Best Line Equipment Acquires Chesapeake Supply & Equipment Co.
Best Line Equipment has acquired the assets and location of Chesapeake Supply & Equipment in Jessup, Md. This acquisition marks Best Line Equipment’s 14th equipment location in three different states and its first in the Baltimore / Washington D.C. market. Best Line brings a reputation as a multi-year Top 100 Best Places to Work employer in Pennsylvania and intends to use best practices, top industry pay, and industry-leading benefits to the state of Maryland, the company said..
At the time of purchase on January 6th, 2023, all employees were invited and decided to join the Best Line team. At the same time, advertisements have been placed for additional sales, service technicians, professional drivers, customer service representatives, and management.
Chesapeake’s success in recent years has been providing heavy construction equipment, Genesis and LaBounty demolition and forestry-oriented attachments, and Crafco and Etnyre asphalt equipment.
“We intend to keep Chesapeake’s established brands while adding Doosan heavy equipment and JLG access equipment as our large dealership-oriented brands,” said Adam Houseknecht, president of Best Line Equipment. “Like most of our other locations, we intend to lead the market in construction and industrial equipment rentals while also serving the market by providing dealership-oriented equipment for sale, service, and parts.”
This acquisition allows Best Line to serve its long-term strategic goal of stability first and growth second. While considering Chesapeake as a partner for growth, it took into account the company’s stability in the market and with its customers, having been in business for more than 85 years. Moreover, several Best Line locations exist within one and a half hours driving distance. Jessup, Md., is within immediate reach of extra equipment and mechanical support.
Armand Cencetti, vice president of sales at Best Line, said, “We are very excited to have the opportunity to have a larger footprint to serve our existing customers. We also want to connect with existing Doosan heavy equipment customers without a dealer for the past few years. Increasing the continuity of Best Line and Doosan’s covered territory will give our existing and new customers a better experience.”
Best Line Equipment is a leading equipment dealer and general rental, sales, service, and parts provider to the construction and industrial industries, in business for more than 35 years. The company is headquartered in State College, Pa.
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.