Company History
MTA's 30th Anniversary 1980-2010
Message from owners Ace Harrington and Chuck Dunn:
It is incredibly hard to believe that 30 years have passed since we founded our company. Our journey from retail sales, then into equipment rental, and finally into wholesale distribution to the rental industry, has been both challenging and rewarding. We thank our many co-workers over the years, as well as our many loyal customers, for helping to build the MTA Distributors of today.
1980 – Company founded as Middle Tennessee Associates, selling primarily Homelite construction equipment and consumer products.
1981 – Added new lines and had first tent sale.
1982 – Purchased first retail location and changed name to Middle Tennessee Equipment & Supply Co.
1983 – Added service department and first employees. #1 Homelite and #2 Ryder Rental Truck dealer in Middle Tennessee.
1984 – Acquired first line for wholesale distribution, Honda gasoline engines, for state of Tennessee. Began wholesale operation as MTA Distributors. Grew to 11 employees.
1985 – Wholesale sales accounted for 25% of gross revenues, and rental accounted for 15% of company's total revenues.
1986 – Opened second location in downtown Nashville, housing repair, parts, wholesale operation and retail showroom. Added Kentucky as our second state for distribution of Honda engines.
1987 – Named 1988 Small Business of the Year by Nashville Business Journal, awarded Tennessee's Outstanding Achievement Award by Gov. Ned McWherter.
1989 – Major restructuring with retail power products and rental divisions being sold, and focus became solely on wholesale distribution.
1990 – Moved to 13,000 sq.ft. warehouse and office facility on Foster Creighton Dr. in Nashville.
1991 – Aggressive sales and marketing at national ARA Show resulted in thousands of rental operations from around the country being added to customer base.
1992 – American Honda Motor Co., Inc. designated MTA as Honda engine distributor for Georgia. Company produced first wholesale product catalog.
1993 – Nashville Chamber of Commerce named MTA Distributors as Music City Future 50 company.
1994 – First offered special ARA Show dating terms with up to 5 equal payments. MTA was a featured exhibitor at International Lawn, Garden & Power Equipment Expo in Louisville, KY and anchored the Rental Showcase.
1995 – Added dedicated Purchasing and Sales Development departments.
1996 – Moved to current location with 30,000 sq.ft. state-of-the-art distribution center, including 5,000 sq.ft. training facility. Offered clinics where customers would receive latest technical and sales information.
1997 – Offered year-round volume terms as well as ARA Show dating and Fall Power Forward extended dating terms. Required vendors to provide periodic product training so we could better assist our customers. Held our first open house for current and potential vendors.
1998 – Added additional 20,000-sq. ft to warehouse, which doubled the size of our Parts and Research and Development departments.
1999 – MTA Distributors experienced its greatest growth in the company's history. Total sales for the year were more than twice the sales volume in 1998. With this growth came many challenges, including a greater demand for customer and technical services. To meet these needs, thirteen new personnel were added in all areas of the company. New furniture was added in the office to maximize the number of staff positions, and to provide more efficient work spaces. A new computer system was installed in January, which included radio frequency and bar code scanning equipment for faster and more accurate warehouse operations. Another vendor open house was held, which gave both new and old vendors a chance to see our expanded warehouse facilities.
2000 – MTA Distributors was included in the Top 100 Privately Held Nashville Businesses for the first time.
2001 – Despite the onset of a major recession, MTA Distributors continued to thrive by increasing its base of rental customers and adding new product lines. Party rental items, such as tables, chairs and tents, began to develop as a major segment of our business.
2002 – MTA Distributors finished a strong year in 2002, with total sales up more than 20% over the previous year. Our party rental offerings increased dramatically, and sales through our website increased each month. Several new Honda engine O.E.M.’s were added, including Snapper, Inc. and Murray, Inc. We initiated a government sales division to focus on sales to the federal, state and local governments. Total employment reached 44 people.
2003 – Additional capital investments for upstairs office improvements allowed our purchasing and publication departments to move and give customer service more space to serve our customers.
2004 – MTA Distributors made a significant capitol investment in a new software system. This new system has improved our warehouse and shipping processes with more extensive barcode and RF technology. The MTA website was also rewritten to utilize the new software. Our print catalog also became database driven.
2005 – MTA Distributors expanded with a new 15,000 sq. ft. warehouse. This new warehouse can be expanded another 10,000 sq. ft. when needed. The total office and warehouse space to run the company now totals 70,000 sq. ft.
2006 – New Honda engine O.E.M.'s were added throughout the year. MTA's government sales grew significantly. Website traffic and sales via the website increased dramatically over the previous year. The Party and Event equipment gained popularity. MTA Distributors divided the General Tool Products and Party products into separate catalogs.
2007 – MTA made its 15th consecutive appearance at the annual American Rental Association trade show in Atlanta, Georgia. The company had its largest display ever at this show. The MTA booths included a complete lineup of the company's construction and industrial equipment, lawn and garden equipment, and party and event equipment.
2008 – Due to conservative business decisions throughout the years, MTA had a solid position to weather the economic downturn with confidence in the company's future endeavors.
2009 – MTA goes green: printing one catalog per year instead of two was MTA's way of contributing to a greener, more sustainable future.
2010 – MTA was chosen by American Honda Motor Co., Inc. to supply Home Depot retail stores nationwide with a select line of packaged Honda lawnmower parts and accessories.
2011 – MTA put together a program for John Deere Co. dealers in its 3-state territory to promote the sale of Honda general-purpose engines. After sluggish sales years in 2009 and 2010, MTA Distributors saw a healthy rebound in all of its sales areas, resulting in a 25% increase in sales for 2011.
2012 – MTA Distributors attended its 20th consecutive American Rental Association trade show in New Orleans, LA. In addition to its traditional large display of construction equipment, MTA added additional display booths featuring party equipment, inflatable bouncers, and JET industrial equipment.
