During his stint as a real estate investor, Tom Folmar, “missed the smell of fuel,” a sure sign that he is back where he belongs: In the diesel engine business.
His love for diesels started when a part-time job at a Cummins distributorship while attending Penn State University in 1973 turned into a full-time position, which led to Folmar being named branch manager of a Cummins operation serving the mining industry. But by 1980 Folmar wanted a change of pace, so he and his wife headed south. After a year and a half as a Florida real estate investor, “I found that I missed diesel engines, so I went looking for an opportunity,” Folmar said.
He found what he wanted at Interstate Dieselect in Orlando, Fla., a truck shop that evolved into a more specialized business offering fuel injector service, turbocharger work and heavy-duty electrical work.
That change in focus is the opposite of what Folmar sees happening at ADS, an organization of engine specialists with more than 700 corporate and individual members nationwide, of which he is the president. Through the years, fuel injection systems have become integrated with the engine, he said. In response, ADS is helping its members shift “from focusing on fuel injection to working on entire vehicle systems, with a focus on the engine.
“We’ve always keyed in on the fuel injection system, yet in the last five to 10 years almost all of our members have added complete truck bays to their facilities,” he said.
After going through a growth period in the 1980s, the fuel injection segment of the market declined slightly in the 1990s and early 2000s, Folmar said.
“Now we are going through another growth spurt,” he said and ADS is growing along with that market. “We have a tremendous amount of interest in membership, and our programs are hitting the mark on what our members need, especially our training programs,” he said. One such program, TechSmart, was developed to improve the knowledge of entry-level and currently employed diesel technicians.
Folmar also sees opportunity for growth in servicing mid-range diesel powered vehicles. “Although the Class 7 and Class 8 trucks are an important part of our members’ businesses, we really shine in the mid-range where a fuel injection system other than the engine manufacturers’ is used,” he said. “That business is growing by leaps and bounds.”
One of Folmar’s goals is to help ADS make the transition from being a behind-the-scenes organization that very few businesses know about to gaining recognition in the mid-range segment. “We’re trying to get the word out by reaching out to all diesel engine service businesses with a new membership category and new training programs.”
Latin America is another growth area for ADS, aided by Executive Director David Fehling who is fluent in Spanish and knowledgeable of the unique business practices and customs of the region, Folmar said.
The association is offering more regional meetings and training classes in Spanish. “The membership growth potential in Latin America is just tremendous because diesels are used there much more often than they are in the U.S. and Canada,” Folmar said.
Although traveling to promote ADS takes some time away from Folmar’s four Southeast Power Systems locations, the trade-off is worth it, he said. “ADS has given me the opportunity to interact with the most influential people in the industry.” He’s committed to helping this segment of the diesel engine service industry, “move out of the background and into the foreground. And we’re just scratching the surface,” he said.
FACTS & FIGURES
- The Association Of Diesel Specialists (ADS) has more than 700 corporate and individual members in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and more than 56 other countries.
- Southeast Power Systems, Inc. (SPS) is based in Orlando, Fla., and is the parent company of SPS of Orlando, Inc., SPS of Tampa, Inc., SPS of Ft Myers, Inc. and SPS of Daytona, Inc., which are the operating companies.
- The 2007 ADS International Convention & Tradeshow takes place this month in San Diego.
- ADS members have created TechSmart, a program that provides educational opportunities for current and future diesel technicians. To find out more, visit this site.
