Army, Exxon experience pay off for Baton Rouge repair shop owner

摘要

After spending five years in the US Army as a mechanic and another six years in a maintenance department at Exxon, James Theriot wanted to become independent and buy his own business. One day in 1997, he received a telephone call from Bob Jackson, the owner of Slade's Industrial Service Inc in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The three-bay cargo tank repair shop was for sale. "Most of my family said I'd better stay with Exxon," Theriot recalls. But his wife, Karen, wasn't one of them. So together the couple decided to take the plunge into business ownership. The decision proved to be the right one. After buying the company, Theriot expanded the parts inventory and added truck and tractor repair services. To enlarge the shop's market and raise its profile, he joined some industry associations and began participating in trade shows.