August 2006 Letter From the President

I would first like to start off by saying Thank You to all of our customers that have supported us during the last 90 days as well as the last 30 years. Our Team has been working very hard to communicate all the changes going on with Ben-Ko-Matic DBA Owen Equipment and I hope that any questions you have asked have been answered quickly and thoroughly. A few questions have been asked on a daily basis:

Question: Does Owen Equipment still stock and sell brushes?

Answer: YES! Not only do we have Top Quality OEM Elgin brushes for superior wear and performance for Elgin products, we are also just completing an understanding with URB to partner with them in the distribution of brushes. Owen Equipment will be stocking a large quantity of brushes for all manufactures in both Seattle and Portland. We will have what you need when you need it at a competitive price. URB will be working directly with our Sales and Management staff to ensure our customer gets the highest quality brushes to our customers on time!

Question: Do we need new Federal Tax ID information, and are our contracts still in place with this change?

Answer: When the acquisition of Ben-Ko-Matic was made it was a stock purchase, therefore we bought all ongoing business as well as all of the assets of the company. By doing this our Federal Tax ID remained the same and all current contracts are still in place and valid. Our goal was to bring as little disruption to the business and our customers as possible.

Question: What is Owen Equipment doing to build parts inventory and manage service lead times?

Answer: We are in the process on working with our manufacturers to develop the right stocking levels on inventory. This project should be completed by late summer currently we have over $500,000.00 in inventory. Our long-term Goal is to have a 95% fill rate on OEM parts and 100% on all brush orders.

We have now added two additional mechanics in Portland and are looking for the right people for Seattle. We are recruiting as best we can. We will keep working hard to ensure we have the best staff in the industry. Thank you very much for your patience and understanding as we continue to improve daily.

Question: When is the name going to change from Ben-Ko-Matic to Owen Equipment?

Answer: Starting August 7th you will notice we will be answering our phone “Owen Equipment formally Ben-Ko-Matic.” During the following 45 days we will be making the transition to Owen Equipment.

Question: Where did the name “Owen Equipment” come from?

Answer: I am one of those people that waited a while to have my first child. Owen Anthony Rose was born on March 6th, 2006. Since he was born in my 44th year, and I will need him to push me in my wheelchair at his High School graduation, I figured I would name the company after him! Actually, he is the biggest blessing in my life so far and reinforces my personal commitment to you, our customer, to provide the finest service of any company in the industry.
I hope this portion of my letter has been of help to you and your staff. If you have any questions, please feel free to call our office at any time.

Now for the FUTURE! We have lots of things happening in the next 60 days, but we’re most excited about our upcoming “Demo Days.” On three dates in September we will have more than $1,000,000 in NEW inventory in Pasco, Portland and Seattle. For five hours each day, we will be doing demonstrations and training on each product as well as training on support equipment. Not only will you get to see how everything works during the show, you will also be able to schedule a free on-site demo for any of these products. We will be providing morning refreshments and lunch, plus lots of great door prizes. This will be a very educational day and a rare opportunity for your team to see our product lines in person and get some tips on best practices for maximum performance on the equipment you may already have. Please refer to the inside of this newsletter for a full schedule and information. If you would, please contact our office and RSVP with how many people you will be sending.

By mid-August, we will have added a product support person in both the Portland and Seattle areas. These people will be available to help with your needs for brushes, support equipment and accessories, as well as representing our Light Equipment product lines.

A new look! Over the next 60 days you will see our appearance change along with our name. Our new company colors will be black, blue and silver. Our GOAL is to make an unmistakable differentiation between the past and the future while we distinguish ourselves from our competition in every aspect.

We will provide the highest quality products and our service WILL be above and beyond your expectations!

I am looking forward to meeting many of you at DEMO DAYS. If you have any input you would like to share, or if you have any concerns, please feel free to call me any time. I would like your input on how we are doing and how you think we can improve!

Thank you,

Earl A. Rose
(503) 255-9055 - Office
(503) 704-2151 - Mobile