When you know, you know.
The saying is often referenced to characterize finding “the one,” but it is sometimes also true in business.
In the aggregate industry, equipment dealers tend to partner with manufacturers they like and trust – companies that developed a positive reputation over many years and share their set of values. Manufacturers, of course, look for the same qualities in dealers.
Dealers aren’t always on the prowl for new manufacturer partners, though – and the same goes for manufacturers looking for dealers to partner with.
Yet, like dating, someone makes a move. From there, the parties are set in motion.
Case in point
This narrative is essentially how Major, a manufacturer of high-vibration screen media, established a dealer partnership with Dibble Equipment.
Representatives from Major and Dibble Equipment met at an industry meeting in the spring of 2023. By the start of 2024, the companies formalized a partnership whereby Dibble Equipment represents Major in New Jersey and New York.
Still, in this instance, Major’s Ian Edwards was the one seeking out a new dealer partner for the company.
“Major Wire was looking to bring on a second partner into the New York-New Jersey area,” says Edwards, vice president responsible for global sales at Major. “It’s a very big market. We have a partner down there named East Rock Solutions. They cover a variety of states. It’s a very big area, and we wanted to bring in additional support”
Major did its due diligence to identify which dealer in the territory might best fit the company. Dibble Equipment was on Major’s short list.
The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association’s (NSSGA) 2023 Young Leaders Annual Meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, provided Major a platform to engage Dibble Equipment. Matt Dibble, who represents the second generation of his family-owned company, was in attendance alongside Edwards.
“We got along and started talking at an NSSGA dinner,” Edwards says. “I think we ran into each other at lunch the day prior, but we didn’t really get a chance to talk.”
Courting one another
Dibble didn’t expect to meet a future business partner at the NSSGA meeting. In fact, Dibble Equipment had never before represented a screen media manufacturer.
The encounter with Edwards, however, made Dibble wonder about the possibilities for Dibble Equipment.
“I liked Ian and we got along,” Dibble says. “You kind of get a sense of, one, liking a guy on a personal level, but also liking the way he thinks about and conducts business.”
Had the two not hit it off initially, Major and Dibble Equipment may never have come together.
“At that early stage, you can kind of break things off [and say]: ‘It’s not you, it’s me,’” Dibble says. “And everybody moves on.”
But if enough commonalities are identified, additional conversations can ensue. In the case of Major and Dibble Equipment, the two found they had plenty to discuss.
“I left that leadership meeting and went back to my boss Bernard [Betts],” Edwards says. “I said: ‘I just met Matt Dibble. I really like the guy. I really felt we got along, like we were talking the same language, like this might be the person we need to get engaged with.’ And that’s what started the ball rolling.”
The same behind-the-scenes conversation happened between Dibble and his father: Dibble Equipment founder Rod Dibble.
“When we represent a company, that’s an extension of us to our customers,” Matt says. “We look for quality equipment, but you have to go beyond that. You need people behind the product who really know and understand it and want to service the customers and help dealers.”
