For the Topgolf Germantown entertainment venue, N & S Equipment Rentals & Contractor Supply supplied geotextiles, sediment and erosion control products, rebar, wire mesh, rental equipment and general contractor supplies.

Siblings John Ward Jr. (left), CEO, and Debbie Ward Butler, CFO, own and operate N & S Equipment Rentals & Contractor Supply. Their father, John Ward Sr. (right), is now happily retired from the company.

What does it take to own and operate a successful equipment rental and sales company in the Washington, D.C. metro area for 60 years?

Siblings John Ward, CEO, and Debbie Ward Butler, CFO, who own N & S Equipment Rentals & Contractor Supply (N & S) located in Germantown, Maryland, are quick to reply. They say that despite the number of changes that have occurred since the company was founded, the firm has consistently maintained its flexibility and its devotion to listening to its customers’ needs.

John joined the company in 1979 when his father, John Ward Sr., asked him what he would like to do in the company, which was then primarily a tractor dealership selling farm equipment.

“I told him I thought we should add rentals to our mix,” John recalls. “One of our best customers had wondered why we didn’t rent equipment in addition to product and equipment sales. So, one of my best business lessons came from that encounter. I learned how important it is that we listen to our customers and problem solve for them.”

So, N & S’s rental business was born in 1981 as a way to supplement the tractor and farm equipment sales. Rentals grew to include everything from skid steers, generators, air compressor tools and backhoes to pumps and excavators. Rentals targeted contractor customers located in the greater Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area.

Caring for Creature Comforts

Over the years, the rental business grew to where it accounted for about 80 percent of N & S’s gross revenues. One of the reasons for rental growth could be because of N & S’s commitment to install customer-oriented features on some of its larger rental equipment.

“When we buy large pieces of equipment, we always add heating and air conditioning to any closed cab machine,” Debbie says. “It costs us more, but when it’s 95 degrees out, we know our customers enjoy having some extra comfort. We also install Bluetooth on all of our excavators and loaders so operators can take business calls and communicate with each other safely.”

“Our rental revenue has been a real strength and increased steadily. But in more recent years, sales have really taken off. In fact, they have been through the roof. Today we are the opposite mix with about 80 percent of our revenue coming from contractor supply sales,” John says.

He explains the team has discovered that sales are an easier way to scale up the business.

“A sale is a much easier and simpler transaction than a rental. Rentals are more labor intensive because you’ve got to keep up with repairs and maintenance for equipment to be in good working order,” he says. “So, for us, sales generate revenue to help support the rental business. There’s room on the table for both.”

Listening, Responding to Customers’ Needs

“We tend to do things the old-fashioned way,” Debbie says. “We have a tremendous walk-in business, and this allows us to talk to our customers one-on-one and hear what their needs are. We are a flexible company that can change very quickly in response to market demands and customer needs.”

Debbie joined the business in 1989, also at the request of her father. She earned an accounting degree and had been working in project accounting roles for United Technology Solutions and Clark Construction.

“I was very corporate at the time and never thought I’d join our family company,” she says. “But I’m glad I did, and I’ve never looked back.”

The company was formed in 1961 and was named Norman & Staiger, Inc. after the original owners. It was primarily a farm machinery dealer selling International Harvester tractors and equipment, farm machinery and lawn care products.

In 1983, N & S added Ace Hardware contractor supply products to its mix by becoming a franchise owner. In this way, the company has become that “helpful place” for advice, service and quality products. Supply products include everything from erosion control, batch concrete, rebar and personal protective equipment to landscaping tools, laser levels, generators and pumps, and drill bits. The hardware store is located within the N & S two-and-a-half-acre work site that includes 20,000 square feet of sales and warehouse space. The company’s customer base is comprised of about 85 percent commercial clients and 15 percent homeowners.

“Although we target contractors, we also have a robust homeowner client base to whom we sell bagged and bulk mulch, cut keys and rent tillers—all under one roof,” Debbie explains. “Customers like the ease of parking right outside our door, walking in and being greeted by a knowledgeable sales team member. We’re not like the big-box stores where you have to ring a bell in the aisle and hope that help comes.”

Sharing Knowledge of Products and Services

“We are hands on and have an extensive knowledge base to help customers identify and find what they need for a project,” Debbie says.

She believes that their team’s vast knowledge of products and services are vital assets to the company’s continued success. Many of its 26 employees have been with the company for a long time, some even 15 to 20 years. And one, Greg Nester, Vice President and part Owner of the company, has been employed at N & S for 35 years.

“Greg is instrumental in ensuring we have good customer relations,” John says. “He really represents our core values and is a good leader for others to follow.”

Debbie says that N & S is a family-first business that considers employees its greatest asset.

“We hire people who are self-starters and independent thinkers. We try to identify people’s strengths and put them in positions where they will have the greatest success,” she says. “We offer very competitive wages and an outstanding benefits package in order to take care of our employees and their families.”

John continues, “We trust our employees so much. We bring our entire team together and include them in our decision-making processes. These decisions impact their livelihoods, and their voices really count.”

“Everyone on staff works very hard to help customers,” adds Debbie. “For example, during snowstorms, we will open in the middle of the night to help our customers, like governments, hospitals and landscapers, with ice melt needs. Anyone who has worked with us knows that we have a solid reputation for putting the customer first.”

Making Deliveries Daily

N & S also makes equipment and product deliveries throughout each day to the Washington, D.C. metro area—often within short notice. For its concrete customers, the company delivers rebar, wire mesh, cut-off saws and blades. It also has an onsite ready-mix concrete batch plant where a customer can obtain up to 2 yards of concrete in a buggy to haul to a job site.

For its landscaping customers, N & S supplies hand tools, hydroseed and hydroseeders, straw, mulch, aerators and spreaders. It also offers drainage products and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) fittings and pipe.

Excavation companies come to N & S for filter cloth, T-posts, welded wire fencing, hard hats and marking paint, as well as to have silt fencing manufactured and imprinted with their logos. As a STIHL elite dealership, the company’s arborist department offers tree climbing and tree trimming products.

While 2020 was challenging in many ways for N & S, Debbie and John are pleased they could retain all staff and keep employees at full hours. Some of their biggest challenges throughout the COVID-19 pandemic involved supply chain disruptions and increased prices in various product categories.

“In spite of this, we were pleased we could offer rental equipment, concrete products and geotextiles for the newly constructed Topgolf Germantown entertainment venue. Our being a one-stop shop allowed us to provide rental equipment, rebar, filter cloth and concrete products all in one call,” Debbie says.

With a penchant for customer focus and a willingness to adapt and be open to change, N & S appears poised for a fruitful future. And for siblings who never dreamed of joining a family business, John and Debbie discovered that dreams can change—and, sometimes, in very fortuitous ways.