WALSH, LONG & COMPANY – EST. 1990
Corporately located in Naperville, IL our agency represents manufacturers in the petroleum equipment, automotive equipment, lighting and energy, diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), and water storage equipment markets in the greater Midwest including the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
OUR OPERATING PREMISES
- Recruit, train, and assist distributors to market, stock, install, and service equipment in the petroleum, automotive, and lighting markets
- Assist and support major oil, oil distributors, municipal, and retail customers in the design, selection, and procurement of fuel handling equipment, vehicle maintenance equipment, and lighting
- Assist and educate architects, designers, and engineers in site design, product specification, and equipment selection
OUR EFFORTS
- Stocking petroleum equipment, lighting, and vehicle maintenance equipment distributors
- Specification writing and assistance to architects, engineers, municipalities, utilities, fleet owners, and environmental consultants
- Contact and coordination with federal, state, and local environmental and safety regulators
- Regional administration of manufacturer – national account commitments
- Turn-key fueling programs for equity investors
- Customer relationship management of Jobber, Independent, and Major Oil accounts
- Advertising, trade show exhibits, seminar sponsorship, and consistent, direct personal contact
A WORD FROM OUR FOUNDER
In July of 1990, Ed Walsh and I started a Petroleum Equipment Manufacturers’ Representative Agency. Ed covered Illinois and I covered Wisconsin. During our agency’s first year, Ed passed away and at the request of our manufacturers, I moved to the Chicago area, Naperville, IL, to expand their markets.
I hired a salesperson to cover Wisconsin and I then covered Illinois. As our sales grew, I hired additional outside and inside sales staff. In January of 1993, I was joined by Mike Hempel, whose engineering talents contributed greatly to our agency’s growth. In 1999, my son, Chris Long, joined our agency and became our operations manager. He streamlined the structure of our agency, created a new company image, and has contributed greatly to the agency’s growth.
Our focus was on specifying our products with engineering firms, oil companies, distributors, and contractors. I gave presentations to state regulators on current EPA regulations and hosted seminars to update contractors and underground fuel systems owners on current EPA regulations. Our sales success offered us opportunities to represent more manufacturers and expand our territory.
During my WL career, I was elected to the Petroleum Equipment Institute’s Board of Directors, became certified as a Women Owned Business, and was given the Top Shelf award by the Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association for meritorious service to the industry.
Our agency began with one product in two states and expanded to 23 products in 17 states by the time I sold the agency. None of our agency’s successes could have been achieved without the talent and dedication of our outside and inside sales team. They are the very best!
In September of 2013, I sold the agency to my son, Erik Long, who has successfully achieved much further growth. I continued working in the agency until I retired in October of 2020.