Fluor to Sell Its Equipment Dealerships

Reflecting the company's commitment to focus on its core businesses of engineering, procurement, construction and asset management, Fluor Corp., the parent company of Ameco, is divesting its five U.S. equipment dealerships. The five companies include South Carolina Commercial, J.W. Burress Inc., Stith Equipment, SMA and S&R Equipment. Ameco will remain part of Fluor'score service offering, providing equipment services including fleet outsourcing and construction site services to industry. According to Jim Liston, vice president of Fluor Equipment Dealerships, the company will consider selling these dealers as one package or one company at a time, whichever brings the best value. "We have just begun the process of offering these companies for sale individually, so we are not yet at the stage of having any pending sales," he said. Four of the dealership companies were acquired by Ameco within the past five years, and the fifth is an Ameco-created company. J.W. Burress Inc., based in Roanoke, Va, was formed by Jack Burress in 1934. Among its distinctions over the past 30 years, the company has become one of the largest Grove distributors, and one of the first and largest Hitachi distributors in the United States. Burress also distributes Daewoo, Gomaco, Gradall and others. The company was acquired by AMECO in 1997, and operates nine locations in Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. For the full story, visit www.rerreports.com.