ConExpo-Con/Agg was a positive overall experience for many exhibitors. Count Eagle Crusher among them.
P&Q caught up with Daniel Friedman, vice president of marketing at Eagle Crusher, on the third day of ConExpo-Con/Agg to hear about the company’s experience in Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center and get a sense of the buying activity taking place there.
P&Q: How’s the show going?
Friedman: This show has been amazing. There’s been a ton of interest. What’s been really helpful is that the decision-makers are here, and they’re making decisions.
Shows are great for showing people what technology and equipment can do – especially for people interested in getting into crushing. It’s great to see it physically and ‘kick the tires.’
But at the end of the day, the decision-makers are here choosing the equipment that works best for their operations.
P&Q: When you say the ‘decision-makers are here,’ are they ready to make decisions?
Friedman: Pens are coming out, ink is hitting paper and wires are moving. Real choices are being made here.
This isn’t just, ‘Oh, I really like it, let’s talk.’ This isn’t blowing smoke. This is real-deal stuff.
P&Q: Does that match what you expected coming into the show, or is it exceeding expectations?
Friedman: I would say it’s exceeding.
The truth is, with this type of show and this type of equipment, this isn’t inexpensive stuff. This isn’t like a T-shirt at the swag shop where it’s like, ‘Okay, fine, I’ll buy it’ – and later you wonder if you really needed it. These are major CapEx purchases.
Sometimes, people say they’re going to sign paperwork at the show but they actually made that decision weeks ago. That’s not what this is.
People are still having dinners and events. We had a big customer-dealer event and it went well. Real decisions are being made.
Normally, I kind of look at the show as something that pays off a year later. You have great conversations, people say they’re going to move forward and then a couple months later a PO gets signed – and that’s a win.
We’ll probably still see some of that, but we’re seeing actual purchases right here at the show.
P&Q: That’s crazy – and the day isn’t even done yet.
A: Exactly. Sometimes, dealers have contractual obligations to purchase equipment, so they’re writing those purchase orders for the show. That’s great – it’s still a purchase, but it doesn’t count the same as a direct customer saying, ‘I really like this.’
What we’re seeing is current customers upgrading their equipment or buying additional equipment. And we’re seeing new customers, too.
Now, it’s not like someone who had never heard of Eagle Crusher walked into the booth and said, ‘Oh yeah, I love this, here’s a million dollars.’ Nothing like that.
But there are customers who had not owned Eagle Crusher equipment before and are now about to become owners in the very near future. There’s money moving, slots are being secured and plants are being put into place.
P&Q: Based on the action at the show, are you getting any sense of what 2027 may look like?
Friedman: I think we’re still early into 2026. The general sentiment is that 2026 is going to be a productive, positive year.
I don’t think the larger publicly traded companies that are planning budgets and looking at one-year or three-year plans have really settled on 2027 yet. They move slower anyway.
And given the current geopolitical climate, I think it would be unwise for a lot of people to put too much stock into what the next year is going to look like. We’ll probably have to wait until November to really get a decent feeling about where things are going to land.
Related: Check out P&Q’s complete coverage of ConExpo-Con/Agg
