by Jon M. Casey
According to the late former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, “In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man; if you want anything done, ask a woman.” In the case of Albany’s MAC Equipment, Inc., the same might hold true as well. If you are looking for the latest in construction equipment rentals, talking about it is not enough. Asking MAC owner, Janice Miller, is the right move! When it comes to aerial equipment like scissor lifts, boom lifts or forklifts Miller, and MAC Equipment has what contractors need.
“We moved the business to here in Albany, from a location in Troy, NY that we were renting. That was in April, 2013,” Miller said. “This is a more accessible location for the contractors that we serve.”
The new location
As we toured the facility, Miller said that their new location is in a more business friendly area than where they previously were renting their building. Here, there is more room for growth because it is an industrial area. The new facility has room for office space, a rental showroom area and an expansive garage that can accommodate several pieces of equipment for service and repair as the need arises.
“We carry Genie and Snorkel lift equipment and we are looking to include some dirt equipment like excavators, skid steers and smaller equipment of that kind,” she said. “We’ve taken steps to expand our product offerings the benefits of which should be realized within the very near future. We will offer rentals and purchases, but many of the contractors prefer just to rent the equipment as they need it.”
“We want to offer more small tools like power saws, blades, hard hats, vests, things like that,” she added. “This new facility will make that expansion possible.”
By having the smaller items available to compliment the accessories that currently include air compressors and Jackhammers, Miller knows that they can help the contractors with the equipment that is often needed, but not always on hand as they head to the jobsite. She said they are still in the process of setting up their showroom to accommodate more of those items.
A certified woman owned business
“We are a New York State certified woman owned business,” she said. “We are also currently awaiting our federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise certification. That will give us more opportunity to serve contractors in the future.”
Miller explained that she got started in this business when she had to leave her previous career as a medical transcriptionist for health reasons. She had been successful at that career for 21 years, but over time, the rigors of that much typing took its toll. After she had done rehabilitation for a time, she began to help her husband Rob, in the equipment rental business that he had begun approximately 12 years previous.
She said that over time, she began to take over various portions of the business as she learned how this service helped contractors to do their work more effectively. “It progressed from my filling in a couple of days per week to going full time,” she said. “From the doing the finances to the day to day management, I became more involved until about a year and one half ago, Rob expressed interest in being less involved and to enjoy life more.  I took over the operation and I believed that we could grow the business more effectively if we became a certified woman owned business. I knew it would take some time, but since I had already invested considerable personal finances in the operation, when we did the legal work involved, it became evident that we were making the right decision for me to take over the ownership. Now, I own 91 percent of the business and we got our state certification in late April. As far as we know, we are currently the only WBE business of this kind in the area.”
Miller said that they currently serve the central, upstate New York region, having the capability to deliver the equipment to where it is needed, when it is needed. She said they serve communities like Amsterdam, Oneonta, Queensbury, Lake Placid, Poughkeepsie and the greater Albany area. With 12 employees currently on staff, MAC is looking to grow as the demand for their equipment continues to increase.
She said that she continues to take additional business training in an effort to gain ideas on how to manage the company more efficiently, and how to better serve their customers. With new sales and marketing ideas, she knows that for MAC Equipment, there are many positive outcomes ahead. For more information on MAC Equipment give them a call at 518-272-2700 or stop in for a visit at 120 Watervliet Ave., Albany, NY 12206.