I started my career after graduating from Denver Automotive and Diesel College in Denver Colorado in 1988. My first real job was working for a company called W.B. Thompson in Iron Mountain Michigan. I worked there for 8 years rebuilding Detroit engines, Allison transmissions, hydraulic cylinders and variety of small parts. I also worked at the Empire & Tilden open pit iron ore mines delivering and repairing the big dump trucks for W.B. Thompson. After Thompson I worked for Schultz Equipment Co., an International truck dealership in Iron Mountain, for 2 years. I started out as a mechanic and worked my way up to Service Manager.
I moved to Pensacola, Florida and worked for Ward International, another International truck dealer, as their Service Manager. I was not looking for another job but I was offered a position as the General Manager of Express Oil Change in Pensacola and Gulf Port, Mississippi. Soon after this change, unfortunately, our grandparents became quite ill and we decided to move back to Iron Mountain, Michigan.
While in Michigan I worked for Lodal, Inc., a refuse truck manufacturer, from 2000 - 2003 as their Customer Service / Parts Manager. I decided to I needed to make a change and went to work for Rnow, Inc., a Lodal dealer in Wisconsin in early 2003 and worked for them as their Parts Manager. While working for Rnow I learned how to run a parts business.
We decided to move back to Pensacola, Florida. After talking to a few potential customers, I decided to try and sell parts first. I have now been in business since September 11, 2003.
In 2010 I started repairing, selling and installing back up camera systems on tractor-trailer rigs for Kraft Foods and Mondelez Global LLC all over the country. My travels have taken me from the East Coast all the way to the West coast and many places in between. If you are having problems with your camera systems I can help get those issues resolved or properly install a system to prevent future problems.
We ended up moving back to Iron Mountain MI in the fall of 2014 and I continued installing and repairing camera systems. Once my son graduated from collage for gun smithing in 2016 I helped him get Westman Precision Firearms up and running. In Dec of 2019 I was hired as the General Manager of Lodal, LLC to help try and save Lodal. Unfortunately covid became a big issue in early 2020 and caused many parts supply issues. We struggled through 2020 and I thought for sure we survived the hardships that came along with covid causing all kinds of issues. We could not have imagined that the micro chip shortage would have caused so many issues. We received many letters from vendors about supply problems but the one we received from Cummins about the engine supply issues was the nail in the coffin for Lodal. Without engines Lodal could not survive and Lodal had to quit building trucks and permanently closed July of 2021.
Fortunately for me I never closed Westman Equipment and just started selling truck parts again. I concentrate all my time and effort now to help customers that own Lodals get replacement parts to keep there trucks going. As of writing this parts with chips are still causing delays in getting certain parts. Lead times are longer than usual for some parts but I am getting organized and stocking parts to help Lodal customers.
My goal is to provide quality equipment and aftermarket parts at a reasonable price for my customers. I enjoy the challenge that this business has provided and the friendships I have built with my customers. If you don't have time to find those hard to find parts, give me a call. I will be glad to help in any way possible.
Tom Westman
I moved to Pensacola, Florida and worked for Ward International, another International truck dealer, as their Service Manager. I was not looking for another job but I was offered a position as the General Manager of Express Oil Change in Pensacola and Gulf Port, Mississippi. Soon after this change, unfortunately, our grandparents became quite ill and we decided to move back to Iron Mountain, Michigan.
While in Michigan I worked for Lodal, Inc., a refuse truck manufacturer, from 2000 - 2003 as their Customer Service / Parts Manager. I decided to I needed to make a change and went to work for Rnow, Inc., a Lodal dealer in Wisconsin in early 2003 and worked for them as their Parts Manager. While working for Rnow I learned how to run a parts business.
We decided to move back to Pensacola, Florida. After talking to a few potential customers, I decided to try and sell parts first. I have now been in business since September 11, 2003.
In 2010 I started repairing, selling and installing back up camera systems on tractor-trailer rigs for Kraft Foods and Mondelez Global LLC all over the country. My travels have taken me from the East Coast all the way to the West coast and many places in between. If you are having problems with your camera systems I can help get those issues resolved or properly install a system to prevent future problems.
We ended up moving back to Iron Mountain MI in the fall of 2014 and I continued installing and repairing camera systems. Once my son graduated from collage for gun smithing in 2016 I helped him get Westman Precision Firearms up and running. In Dec of 2019 I was hired as the General Manager of Lodal, LLC to help try and save Lodal. Unfortunately covid became a big issue in early 2020 and caused many parts supply issues. We struggled through 2020 and I thought for sure we survived the hardships that came along with covid causing all kinds of issues. We could not have imagined that the micro chip shortage would have caused so many issues. We received many letters from vendors about supply problems but the one we received from Cummins about the engine supply issues was the nail in the coffin for Lodal. Without engines Lodal could not survive and Lodal had to quit building trucks and permanently closed July of 2021.
Fortunately for me I never closed Westman Equipment and just started selling truck parts again. I concentrate all my time and effort now to help customers that own Lodals get replacement parts to keep there trucks going. As of writing this parts with chips are still causing delays in getting certain parts. Lead times are longer than usual for some parts but I am getting organized and stocking parts to help Lodal customers.
My goal is to provide quality equipment and aftermarket parts at a reasonable price for my customers. I enjoy the challenge that this business has provided and the friendships I have built with my customers. If you don't have time to find those hard to find parts, give me a call. I will be glad to help in any way possible.
Tom Westman