buying it, and the business kept growing.”

Full Contractor Support

As the business grew, Myers saw a need to offer additional services to his customers. In 2017, Genuine Sales Co. became Texas Iron Horse, although Myers retains the Genuine Sales Co. brand for the sales division. Transitioning from selling compact equipment to heavy machinery, Texas Iron Horse has outgrown its original space in Magnolia and moved to a new location in New Waverly.

“We are all encompassing,” says Myers. “Anything to do with machinery is our focus now. A lot of places either do sales or rental—maybe they do both—but not many do outside hauling and everything else that we do.”

The goal is to provide a one-stop shop of services to contractors in the area. “We want to be a full contractor support company,” he explains.

For example, equipped with a heavy haul truck and trailer, Texas Iron Horse not only delivers equipment, but also offers their services to customers who have their own machinery that needs moving.

“Renting and hauling go hand in hand,” explains Myers.

“If we have an excavator for rent, we not only can rent the machine to the customer, we can also move it to another job site for them if they have another site they need the machine on.”

Consignments is another service Texas Iron Horse provides to those who have equipment that they want to sell—from an old tractor sitting in a barn to a fleet of excavators, or even an 18-wheeler. “If you have a machine you want to sell, we can do that,” Myers says.

Conversely, if a customer is looking to buy equipment from another individual or business, Texas Iron Horse can provide third-party inspections. As Myers explains, since a lot of business is done online, customers will contact him to examine the machine in person and complete a detailed inspection before they buy.

Myers’ own process of purchasing equipment to sell is highly selective. When sourcing inventory, he is always looking for the highest quality machinery at an affordable price for his customers. “I look at thousands of machines and only buy a couple because the quality or pricing isn’t there,” he says. “We work hard to find the right equipment for the right price for our customers. We are always looking for the best of the best.”

For Myers, the process of sourcing inventory is all about serving the customer: “We want to build a long-lasting relationship with our customers, and we know that begins with quality equipment.”

Turning a Zero into a Hero

New this year, Texas Iron Horse has also added a service department allowing Myers to use his mechanical expertise to make sure the equipment runs as smoothly as possible.

He is joined by team member Sean Humphries, who also brings a wealth of heavy hauling and mechanical experience. Together, the two troubleshoot and problem-solve to “turn equipment around…turn a zero into a hero,” as Myers puts it.

The scope of this work encompasses everything from replacing the nuts and bolts of a faulty undercarriage to solving highly technical issues with engine electronics. “We have the technical knowledge and willingness to try things to get the job done right,” Myers says. Texas Iron Horse continues to grow with no slowdown in sight. This year, Myers plans to expand the company’s service department by acquiring a new facility, including additional mechanics, for all types of heavy equipment.

Value of Hard Work

As someone who first shared his business venture with his two young sons, Myers—who also now has a daughter—understands the importance of encouraging the dreams of young people. One way he does this is by supporting the Tomball chapter of the National FFA Organization. Last year, he purchased a pig that the students had raised, and the money made from the sale went toward the students’ college education. For Myers, it’s a way to encourage and instill the value of hard work in the next generation.

“It’s important to me to keep young people interested in being successful, working hard, achieving their goals and continuing their education,” Myers says.

The concept of hard work to achieve one’s goals also ties back to what Myers hopes for the future of Texas Iron Horse: “I just want to have a successful, hardworking organization. I like to get up and make the most out of every day. I want to work hard, dream big and try to make our company as strong and successful as we can make it.”