Menu
At a Glance
Deep South Equipment just wants to make customers happy
John Parsons, owner of Deep South Equipment Co. in Shreveport, developed his aptitude for customer service while selling forklifts as a traveling salesman for 20 years.
He lives by the philosophy – “If you don’t take care of your customers, they won’t be your customers for long.”
Founded in 1990
He founded the company in 1990 on a limited budget with just four stores covering Louisiana and Mississippi. Today, he has positioned Deep South as the elite
material handling company of the South, with nine locations across five states. Each store provides sales, rentals, leases, service and parts for new and used Hyster and Yale
forklifts; JCB construction equipment, ASV loaders; Columbia specialty and utility vehicles; PowerBoss floor cleaning equipment and TICO terminal tractors.
Nine Branches over Four States: Largest Forklift Dealer in the South:
Parsons has made a point of hand-picking his branch, service and parts managers to ensure they share a similar work ethic. Additionally, employees are manufacturer
trained and certified in the equipment they sell or service, and on-site trainers can even instruct and license customers on forklift operation. “We have more than 30
salesmen that call on customers, about 150 mechanics, and more than 220 company vehicles, 18-wheelers and service trucks,” Parsons adds.
Commitment to Customer Service:
Deep South’s commitment to customer service isn’t just some company slogan. The company’s growth and success can be attributed to a solid business ethic and an
innate ability to hire the best people in the business. Mostly, however, it’s because of a long list of satisfied customers. The Hyster/Yale group, a Cleveland, Ohio-based
material handling company, recently presented Deep South with the Dealer of Distinction award for the fifth year in a row.
Hyster Dealer of Distinction Award Five Years in a Row:
The prestigious award recognizes top-performing Hyster/Yale forklift dealers across the country that drive their organizations to the highest level of sales and service
performance. To receive the honor, a company must meet defined business practices and overall rigorous performance standards that are updated annually to keep
pace with evolving customer expectations and industry dynamics.
Looking Forward:
Deep South Equipment currently has 275 employees working in its stores, with more being added every year – they even retained all of them during the pandemic.
They are always looking for new ways to grow, whether in territory or equipment lines, whatever the customer needs.. like when they added the TICO terminal tractor
line and the JCB construction equipment line. Deep South Equipment also carries one the of the largest rental fleets in the South with more than 1,300 pieces of equipment-offered for sale as well as for rent.
Deep South Equipment Legacy:
Parsons says that the Baton Rouge market is one of the fastest growing and largest markets in the company’s trade areas and that they will continue to invest in the market
as it expands. “We’ve been operating in the Baton Rouge market for over thirty years and will continue to add more equipment and more employees each year.”
Looking ahead, Parsons isn’t worried about a succession plan. The Deep South Equipment management has become a family affair, with his son Patrick serving as Vice President
of all construction equipment lines plus the used equipment business and son-in-law Lindsey Hernandez acting as VP of new sales. They’ve both been involved in the business
for more than 25 years. And his grandson, Patrick Hernandez, recently joined the company as a new JCB salesman after graduating from LSU.
CORPORATE ADDRESS
CORPORATE CONTACT
