By 1945, Invoice Willis acknowledged the enterprise potential heavy tools distributors would have supplying to a booming post-war Canadian economic system. Invoice labored for one of many earliest and largest heavy tools sellers in Ontario. With this perception and enterprise imaginative and prescient in thoughts, Invoice parted methods with that firm and Equipment Sales & Service was born.

With its humble beginnings working out of an automotive storage on Queen Avenue in Toronto, Willis began his legacy distributing Lima shovels. The mantra was easy: rent the very best, most skilled individuals within the business to promote and assist the best high quality merchandise obtainable. 

Invoice Deuel was employed in 1951 and was a key participant within the firm’s early development and subsequent success, finally rising to turn out to be the corporate’s president. That very same yr in 1951, ESS was appointed the unique distributor for Hyperlink-Belt cranes and shovels in Ontario. 

The late Dan Wooden was introduced on board in 1960 and would additionally turn out to be some of the well-known business characters within the enterprise, contributing immensely to the corporate’s successes for 60 years.

 In 1962, ESS bought its first massive property from the Reichmann brothers and moved into it at 1030 Martin Grove Rd., Toronto. This location stays the corporate’s headquarters in the present day.

The expansion technique proved to be sound, carving out an early area of interest enterprise for ESS and constructing for future generations. It provided prospects a singular one-stop-shop for aftermarket components and repair options for all makes and all fashions of kit, along with representing their OEM equipment traces.

Seventy-five years later, now in its third era, ESS operates from 12 branches throughout Canada, representing a number of OEM traces supporting the development, mining, forestry, basis, and drilling industries. ESS is a Platinum Member of Canada’s Greatest Managed Firms award program, having retained this designation for 10 consecutive years.

After the passing of Invoice Willis in 1973, sons Michael and Peter continued diligently of their father’s footsteps establishing robust relationships with tools producers each in North America and overseas. They spurred firm development by securing OEM distribution contracts from producers, in addition to by buying distribution rights by way of well-timed acquisitions of established heavy tools/components sellers throughout Canada. 

The corporate’s geographic foot-print was expanded into Western Canada within the late 1970’s, sturdy traces had been acquired akin to Esco put on components in 1978 by means of the acquisition of W.E. Bolt, the then Esco vendor in Alberta and South East British Columbia and ESS then opened branches in Edmonton and Calgary. 1980 was marked with the acquisition of W.J. Knox, the vendor for Esco put on components in Southern Ontario.

Mike Smith was employed in 1984 to run the Western division and have become Vice President of ESS as he solidified ESS’s standing as a bonafide distributor of Hyperlink-Belt and Esco put on components to the booming power, development and mining markets of Western Canada. Afterward Berco undercarriage distribution was added.

1993 marked the hiring of aftermarket components skilled George Parps and with him the corporate’s all-important appointment to distribute world famend Berco undercarriage.

On the flip of the century, after scuffling with 5 totally different Ontario tools sellers in as a few years, Komatsu was searching for dealership stability and requested ESS to turn out to be the OEM distributor and it was formally appointed in 2001.

Morgan Cronin was employed as president in 2012, bringing his wealth of information and steering to the ESS desk, having had over 30 years of expertise within the business.

Latest growth ventures embrace buying Selix Gear Inc. in 2018, including Soilmec basis, Sandvik & Geax drilling tools traces to ESS’s various OEM arsenal, in addition to the acquisition of Belcher Equipment Components additional bolstering its Quebec aftermarket components presence.

The third-generation successors, consisting of Michael’s daughter Meghan, her husband Drew Paton, in addition to Peter’s two sons Simon and Jodie, are poised to proceed the Willis household legacy.