Third-Generation Business
Washington Air Compressor Rental Co. approaches 90th anniversary
In 1931, Albert Stecklein Sr. (Albert Sr.), founder of Washington Air Compressor Rental Co., worked as an auto mechanic and owned an auto-repair business in Washington, D.C. He rented out a portion of his garage to a contractor from Pennsylvania who was working on a government project in the D.C. area. At the end of the project, the contractor did not pay the rental fee and bartered his air compressors for the amount due.
Innovative Beginning
Albert Sr. seized the opportunity to put the equipment to use and mounted the Schramm compressors on used Coca-Cola trucks. Thus the air-compressor truck was created—and soon the trucks became more than a sideline business and the Washington Air Compressor Rental Co. came into being. Albert Sr. grew the business from there by providing labor with the air tools, paving breakers, drills, air saws, air tampers and air pumps that ran off the air compressors. He also rented hand tools and pneumatic tools. A year later, the future President of the firm, Albert Stecklein Jr. (Albert Jr.) was born.
Second Generation and Expansion
After Albert Jr. left college, he joined the company full time in the 1950s. “My grandfather taught my father the business over the years. My father specialized in customer service—taking care of the customer and building relationships, taking care of their needs and promptly providing them with what they required,” says Stephen Stecklein, Executive Vice President and CEO. When Albert Sr. passed away in 1981, Albert Jr. became President and ran the business for many years.
Under the leadership and guidance of Albert Jr., Stephen expanded the enterprise to five locations in the D.C. area: three in Maryland, including Frederick, Hyattsville and Rockville; one in Chantilly, Virginia; and the original in Washington, D.C. Although the company kept its original name, it now uses Doosan compressors and has expanded into different lines of equipment and correlated services over the years. Rental options include anything used on a construction site—from air compressors, concrete mixers, forklifts, excavators, light towers, generators, trenchers and utility vehicles to welders and more.
Third Generation Steps Up
Although Albert Jr. is still President, the third generation of the family runs the day-to-day operations of the company, which rents equipment (with operators if needed), sells new and used equipment and parts, and provides round-the-clock rental and repair service.
Starting in 1981, Stephen worked summers while he was in high school and college. He has worked at the Washington Air Compressor Rental Co. full time since 1989 and served as Executive Vice President and CEO since 1996. Stephen’s brothers are Branch Manager Brian Stecklein, Corporate Accounts Manager Kevin Stecklein and Credit and Collections Overseer Albert Stecklein, III.
While very few businesses reach a third generation, Washington Air Compressor Rental Co. is moving toward its 90th year in business.
“Being a family-owned business certainly creates a lot of challenges when having to compete with national rental companies that weren’t around 25 years ago, much less 70 years ago,” Stephen says. “Nationals certainly have a lot more capital than we do, but we’ve tried to stay in tune with the market. That helps us provide the level of service that we do to keep our loyal customer base.”
Scope of Services
Washington Air Compressor Rental Co. views anyone as a potential renter, whether they’re doing demolition, site development or new construction. The equipment and services the company provides can be used throughout all project phases, for all types of construction.
“We’ve worked with a very wide range of customers—from the small entrepreneurs to large Fortune 500 companies,” Stephen says. “They may only need one or two pieces of construction equipment. Or, if it’s a megacompany working on a billion-dollar project, they may require a whole fleet of equipment with or without operators.”
Washington Air Compressor Rental Co. is unique in the rental industry in that it offers equipment with operators. “While some of the nationals might focus on just renting, we try to provide a bit more of a whole solution,” Stephen says. “We rent, sell and repair the construction equipment and offer parts to our customers so they can repair equipment themselves. We also deliver the equipment or parts if requested.” The company is a dealer for about three dozen very high-quality manufacturers, such as Doosan, Gehl, Bosch, Honda, Furukawa Rock Drill, Wacker Neuson, Genie, JLG, Ingersoll-Rand, Tsurumi Pump, Husqvarna, Makita and STIHL. It both sells equipment and places it in the rental fleet.
Relational and Individual
Stephen believes the key is to listen and try to understand what kind of unique service can be provided for the different people. “The electronic world has taken away that personal touch,” he says. “An email or a text can be very convenient at times, but I think it’s good to balance it. I am always open to getting constructive feedback. I like to hear directly from an employee or a customer or a vendor.”
Currently, the company employs about 60 people. “Everyone has strengths and skills and we try to capitalize on those and keep people in positions that are most suited to their skills,” Stephen says. Each person is given the opportunity to grow in their job and move to a different position when one opens. “We try to have a good bench, so to speak, so that they can come in at a lower-level position and advance,” Stephen says, “Much like my brothers and I did as we began working under my father.”
The firm prefers on-the-job training rather than implementing formal training programs. “We have tried to coach our employees and we do have some well-tenured personnel, which we are proud of,” Stephen says. “Some have been with us 20 to 40 years.” At the annual Christmas events held at each of the five locations, appreciation gifts for tenure are presented.
“We’re trying to stay focused on our customers’ needs and the business, but at the same time we want everyone to like what they do,” Stephen says. “We enjoy being with one another, working together and sharing in accomplishments. We celebrate those achievements, and we continue to move on to the next task.”
The company demonstrates how community-minded it is by making in-kind gifts of low-cost or no-cost equipment for various causes such as Habitat for Humanity. But the personal involvement of team members is diversified—reflecting individual interests rather than contributing to a single large benefactor.
Fourth Generation Still in Question
Stephen has three sons and three daughters. Will any of them become the fourth generation to work for the family enterprise?
“They are not very old yet and not sure what direction they’ll take or whether or not they’ll have the interest, but hopefully we will pass along the control of the business to the next generation,” Stephen says. “We’re looking forward to celebrating our 90th anniversary in 2021.”