Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/328689
Model 337 is the right fit for ACE Enterprises The Value of Service "I knew right away that the Peterbilt was just a 10-times better-built truck. And the guys driving it knew it, too." 12 FIRST CLASS B raden Jones knows the value of service. In fact, the motto of ACE Enterprises, Inc., the Baton Rouge, La.-based portable toi- let and waste-management firm run by Braden and his brother Brian, reflects their business mantra: Where Service Matters. "A major factor in the success of our company is an absolute commitment to customer service," says Braden. "This philosophy has made us what we are." But it wasn't long ago that another kind of service threatened to define oper- ations at ACE. That would be the service the ACE fleet was often in the shop for, one breakdown after another. And that kind of equipment service record was starting to threaten the com- pany's hard-earned reputation for cus- tomer service, a reputation that's made ACE the biggest business of its kind in the Baton Rouge area. "We were just having too many break- downs," says Jones. "The air conditioning, especially. You really need that working for our drivers in this part of the country." A solution, almost literally, was often at the door in the form of local Peterbilt sales representative Glen Elrod, who was a regular caller. But Jones didn't see many premium trucks in the portable toilet business, and had managed to get by with lesser equipment for years. By 2007, Jones made a decision that would change the direction and the pro- file of his company for good. Overcoming perceptions ACE got off to a modest start in 1981 when Braden's father, C.R. Jones, bought a truck and 25 portable toilets and set up shop in Baton Rouge. By 1996, the company expanded its offerings with roll-off dumping units and frontloading refuse equipment. But equipment problems just seemed to keep the com- pany from flourishing like Braden knew it could. And part of his challenge was overcoming what he saw as an industry perception. "In this industry, a lot of people don't think they can afford a Peterbilt. They think they can get by on lesser, cheaper equipment." "Get by" he could, but Jones wanted better. He finally told Elrod to set him up with Peterbilt's then medium-duty offer- ing, the Model 335. He was pleasantly surprised when he finally put the first medium-duty Peterbilt to work in the fleet. "I knew right away that it was just a 10-times better-built truck than the other trucks we were running," says Braden. "And the guys driving it knew it too. They know these trucks are top of the line. You can see the way they respect the truck." If running a Peterbilt had some of