Nescso held its grand opening in Tallahassee on Wednesday.
Photo submitted by Maya Dubois.
The equipment rental company Nesco Specialty Rentals hosted its grand opening on Wednesday.
Established in 1988 in Bluffton, Indiana, the company is now the leader in North America for rentals and specialized equipment.
“We are a large company with 54 different locations throughout the country and we handle telecom, rail, lighting, sign, and transmission distribution,” said Dennis DePazza, Nesco’s chief business development officer.
Nesco provides equipment ranging from aerial lifts and cranes to parts and accessories. However, the branch in Tallahassee will focus mainly on the manufacturing and rental of insulated fiberglass sticks, temp and extension arms, insulated rubber, and the trucks used to complete heavy duty labor.
“We create insulated fiberglass sticks, which are used for when linemen are working on the poles,” said Dawson O’Shields, rubber lab lead. “We also test the rubber and make sure that there aren’t any loose spots and that they are safe for usage.”
Those who attended the event were granted an opportunity to tour the company, getting a firsthand look at how the jobs are completed in the labs and warehouse.
There were nearly 15 vendors in place for visitors to connect with and learn more about.
Nesco opening its doors in Tallahassee benefits the city in more ways than one.
“How this affects Tallahassee is, simply we have about 30 employees and we’re going to end up going to 40 or 45,” said DePazza. “It’d be year round, full-time, fully benefited employees with health insurance, PTO, 401k contributions, and all of the holidays.”
As the company expands it will also increase in its number of employees, providing more jobs for the capital city.
In addition to jobs, the presence of Nesco in the local community is imperative for hurricane season.
The city’s past with hurricanes and power restoration has been rocky the past three years.
Neighborhoods and complexes have gone weeks without power due to there being a lack of direct resources in the community.
Nesco decreases the amount of time taken to drive materials to Tallahassee from hundreds of miles because almost everything that power companies need to complete their duties are within arm's reach.
“In the past when the power has gone out due to hurricane destruction, power companies have always had to wait for the necessary tools to be brought to them from miles and miles out. However, with Nesco here that cuts down the time tremendously due to us having many of the necessary resources,” said Quan George, floor manager.
Although the company is well established it still has more plans for its new location. “Eventually we will start to manufacture a lot of the tools that our other companies create,” said Andrew Jackson-Nickel, hot stick lead.