For 72 years, Gregory Poole Equipment Company has been the exclusive Caterpillar dealer for eastern North Carolina, serving one of the fastest growing regions in the country.
Along with its surrounding territory, the Raleigh-based dealership has grown rapidly, expanding into new equipment lines and services, branching out to 26 locations and employing nearly 1,400 people.
Despite its size, the company remains family owned. Greg Poole III, chairman and CEO, bought the company from his father in 1999.
James Gregory Poole Sr. formed Gregory-Poole Equipment Company in 1951 with his uncle William Lewis Gregory. Poole Sr. and his family became the sole owners in 1961 after obtaining Gregory’s shares. The business’ name then became Gregory Poole Equipment Company. J. Gregory Poole Jr., the second-generation owner led the dealership from 1965 to 1999.
Another generation has joined the company as well. Greg Poole IV, director of product support, grew up with the business and spent summers working in the warehouse assisting master technicians. He joined Gregory Poole full time about five years ago and has transitioned through various departments to learn the business.
Along with a lengthy family history, the company has many long-term employees who have remained with the company for decades. That has translated into strong, trusted customer service, not only in sales and parts but in maintenance as well. The company’s technicians can do it all, from PMs to rebuilds. Gregory Poole has a large fleet of field technicians who go out at all hours when customers need help.
Not only does Gregory Poole have a large fleet of highly trained technicians, but it also has trained equipment operators on staff to help customers with their new equipment and technology – even with equipment training simulators. The company remains on the cutting edge of Cat’s latest technology, including the Cat Command remote-control machine operation. The dealership also has a dedicated staff to monitor machine telematics for customers who choose that option. Its latest effort has been to adopt Cat’s e-commerce app service for ordering parts.
