Do You Have a Big BUT

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volume one issue two
Excel Tire Gauge
where INFLATION
has a positive meaning
Do You Have
a Big BUT
A City Built for & Run by Kids:
Education in Action
Business Lessons from
a Yoga Practice
Take A Break,
Will Ya?
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RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
Excel Tire Gauge
Although many may believe the local Rhode Island economy
is in dire straits, there are some gems out there that are
growing at rates that are impressive - even in good times.
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FEATURED COVER STORY | Excel Tire Gauge
when a product or service is new to your customer
or an end-user, it can be difficult to convince them to
forget what they’ve known or have been using for so
long and to convince them to use your product.
Excel Tire Gauge is one of those gems, located right in our own
backyard in Warwick, Rhode Island. If you have ever visited a
Gulf or Cumberland Farms gas station and have put air in your
tires – chances are you have used an air tower manufactured
by Excel. Through years of R&D and good old fashioned hard
work, Excel has developed a technology that digitally inflates
or deflates a tire to a level of accuracy and precision that is
unmatched in the industry. As a result, Excel has risen to the
top of the air inflation industry by supplying the likes of giant
names such as Costco, Discount Tire, Shell, Cumberland
Farms, and Gulf Oil.
What started out as an idea between two friends to bring a
new technology, developed in Brazil, to the US market has
turned into an established business consisting of a team of 25
employees. “While it didn’t happen overnight, we have become
the industry leader for digitally calibrated air machines” says
Jay Nelson, CEO of Excel Tire Gauge.
Marrying cutting-edge design
with state-of-the-art technology
It’s common for entrepreneurs
and business owners to
initially write their ideas on
the back of a napkin, but
the actual execution of
the idea and its success
requires resilience, hard
work and a vision. “We
saw an opportunity in the
marketplace and realized
we could fulfill a real
customer need with a product
that incorporated state-of-theart technology with a cuttingedge user-friendly design. Our
products
provide
the consumer with a
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RISBJ | rhode island small business journal
simple solution to what was formerly an awkward process of
filling your tires with the traditional tire gauge”, says Nelson
explaining why they went into business in the first place.
Nelson explains that it takes passion to create confidence in
a potential customer that might consider your new product
or service ‘risky or foreign’. “When a product or service is
new to your customer or an end-user, it can be difficult to
convince them to forget what they’ve known or have been
using for so long and to convince them to use your product.”
says Nelson. Excel’s digital air machines have chipped away
at this mindset by marrying high-tech functionality with a
user-friendly head interface.
As any entrepreneur can relate to the expression ‘to wear
many hats’, Nelson describes how during the formative startup
years he took on the role of marketer, technician and traveling
salesman all at once. He says it was hard work being on the
road for almost half the year, going to trade shows, talking
to potential customers, learning what the end
users would want to see in the product, and
building business relationships. Now that
the foundation of the company has been
built, his role has since shifted from the
‘Chief Everything Officer” to its current
focus on managing the organization,
setting strategy and direction, and
making sure to stay close to his
loyal customer base. Nelson says,
“Looking back on the first years of
business, it’s hard to believe that we
have now sold over fifty thousand
machines worldwide and have industry
giants like Cumberland Farms and
Costco as our customers – it’s proof that
good things can and do happen to
start-ups like us.”
Playing its part to help the local economy
To start and succeed at a business may seem like an impossible task,
“it is a rewarding experience to know that you are helping the local
economy by creating jobs and employing local people” Nelson says.
“Treating people right and providing a product at a fair price is essential
to our success and is really something that we pride ourselves on.”
Success and growth drives many businesses forward, Roger Audette,
Director of Sales says, “keeping the momentum that we have built
up over the years is essential. It’s really exciting to play a role in the
growth we have experienced and to watch a company grow right in
front of your eyes – especially when you see all of the opportunity that
we’ve yet to tap.”
Even though Excel sells its digital air towers nationwide, it is important
to note that their success has had a positive effect on Rhode Island’s
business community through its local network of employees, business
partners, and customers. The Excel team continues to focus on
growing the business and expanding its business network with
Jay now setting his sights on breaking into the tire and auto rental
industries. We have a hunch that somehow Jay and the Excel team
will climb those mountaintops in the near future as well!
About Excel
America’s leader in digital air inflation equipment, Excel Tire Gauge
has manufactured and installed over 50,000 machines worldwide
for a Who’s Who list of customers that includes Sheetz, Cumberland
Farms, Costco, Discount Tire and Shell New England. With digital air
machines as its sole focus, Excel performs all device maintenance and
manufacturing in-house – while offering exceptional onsite support
and turnaround times.
To learn more,
visit exceltiregauge.com
or call 888.813.4400.
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