Duncan Equipment Company, Inc. was founded in Duncan, Oklahoma in 1948, by Gene Nelson.
The Early Years
Headquartered in Oklahoma City, Duncan has prospered through many significant milestones along the way. The first such milestone came in 1956 when the Company built its first DECO Vacuum Unit. With the purchase of White Truck Company in 1965, Duncan formed a new corporation, DECO Manufacturing Company, with J.H. Thorton serving as President from 1968 to 1980.
In 1971, Duncan purchased 65% interest in Stephens Industrial Supply Company in Oklahoma City, built a 20,000 square foot building, and in 1975 elected David Ragland President of Stephens Industrial Supply. In 1980, the Board of Directors elected David Ragland Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Duncan Equipment Company.
Years of Steady Growth
Duncan continued to expand in the 1980s with sales branches added in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Wichita Falls, Texas, expansion of the facility in Duncan, Oklahoma, and the additional of a compressed and rotary air systems unit.
Duncan opened a sales branch in Joplin, Missouri in 1991 and a sales branch in Sherman, Texas in 1994. Duncan secured its first customized integrate supply contract with Smith Tool in Ponca City, Oklahoma in 1992 and Judith Nelson-Ragland, Duncan’s largest shareholder was elected Chairperson of the Board of Directors in 1996.
In 1997, Duncan made a significant commitment to become a leader in technology, as it applies to the industrial distribution market. The Company also installed a fully automated warehouse “pick to light” system at its Oklahoma City location in 1997.
Duncan Today
Although Duncan Equipment Company, now doing business as Duncan Industrial Solutions, had a modest beginning in a small town in Oklahoma, today Duncan enjoys doing business with a large variety of regional, national, and international customers.
Chairperson Judith Nelson-Ragland, CEO, David Ragland, and President Cheryl Lawson continue to lead Duncan’s 160 employees with sales over $100 million. Today Duncan has employees who office in over 18 sales branches and/or integrated client worksites in 7 states, including a recent acquisition of Atlantic Tool Systems in Hawthorne, NJ.
Providing an atmosphere that fosters employee growth, and providing innovative, technology driven business solutions remains a hallmark of this family owned business begun in the heart of Oklahoma.