Springfield Business Journal_2021-01-25

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT MCKENZIE ROBINSON by Claire Porter · Contributing Writer After 25 years working in the diesel business, Mike Glover knows a thing or two about firing on all cylinders. Glover is the manager and co- owner of Northeast Diesel Service of Springfield Inc., a diesel service and repair shop on East Division Street near the downtown airport. It’s a big industry: Diesel engines power trucks, trains, buses, boats, backup generators, and farm, construction and military ve- hicles. According to the U.S. Energy Information Ad- ministration, die- sel fuel in 2019 accounted for 23% of the transporta- tion sector’s total energy consump- tion. Glover’s father, Joe, founded the company in 1976 as a one-man shop in Shelbina, a small town in north- east Missouri. Joe trained his sons Mike and Kevin with the intention of eventually turn- ing over the busi- ness to them. Joe acquired a second location in Springfield and sent Mike to serve as manager in 1996. Kevin now manages the Shelbina shop, and the brothers have become co-owners. “I knew this was what I wanted to do,” Mike Glover says. “I grew up in it, I went to the shop all the time after school and on weekends.” As a manager, Glover is careful not to simply be “the boss’s son.” He tries to foster a culture of equality and inclusiveness among his 11-person team. “I don’t say, ‘This is one of my em- ployees,’ I say, ‘We work together,’” he says. “That distinction is important.” Fueling growth Dedication is part of the Northeast Diesel Service brand; it’s why em- ployees like shop foreman Rick “Cooter” Perrigo have been with the company for more than 30 years. “When you go down there, you see familiar fac- es,” says James Williams, a Northeast Diesel Service customer since the mid- 1990s. Williams is president and owner of J&L Con- tracting and Williams Construction Co., and he turns to Northeast Diesel for fuel in- jector and pump repairs on the con- struction, excavation and trucking equipment in his 300-machine fleet. For a dozen years, Northeast Diesel serviced all of the companies’ trucks before Williams built an in-house mechanic shop around 2012. Wil- liams continues to turn to Northeast Diesel for service and parts, bringing anywhere from $1,000 to $20,000 in annual business. Williams says Glover and his team do high-quality work, and their integ- rity is what has cemented his loyalty over the years. “They never steer me down the wrong path,” Williams says. That sentiment forms the core of Glover’s leadership. A sign hanging on the front counter displays his fam- ily’s motto: “We believe business goes where it’s invited and stays where it’s well treated.” The shop’s customers primarily are within a 150-mile radius, includ- ing O’Reilly Automotive Inc. (Nasdaq: ORLY), an engine rebuilder in Kansas City, and local agricultural equipment, tractor and auto dealers. Through so- cial media, chatter on repair forums and appearances at car shows, word-of-mouth business also has picked up nationwide for indi- vidual hobbyists in the mud-truck, mega-truck and rat-rod worlds. One client that specializes in importing diesel-engine Toyota Land Cruis- ers sends a couple fuel pumps to Glover each month, even after re- locating to Utah from Nixa. Glover says the agriculture indus- try keeps them busy during the spring and summer months, but the shop’s diversification into other machinery has kept business up year-round. The business exceeded $1 million in rev- enue last year. “We do industrial equipment, con- struction equipment, farm equip- ment, cars and pickups, semitrucks, lawnmowers, golf carts, generators – anything under the sun,” Glover says. Shifting gears Diesel engines are constantly evolv- ing to keep up with new technolo- gies and federal emissions standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Perrigo points out that the engines are shifting to electronic and comput- erized models instead of the mechan- ical fuel-injection models of the past. To keep up, Glover and his team undergo regular training and update equipment to stay compliant with fuel manufacturer standards, though the complexity poses another hurdle in recruiting younger talent to the field. In 2019, the Bureau of Labor Statis- tics reported 281,300 jobs in the die- sel service technology industry, and it projects 67,000 additional techni- cians will be needed to replace retired workers by 2022. Northeast Diesel Service has worked with Ozarks Technical Com- munity College’s diesel technology program for the past decade to offer student apprentice and training op- portunities at the shop. Glover acknowledges Northeast Diesel Service is experiencing grow- ing pains. His 3-acre shop has five ser- vice bays, but after adding services, updating equipment and expanding the team over the past two decades, Glover is running out of space. He plans to expand the business onto an adjoining 1.7-acre lot later this year. “We are a proud north-side busi- ness, and we are going to stay right here,” Glover says. Northeast Diesel Service of Springfield Inc. Owners: Joe Glover, Mike Glover and Kevin Glover Founded: 1976 Address: 2153 E. Division St., Springfield MO 65803 Phone: 417-866-2220 Web: NortheastDiesel.com Email: info@northeastdiesel.com Services/Products: Rebuilding diesel fuel pumps and injectors, service and repair on diesel- powered equipment 2020 Revenue: $1 million Employees: 11 ENGINE MAVENS Northeast Diesel Service of Springfield Inc.’s Mike Glover, left, and Rick “Cooter” Perrigo make engine repairs at the company’s East Division Street shop. After 45 years in business, Northeast Diesel Service is fueling up for big changes in the industry 6 · SBJ.NET JAN 25-31, 2021 Mike Glover : Shop could expand on adjacent 1.7 acres.