Welcome back to another episode of Tank Truck Talk! I’m Brian Amthor, Executive Vice President of Amthor International, joined by my co-host, Alayna Pickeral, Marketing Manager and Truck Specialist at Powell’s Truck and Equipment. In today’s episode, we’ll be diving into the unique challenges and rewarding aspects of running a family business. Hear our personal journeys from initially resisting the family trade to finding our places within it, and the balancing act between honoring tradition and embracing progress. We’ll discuss the impact of technology shifts, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the crucial role of effective communication and adaptability in multi-generational businesses. Plus, we’ll share candid insights into the trials, triumphs, and the relentless commitment required to succeed in family-run enterprises. So, buckle up and join us for an engaging discussion on how to navigate the complex landscape of family businesses while staying true to your roots and fostering innovation.

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

Episode Transcript

Brian Amthor [00:00:00]:
Welcome back to the next episode of Tank Truck Talk with your co host Brian Amthor, executive vice president of Amthor International and

Alayna Pickeral [00:00:08]:
Hi. Elena Pickerel here, marketing manager and truck specialist from Powell’s Truck and Equipment.

Brian Amthor [00:00:13]:
So today’s topic is is I feel is an interesting one with both of us coming, up in a family business is, running a family business, obstacles and challenges. I wanna call I wanna title this podcast, Selena, adapting and advancing the balance of tradition and progress. I think today, we wanna discuss, you know, as we come up in the family business and being a next generation, what are some of the challenges and obstacles that we face when running a family business? With multiple generations, you know, folks may be set in their ways, like, how things used to be done versus how things are done today, adapting and advancing the business forward and into and it kinda like introducing new business styles to to how things are done. You know, in our industries that we that we’re in together, we you know, a lot of them is still family run businesses. You know, you know, you know, maybe a mom and dad or or or grandfather and grandmother started it and, you know, and it’s been passed down from generation and generation. And, you know, unfortunately, I think in many instances, you know, family businesses are as prevalent as they were years ago because as the next generation comes about, as times change, technology changes, interest change, they don’t have the the the the same wants to stay in that business. But, you know, I think yours and and and, my story is kinda interesting and how we ended up back in the, in in the family business because we didn’t both of you guys really started out in the family business. Uh-huh.

Brian Amthor [00:01:35]:
So, you know, let’s start out with you. You know you know you know, you’re obviously generation 3 of a, chassis dealership franchise, chassis ownership here in Central Virginia, Palace Truck and Equipment of International and the Isuzu brands. Kinda tell me your story, like, really so our listeners can understand and learn more about you. You know, we’ll just start out. What got you where you’re at and, you know, how’d you get there in all the in between?

Alayna Pickeral [00:02:00]:
Yeah. Thanks, Brian. You know, if you would have told me, I would say, 6 years ago even, that that recent, 10 years ago, 15 years ago, that I would have ended up working for the family business, I would’ve told you you were insane, and that is I didn’t want anything to do with the commercial truck. But life has a funny way of taking things that you say like that and bringing them back around and making you eat your words. But I couldn’t imagine not doing it today. I love it so much. But I was doing, like, visual floor set design and marketing, and my dad asked if I would come and do marketing for the company, and I obliged. I moved back to Lynchburg, and I thought that it would be a great idea.

Alayna Pickeral [00:02:45]:
I started doing marketing in 2020 of January 2020 is when I started at Powell’s. And, you know, marketing is so important, and it goes back to what you were saying of how things used to be done and how things, you know, as a business owner, and especially 3rd generation, 4th generation, 5th generation, things change. Marketing, when they started the business in 1963, was non existent. So they had done some marketing. I came on and really, you know, put the pedal to the metal on marketing for them. And marketing and sales go hand in hand, you know. So as I don’t know. I would say maybe a year after I started in, say, in marketing, I was selling trucks, you know, without even necessarily trying just from talking to customers and understanding the product.

Alayna Pickeral [00:03:35]:
And they thought it would be a great idea to move me over to sales. So now I’m a sales and marketing manager, and I’ve been doing that since 2021, 2022. And I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I love getting to talk to customers and, you know, working with my family and meet obviously, if I didn’t join the business, I would never met. We have a great relationship. Uh-huh. So, you know, it brings things into your life that you really wouldn’t expect. And like I said, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else, and I love it.

Brian Amthor [00:04:00]:
So, actually, when you just said you started in January of 20 you started during COVID. Right?

Alayna Pickeral [00:04:04]:
Right before COVID. It was not believe me. It was not fun.

Brian Amthor [00:04:07]:
So so you haven’t you had no experience in the industry prior to COVID?

Alayna Pickeral [00:04:11]:
No. Not 2 months, which is none. So it doesn’t count. But, yeah, I’d never known I only know the trucking industry post COVID, which is, as you know

Brian Amthor [00:04:18]:
Yeah.

Alayna Pickeral [00:04:19]:
Very different.

Brian Amthor [00:04:19]:
Much different. No. A 100%. And, you know, when you’re in I’ll talk about my story in a second, but it’s very similar to yours and but in a way that, you know, when you’re running a family business and many of the guests that you’ve talked about so far is that it’s not something, like I said, not 9 to 5. It’s not Monday through Friday. It’s taking calls on weekends.

Alayna Pickeral [00:04:39]:
Taking calls on vacation.

Brian Amthor [00:04:40]:
Exactly. I was on the beach with my wife last week, and I the the phone was constantly ringing.

Alayna Pickeral [00:04:45]:
And she got to

Brian Amthor [00:04:45]:
the point. She’s like, if if it’s not your parents

Alayna Pickeral [00:04:48]:
Let someone else handle it.

Brian Amthor [00:04:50]:
Do not answer the phone. You’re done for the day. It’s Friday afternoon. So, you know That’s so funny. It just what you know, it’s a commitment we take. And there’s there’s there’s pros. Right? And there’s cons to running a filling business.

Alayna Pickeral [00:05:01]:
Yeah.

Brian Amthor [00:05:01]:
And some days, one outraised the other. Right? Yeah. But, it’s just there’s so many things. And and you talk to so many filling businesses that are out there and what, you know, what the trials and tribulations that they go through, it’s it’s interesting because all the stories have the same undertone. Right? They all they all have the just the same backstory and, you know, and and what it takes to to be successful. And some businesses are starting with a new generation. Right? And then and hopefully, they’ll pass on down. But, you know, it’s funny, 3rd generation yourself, by myself, 4th generation, even my son William, going hopefully to 5th generation, the success rate of a business continuing on and being successful as you go to 3rd, which is almost unheard of, 4th, which is, like, I like a less than 1% chance of success rate.

Brian Amthor [00:05:48]:
And then who knows with the 5th generation? But, yeah. And and just the any textbook tells you it’s like usually they end at 3rd. But, I think that if you work hard and, you know, put the time in and, you know, it it will continue on. And, you know, the idea of business evolving, it’s like running a business is like a product or anything else. You know you know you know, if cars change cars it cars change designs. Right? You know, you have multiple colors, multiple options. Every 5 years, there there’s a new model. And the thing is it’s because they’re they’re they’re changing with the times.

Brian Amthor [00:06:20]:
If you don’t change, you’re not, you know, they’re they’re not gonna be successful.

Alayna Pickeral [00:06:23]:
You gotta adapt.

Brian Amthor [00:06:24]:
Right. Exactly. So the business model is you have to change with the times. Right?

Alayna Pickeral [00:06:29]:
Yep.

Brian Amthor [00:06:30]:
If you did things the way your grandfather did, right, back in the sixties, you know, it wouldn’t work today. Right? I yep. You know? And if I did things the way my grandfather did, it definitely wouldn’t work today. So it’s just, you know, having the ability, you know, and one thing that that my parents I think your your parents as well, is that they allow us to they give us rope to hang ourselves. Right? They they they allow us the opportunity to try the new things, and not everything works. Yep. I’m sure everything you’ve done has worked.

Alayna Pickeral [00:07:01]:
What are you talking about? Everything I’ve done is perfect and amazing? No. Naturally, everyone falls on their face.

Brian Amthor [00:07:07]:
That’s right. And the thing is, you know, not everything and sometimes you can’t measure success right away. You might just say, and then you might have success from it 2 years down the line, 3 years down the line, it’s like going to a trade show. 100%. You might go to a trade show and not walk with one lead, but a year from now, you’re, oh, I met you at that show last year. Yep. I remember me. I’m like, yeah.

Brian Amthor [00:07:26]:
But, you know, and I’m ready to buy now. So, you know, it’s something that’s whole hard to quantify success. You know, you can’t really measure success by an immediate response or, you know, you can look look at at the long term.

Alayna Pickeral [00:07:38]:
Definitely, it’s an immediate gratification when it comes to success.

Brian Amthor [00:07:41]:
Oh, absolutely right. And the thing is, as you know, is and as I’m sure our listeners know who are who are family businesses is that, you know, it’s you eat, you sleep, you drink it.

Alayna Pickeral [00:07:54]:
Yep.

Brian Amthor [00:07:55]:
You know what I mean? And it’s it’s a constant form of communication at home. You’re always talking about it. Yep. I I

Alayna Pickeral [00:08:01]:
Family dinners are fun sometimes when people that don’t work at the company are there and everyone else is talking about work and they’re like, can we talk about something else? That’s right.

Brian Amthor [00:08:09]:
You always see my mom was saying, let’s talk about something else. Okay. It’s Sunday. You know, we wanna talk about business. And sometimes it’s hard because it’s the only time you might get to have that conversation outside of the office.

Alayna Pickeral [00:08:19]:
You really do eat, breathe, and sleep it. You do. So it’s kind of hard sometimes when you’re, like, the people are in front of you and you wanna have the conversation.

Brian Amthor [00:08:25]:
Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, my mom’s like we’re at the dinner. She’s like, okay. No no no work talk.

Alayna Pickeral [00:08:30]:
So Sounds like Reggie.

Brian Amthor [00:08:31]:
Yeah. So no work talk. We’re gonna talk about something else. And and and and you need to do that because even for your own sanity, you gotta separate yourself. And that’s the advice I give to people is that, look, yes, it will control you and it has to, you know, and and you have to live, eat it, but you gotta have ability to kinda separate yourself. You gotta have that work life balance because if you don’t take care of yourself, you’re no good to anybody else. If I don’t if you don’t eat right, you don’t sleep, you’re gonna you’re gonna be tired. You’re gonna be groggy.

Brian Amthor [00:08:56]:
You’re not gonna make the right decisions. Yep. And those things affect the success of your company.

Alayna Pickeral [00:08:59]:
They do.

Brian Amthor [00:09:00]:
Right? Because

Alayna Pickeral [00:09:01]:
You’re not on your a game.

Brian Amthor [00:09:02]:
That’s right. So the thing is when you, you know, when you go home at night, you know, and you’re running your business and you have x amount employees that work for you or work with you as I say not for me. But every decision I make affects every one

Alayna Pickeral [00:09:15]:
of them. Yeah.

Brian Amthor [00:09:16]:
They’re family. So if I make a wrong decision and it has a negative effect on the business, it affects them. Right?

Alayna Pickeral [00:09:21]:
Lot of pressure. It can be stressful sometimes.

Brian Amthor [00:09:23]:
That’s right. So the thing is we want to make sure, you know, that because it’s not just yourself and your family. It’s all the families that count on you to make the right decisions. 100%. When you wanna grow, how do you grow? What’s the best way to grow? You know, and you you you think about it and you just, you you you continue to to do what it takes. You know what I mean?

Alayna Pickeral [00:09:43]:
Absolutely.

Brian Amthor [00:09:44]:
You know, it’s you know, has there been times in your business where you have, you know, again, my my my father’s old school. Yeah. You know, and he was raised by my grandfather, obviously. And, you know, and going back because I go back almost a 100 years to the late twenties, 19 twenties, as my son says, 1900. And, my wife just rolls her eyes like, oh, god. I just feel old when I hear that. But, you know I

Alayna Pickeral [00:10:08]:
feel old hearing that. I’m I’m not. Yeah.

Brian Amthor [00:10:10]:
But, you know, the thing is is, like, you know, you look back. What give me an example of of of a situation that you’ve, you know, brought forth to your family about something that you wanted to change, that you got some, you know, not some resistance where you had to try to come you know, so look. I think we need to do this. You know? Do do you have any good example of that?

Alayna Pickeral [00:10:30]:
Give me a second. I’m sure I do. Oh, no. The jeopardy. Okay. Well, I’m gonna take a cut right here. That was a tough one. But since we’re just talking about COVID, maybe it’s fresh in my mind.

Alayna Pickeral [00:10:45]:
But one thing, since I did start right around the time of COVID, one you know, not I wouldn’t say outdated, but one newer technology that they weren’t, you know, used to using and not being being small family owned business, not huge corporate world, Zoom and Teams, that’s something that, you know, we got in a CRM. I was really excited about, you know, implementing that, and we got into Zoom. And with all those Zoom calls, it was really hard trying to get everyone who’s so old school to understand that now that things have changed in the world post COVID, people would much rather have video conference call that lasts 10 minutes, 15 minutes instead of them driving 25 minutes, taking 2 hours out of their day for a 20 minute meeting as opposed to 20 minutes on a Zoom from their office. So that was, you know, a little bit of a hurdle with the old school way of a truck dealership in Southern Virginia. Sure. But, you know, now it’s kind of funny because here we are, 2024.

Brian Amthor [00:11:44]:
We’re still

Alayna Pickeral [00:11:45]:
They love doing can we just do a Zoom instead?

Brian Amthor [00:11:47]:
No. That’s right. I mean, I mean, we’re you know, it’s I can’t tell you how many airline flights it saved me by having Zoom meetings.

Alayna Pickeral [00:11:54]:
Of course.

Brian Amthor [00:11:55]:
Now having to fly out west or or Alaska or Canada to to have a business meeting when everything is done now by Zoom. Yeah. And my airline miles has dropped tremendously. But, no,

Alayna Pickeral [00:12:04]:
it’s just We hate to see that.

Brian Amthor [00:12:05]:
And I I love your dad to pieces, but you gotta tell him to move his Zoom camera up. Oh. I I only sit top of this

Alayna Pickeral [00:12:10]:
It’s because of his desk. I I know. He just that’s one thing that he’s stuck in his ways that he will not he doesn’t care. He knows. He doesn’t care. But it is funny because, yeah, I would have you know, 6 years ago, 7 years ago, you would have never thought a small local truck dealership would like to Zoom, but or someone I’m sure some of your other customers Absolutely. They probably wouldn’t have even had the interface to Zoom, but, you know, COVID, all these extra

Brian Amthor [00:12:33]:
Everything changed.

Alayna Pickeral [00:12:34]:
They all popped up, and now you have plenty of options.

Brian Amthor [00:12:37]:
And I I I firmly feel that, yeah, obviously, you know, COVID changed so many things on on how we do business, how we approach working with customers, how customers are customers wanna work with us.

Alayna Pickeral [00:12:49]:
Yeah.

Brian Amthor [00:12:49]:
You know, how how we market, how how we move forward. And that’s just the whole thing about change. Right? Because COVID really changed everything. And the idea of even in our industry, and that’s for adaptation and change really has to be, you know, Because if you didn’t, you know, people just took a different approach to life at that point in time. Because we didn’t know what was gonna come.

Alayna Pickeral [00:13:08]:
No one knew it was gonna happen.

Brian Amthor [00:13:09]:
I mean, you know, so it was just a it was a that could be a whole podcast within itself is, you know, adapting post COVID.

Alayna Pickeral [00:13:15]:
Adapting post COVID.

Brian Amthor [00:13:16]:
Do that.

Alayna Pickeral [00:13:17]:
We should.

Brian Amthor [00:13:18]:
But, you know, but, you know, it’s like my story is similar to yours in a way that, you know, I wasn’t gonna go to college. No one in my family went to college, but, I decided to go and I commuted. And, while at college, I, I wanted to get an internship and work for Disney. And so I did not didn’t work out, and, the college won’t let me go. I did get hired, but they wouldn’t let me go. And I had a teacher. I had to retake accounting class because I actually failed accounting to develop. My full in class at Riverfield actually failed accounting, and I had to retake it.

Brian Amthor [00:13:50]:
So my teacher at the time was, in in a CFO at a local hometown bank. And so he offered me a an internship. So I went to work at the, at the bank as an intern, learned a lot, learned what to do, what not to do. And honestly, looking back at it now, they probably could have fired me about 8 times. But I thank god they didn’t because I, they they they really taught me a lot about life, how to handle myself as a business person. We know what to say, what not to say. And so I was about 3 or 4 years into that, and I was still working for the business part time and putting in a lot of hours. And, you know, the business was at a point where, you know, big growth opportunities that, you know and, you know, my parents spent a lot of time growing the business, and I just still thought that, you know, and maybe it’s time that I I give it a shot like you.

Brian Amthor [00:14:34]:
Right? And, you know, I I I didn’t plan it. I wasn’t, you know, wasn’t a thought, but, because I wasn’t sure. I wanted to either my my thought was work in sports, whether I wanted to work for the New York Yankees, you know, being like the the secretary to the traveling what what was that thing that George Costanza was?

Alayna Pickeral [00:14:51]:
I have no idea. I wish I could remember it.

Brian Amthor [00:14:53]:
Your assistant to traveling secretary.

Alayna Pickeral [00:14:54]:
Yes. Yes.

Brian Amthor [00:14:55]:
That was been my job with the New York Yankees or working country music, not as a singer, but as a marketing guy because my my degrees are in marketing. And but unfortunately, it didn’t work out and I came in business and of course, you know, that’s that’s how it all started. And, you know, you know, coming in was, you know, a little bit of a challenge on being the next generation, being the boss’s son. And one thing I will say, and then you will you will totally agree with me this, is that and I I I do listen to my son’s head even at 13 years old. I mean, you know, what what whatever he does in life, he comes in the business when if he does want to when he gets older. And that whole path is, you know, he has rules about that. But, you know, you have to you come in and you gotta earn the respect.

Alayna Pickeral [00:15:35]:
Of course.

Brian Amthor [00:15:36]:
You gotta earn the respect of your the folks that have been there. Probably a lot lot of them at least with me, they were there longer. They were they were when I was born. Same. So now so I’m coming in, you know, as a college kid, and I had to earn the respect. I had to show them that I’m not there just for a paycheck. I’m not and I’m not just gonna be, you know, coming in at at 10, going home at 2 with an hour lunch. You know what I mean? And, you know

Alayna Pickeral [00:15:58]:
Stay in your office at the doorstep, collecting a paycheck.

Brian Amthor [00:16:01]:
Exactly. I I I heard it all, but you know what I mean? But

Alayna Pickeral [00:16:04]:
You gotta prove yourself.

Brian Amthor [00:16:05]:
That’s right. You have to prove yourself. And and you do that through hard work. And that’s something that that we have in common because we both worked hard and did they get us where we’re at today. And have look at now we’re we’re we’re we’re buddies doing a podcast.

Alayna Pickeral [00:16:17]:
We’re doing a podcast.

Brian Amthor [00:16:18]:
Podcast. So, you know, and now when we had we had this idea months months ago, I was like, you know, so this is something cool. It’s different. You know, our industry does not have anything like this. We

Alayna Pickeral [00:16:28]:
wanna be industry leaders.

Brian Amthor [00:16:29]:
Absolutely. You wanna be trendsetters. So the thing is we’re just excited to do this and, you know, really talk about some amazing topics and, you know, and and and, you know, kinda share our stories.

Alayna Pickeral [00:16:39]:
Yeah.

Brian Amthor [00:16:40]:
You know, not that it’s, you know, biography, worthy for Barnes and Noble, but it but

Alayna Pickeral [00:16:45]:
Hey. Never say never.

Brian Amthor [00:16:46]:
That’s right. But I think we all got some some, a great story to tell. So Oh, I agreed. You know, it’s, so where where did you go to school? I mean, did you go here in Central Virginia? Or

Alayna Pickeral [00:16:56]:
So I went to Liberty. I went to well, you know, I went to LCA, so then I went to Liberty for undergrad. Don’t have any postgrad degrees or anything like that, but, yeah, Liberty University located in Lynchburg. So hometown girl.

Brian Amthor [00:17:13]:
Nice.

Alayna Pickeral [00:17:14]:
So through and through. But, yeah, just Liberty, no undergrad, anything. Just I did business, and I think it was actually international business if we’re being honest, down to the nitty gritty, but my I was actually a fax major, which is family and consumer sciences because I was doing fashion.

Brian Amthor [00:17:29]:
It’s not sending faxes.

Alayna Pickeral [00:17:30]:
No. Not sending faxes. No. That’s just what they called it. But yeah. So, like I said, originally, I was doing, like, visual floor set designs, things like that for retail sides, and that’s yeah. The hopefully, he’ll cut that. But but yeah.

Alayna Pickeral [00:17:44]:
No. So I did family and consumer sciences for fashion and interior design. So and then, you know, some minor in business, but it’s funny how life works out and you end up doing something completely different than you thought you would be doing. Had I known

Brian Amthor [00:18:00]:
Mhmm.

Alayna Pickeral [00:18:00]:
When I you know, high school looking to pick out class. It’s my freshman year.

Brian Amthor [00:18:04]:
That’s right.

Alayna Pickeral [00:18:05]:
I would have picked probably a different path.

Brian Amthor [00:18:08]:
I don’t think any of us are if you look back, if you ask our 16 to 18 year old selves, you know, do you where you think you’re gonna be at when you’re 29 and 45? Is that god. I’m 16 years older than you. That’s, you know, where are you gonna be? And never thought I’d be in, you know, great in Virginia doing a podcast.

Alayna Pickeral [00:18:24]:
So Right in Virginia. That’s so funny. I always forget that if you guys hadn’t come down here, you wouldn’t even be in Virginia.

Brian Amthor [00:18:30]:
Yeah. No. That that that’s an amazing story. You know, shortly, it was, you know, my parents had a vision to do what we to do what we’re doing now up in New York. And fortunately, at at the time, unfortunately, it didn’t work out, and they were gonna give up. It was early nineties. Yeah. And, at the time, they were building a fire truck for a local department down here in our general area here in South I know, Southern Virginia, South Central Virginia.

Brian Amthor [00:18:53]:
And the the gentleman at the time goes, come on. Bring it down to Virginia. No. We’ll we’ll we’ll put it up for you. And and this is where I get my work ethic from because when they came down here and they opened up the plant, it happened so quickly where it was we took years up in New York and the fighting in Millwood, the neighbors, and the the town and everything came down here. And, you know, my parents built it from nothing. They, you know, they they, you know, my father would come to work, sleep on his desk, you know, build a machinery that we still use today, would, you know, eat, you know, Oscar Mayer, you know, for dinner, you know, and weld the tanks himself along with a couple of guys. We still have, you know, some of our our very first run of employees that are still here today.

Brian Amthor [00:19:34]:
You know, God bless them for what they do for this company every day. That’s incredible. Because I don’t know what, I would do without them because I rely so much to them and their knowledge, you know, every single day to to help run this company. But, you know That’s incredible. It just it just it it just shows that true hard work and determination and, you know, I mean, it it it’s up and down. And and and the thing is you gotta be able to put the time in. And people today, because the way society is, I think, want instant gratification. Right? They want the instantaneous, I want it now.

Brian Amthor [00:20:03]:
Yep. And whether that’s how that goes or where all that stemmed from, I don’t you know, is that the whole thing within itself? But, you know, life’s not like that. Sometimes, you know, yeah, you want when the lottery happens right away. But in general, you gotta put the time in. Right? I mean

Alayna Pickeral [00:20:17]:
I yeah. A 100%. I was gonna say it’s definitely I mean, not that 16 years is a big difference, but I would say growing up in the everyday social media, it definitely people my age, people do believe that everything is instant gratification because you have TikTok influencers that blow up Alex Earl, for example.

Brian Amthor [00:20:35]:
Right.

Alayna Pickeral [00:20:36]:
Just a college girl going to school Right. Recording outfit of the day videos, and now she’s the highest paid influencer.

Brian Amthor [00:20:42]:
Right.

Alayna Pickeral [00:20:43]:
Millions and millions of followers and happened overnight. So people get that, but, you know, that’s your that’s not reality. Yes. It is her reality, but for the 99.9% of everyone else, it’s not reality. And you gotta work hard and put, like your dad did, blood, sweat, and tears.

Brian Amthor [00:20:59]:
Yep. Yeah. No. And it’s, you know, people see that and they watch these these, what they call it, the reels. Right? They got the reels and they look at these reels and it’s like, you know, you can make, you know, $100,000 a month on Amazon. I mean, it’s like, you know, maybe it’s it’s good for that, you know, 0.0001%. You know what I mean? You know, you see little kids that make all much money, you know, talking about the toys they have on on on YouTube. And, yeah, I mean, that’s amazing that they can do that, and and they they

Alayna Pickeral [00:21:25]:
have Of course. Definitely.

Brian Amthor [00:21:26]:
I mean, more power to them, but that’s not the that that’s not how it how it happens, you know. And, you know, you hear stories about, you know, ball players, how long it takes them to get to the majors or guys like, you know, you know, who, you know, Elvis Presley goes on the operating and say, you know, you’re very sick of driving a truck because you’re not gonna make it, kid. Yep. Or the first, you know, the first recording suit that told Garth Brooks that he’s not gonna make it go back to Oklahoma to, you know, so, you know, and but they didn’t give up. Right?

Alayna Pickeral [00:21:54]:
They didn’t give up.

Brian Amthor [00:21:54]:
You know, and and look where it says. So that’s just a true testimony of what hard work is and actually, you know, but, you know, it’s again, it’s you gotta have a balance of tradition. Yeah. Right? Because tradition is what got you. Where you’re actually and tradition is what you base your success on and you take that and you just, like, kinda like mix it up a little bit. And you just do it it, you know, you just do things a little bit differently

Alayna Pickeral [00:22:17]:
Yep.

Brian Amthor [00:22:17]:
To meet today’s standards and what what goes on in the world today and that’s how you progress. That’s how you move forward. And, you know

Alayna Pickeral [00:22:25]:
You gotta adapt with changing times.

Brian Amthor [00:22:26]:
Yeah. You have it’s right. That’s why, like, what, you know, cars are you know, they say what Henry Ford, you know, as long as the car is black. Right? Yeah. And, you know, that’s why now they have different colors and different models. And, you know, it’s, you know, you you move forward and, you know, and again, like, I I can’t stress enough is when you talk to all these people we talk to, we’re talking to on these podcasts, it’s like, everybody has obstacles.

Alayna Pickeral [00:22:50]:
Yep.

Brian Amthor [00:22:51]:
Right? Everybody has roads or and and dividing times. Well, which way do I go?

Alayna Pickeral [00:22:57]:
Which path do I take? Which path? Which one is the right one? Am I gonna regret these decisions? Should I not take the risk?

Brian Amthor [00:23:02]:
That’s right. Yep. Risk is reward.

Alayna Pickeral [00:23:04]:
I agree. You gotta take a risk.

Brian Amthor [00:23:06]:
That’s right. And, you know, I mean, winners were losers because how many you know, it’s like, you know, sometimes, you know, and and I I go back to my baseball references because it’s what I know. But it’s like, you could be be right 3 out of 10 times and be a and and get multimillion dollar contracts and be in hall of fame. So think about that. So 7 out of 10 times, I could be wrong and I could fail. But the but 3 3 times out of 10 is gonna

Alayna Pickeral [00:23:31]:
It’s gonna hit.

Brian Amthor [00:23:32]:
Right. It’s gonna count as being successful. And same thing in life. It’s the same thing in marriages. It’s the same thing in friendships. Same thing in business. And, you know, and and a lot of those those, attributes you can adapt to to to all those types of relationship that you’re that that you’re running to.

Alayna Pickeral [00:23:47]:
But 100%.

Brian Amthor [00:23:48]:
You know, you know, it’s like, you know, running a running a family business is when it’s like, there’s a book and I can’t tell you the title of the book, but it’s like, you know, how to run a family business. Yeah. And the first line in that book is don’t hire family. Right?

Alayna Pickeral [00:24:04]:
That’s so funny. Yeah. I mean, so true. It’s like, I’m sure you think that all the time it’s like, family, what I why are we working together?

Brian Amthor [00:24:10]:
Yeah. It takes a special, you know, it takes a special people to be able to work together and separate it. Mhmm. It it does it does run your life. There’s no question about it. But, you know, like, and be being able to separate it and so, you know, so the failure not the failures, but the obstacles you deal with it day in and day out. This guy didn’t pay his bill. We’re late on or or or we’re late on delivery, or whatever it happens to be.

Brian Amthor [00:24:32]:
Yeah. You gotta check it at the door. And so when you go home, and you are a husband and wife or brother and sister or uncle and aunt, whatever the situation is in the family business, is that you don’t continue that anger or that stress and bring it home.

Alayna Pickeral [00:24:44]:
Yeah. You gotta leave it at the office.

Brian Amthor [00:24:45]:
Leave it at the office because You don’t

Alayna Pickeral [00:24:47]:
wanna take it home with you. Like any like any job, you don’t take it home, but you especially don’t wanna take it home if it’s the same people that you’re working with.

Brian Amthor [00:24:53]:
It’s easier to leave it at work if you don’t own it.

Alayna Pickeral [00:24:55]:
Exactly.

Brian Amthor [00:24:56]:
But when you come home and, you know, it you know, because it will it does run your life. Right? It does. You know, it it it there’s no question about that. It does run your life and but the the key is to to leave at home and not let it, affect your personal relationships and personal life for sure.

Alayna Pickeral [00:25:11]:
Definitely.

Brian Amthor [00:25:12]:
You know? You know, it’s you you just trying to to to think about, you know, every day is, you know, is not gonna be a good day. You know what I mean? Mhmm. And there’s there’s days where it’s like, man, I love what I’m doing. I I I’m just, you know, loving it. And then it’s just like, oh, god. I know. I wish I wanna go work at a tiki bar. You know what I mean?

Alayna Pickeral [00:25:30]:
Yeah. I understand completely.

Brian Amthor [00:25:32]:
And but it’s just like, you know, like, they’re just kinda shaking it off and and and applying yourself to continue to move forward and, you know, do what needs to be done. But,

Alayna Pickeral [00:25:42]:
No. Definitely. And to add on that, you know, family businesses are definitely not for everybody. So that’s not not at all what we’re saying, but, you know, it definitely takes special people to make a family business work. You know?

Brian Amthor [00:25:56]:
Mhmm.

Alayna Pickeral [00:25:56]:
A lot of blood, sweat, and tears, you know, effort, really trying, you know, to maintain those relationships and not take everything, you know, home and you know, celebrating the highs and the lows altogether. But, you know, we talked about how I got into this and how you got into this and, you know, how neither one of us thought we would be here. So I thought maybe we could tell everyone about how we actually became business partners. Oh, that’s really interesting. Yeah. So Brian was talking about how, you know, when his family came from New York down to Gretna, Virginia and started building this plant, and his dad was here every day putting all the work in. You know, my dad actually came down here, and I’ve heard this story a bunch of times, and me and Brian joke about it. But my dad always recounts that when they are building the plan and it wasn’t finished, that they had, like, you know, a little mobile office trailer outside and that Butch, his dad, was always out there, you know, and Reggie just called on him.

Alayna Pickeral [00:26:50]:
And, you know, Brian could probably tell you more and since he’s been working with his dad and my dad a lot longer than I have about how it really came to be. But I think that it’s important for everyone to know that we just didn’t form this relationship, you know, 2, 3, 4 years ago. It’s been both of our families, you know, working together, doing business for what? Since the nineties?

Brian Amthor [00:27:11]:
Yeah. Probably, 93. And yeah. No. The the the story is kinda interesting. You know you know, your dad would come down here and and and talk to my dad about trying to sell him trucks. And, you know, my, you know, my dad coming from New York and, you know, coming down here and, you know, in New York, we’re we’re very much in a very conservative area down here and coming from New York where four letter words are spoken even in church. Right? And so, you know, so coming down here and just trying to, you know, adapt to each other, understanding each other.

Brian Amthor [00:27:41]:
And and that now it’s great to look back and laugh at it, but it it it took some time. And we we built not only a business relationship with much success over the years, but also friendships as well. So, you know, I mean and again, we’ve experienced highs and lows together. Right?

Alayna Pickeral [00:27:56]:
Absolutely. Yes. Absolutely.

Brian Amthor [00:27:58]:
And and and as with anything, with any relationship, especially, you know, in business is that you gotta choose the right people, right partners to work with, and again, right employees, the right people that work alongside, that build you up Yeah. That that help you that help you become successful. I said I always I just hire people that that are smarter than me just because, you know, that that that help but to help just to help me grow as an individual, but also as a, business owner. And that, you know, one thing that I I wanna I wanna touch on here before we finish is that, you know, sometimes when you’re running a family business, you know, it’s not we’re not corporate. Right? Not big companies where you have thousands and thousands of people.

Alayna Pickeral [00:28:37]:
Yes.

Brian Amthor [00:28:38]:
You you, you know and I say they don’t they don’t have a heart, so I’m not saying that at all in a negative way. But know, running a thing, you have a heart for people.

Alayna Pickeral [00:28:47]:
Mhmm.

Brian Amthor [00:28:47]:
And, you know, like I said, I am you with your employees more than you are with at home. Yep. And, you know, when, you know, if somebody’s sick or someone’s kid is sick, you know, you you you feel for them. Right? You care about them. And, you know, sometimes as a business owner, because you care and you have that, you know, way of thinking, it’s hard to make it it it’s tough to make the tough decisions that makes it Yeah. You know, sometimes you can make decisions that you don’t wanna make. And because you know you’re affecting someone’s son, someone’s daughter, a wife or husband, you know what I mean? And who who, you know, for for one reason or another. And it’s just, it’s just one it’s just one of those things you’re gonna have to that you you have to hit on hit head on.

Brian Amthor [00:29:28]:
Yep. And and make those decisions. It’s like anything else in life, you know. Not everything comes easy. And that that’s one of the things that when you’re running a family business is that it’s making those tough decisions.

Alayna Pickeral [00:29:38]:
Absolutely. You know?

Brian Amthor [00:29:39]:
And and and doing what needs to be done. And, you know, unfortunately, they’re they’re gonna be there and they’re not gonna go away, you

Alayna Pickeral [00:29:44]:
know? Yep.

Brian Amthor [00:29:45]:
But, you know, thing is I think we both have experienced, you know, coming into the business over the years, successes and failures and, you know, continue to move forward. We’ve introduced new business styles of how we, you know, approach ideas and topics and, you know, you know, really feel because our industry is an old industry. Right?

Alayna Pickeral [00:30:05]:
Yep.

Brian Amthor [00:30:05]:
It’s not really, you know, I don’t wanna call it a modern industry. You know, it’s, you know, it it, you know, outside of there’s not trim a a tremendous amount of technology that Yeah. You know, where, you know, it it’s played a role, but it’s an it’s it’s a necessity.

Alayna Pickeral [00:30:19]:
Yep.

Brian Amthor [00:30:19]:
You know, no one thinks about, you know, us, you know, building fuel to homes, to gas stations, trucking. Right? You know, getting that package from West Coast to East Coast, you know. And people need oil, they don’t think Amthor. Right?

Alayna Pickeral [00:30:31]:
Yeah.

Brian Amthor [00:30:31]:
When when their septic tank needs pumped, they don’t think of Amthor. But we are the ones that are in that that that are in that sector to help get those things accomplished. So it’s just, you know, we’re we we both affect everyone. You know, we don’t we’re a b to b. Right? We don’t Yeah. You know, people don’t realize what role we actually play in their daily lives. So it’s kinda, you know, it’s kinda interesting.

Alayna Pickeral [00:30:50]:
It’s one of the reasons why, you know, during COVID, we were considered an essential business because

Brian Amthor [00:30:54]:
100%. Yeah.

Alayna Pickeral [00:30:55]:
Gotta keep trucks on the road. Gotta keep tanks being built so people can get to where it needs to go. Propane, all the different sectors.

Brian Amthor [00:31:01]:
100% and hurricanes? Yeah. I mean, trucking is is important during hurricanes.

Alayna Pickeral [00:31:05]:
Huge. Huge.

Brian Amthor [00:31:06]:
Transporting water, drinking water, non drinking water, fueled for generators, you know, you know, having, you know, vacuum trucks to to to to service portable restrooms, because people didn’t have bathrooms. Right? So it’s just as an essential business, we were able to to fall into that category back then, which was key. It was key to our success.

Alayna Pickeral [00:31:24]:
Definitely. Us too. Yeah.

Brian Amthor [00:31:25]:
It was a key to really keep the doors open. And, you know, unfortunately, our industry, we we thrive during bad things. Like Yeah. Hurricanes, natural disasters, things that are life changing events in a negative way. Our business Yeah. You know, that’s where we kinda come into play. You know, I’m not proud of that. And No.

Alayna Pickeral [00:31:44]:
But it’s nice that you guys play a key part in being able to help on the back end. Like,

Brian Amthor [00:31:48]:
it’s Yep.

Alayna Pickeral [00:31:49]:
Life altering events are never good, but it’s always nice when you have a supportive team on that you know, you know, that can help out, like, customer we have customers here locally that really help out a lot with FEMA and, you know, it’s nice when you can help them get their trucks down to the hurricane so they can help other people.

Brian Amthor [00:32:04]:
Yeah. And you are helping. And, you know, it’s a business. Right? Yeah. But but just knowing that, you know, you’re you’re helping people because that’s what, you know, you know, that’s the best reward.

Alayna Pickeral [00:32:14]:
Yeah. Just because it’s a business doesn’t mean that you can’t feel good about helping other people.

Brian Amthor [00:32:18]:
That’s right. It’s not about the money. You know what I mean? Yeah. I don’t, you know, I don’t really equate rich to my being monetary. I equate rich from relationships like

Alayna Pickeral [00:32:26]:
100%.

Brian Amthor [00:32:27]:
My, you know, my my wife and my son, my business partners like yourself. You know what I mean? That that that’s where I feel that that’s wealth to me.

Alayna Pickeral [00:32:35]:
I agree. Something that you can’t actually buy.

Brian Amthor [00:32:37]:
That’s right. That’s right. So, well, I think, we’re getting towards the end of this episode. I think

Alayna Pickeral [00:32:42]:
we are.

Brian Amthor [00:32:43]:
Folks, we we thank you for, for for listening.

Alayna Pickeral [00:32:46]:
Yeah. Thanks for tuning into this one.

Brian Amthor [00:32:48]:
Yeah. This, we have some great topics coming up and, you know, and keep your eyed out eyes out for some some future episodes. And as we talk with some great guests coming up and some great topics on business, non business topics, we have some really cool

Alayna Pickeral [00:33:00]:
Yes. We have some cool non business topics as well.

Brian Amthor [00:33:02]:
So to kinda keep a little bit of variety to to to appeal to our to our audience. So alright, folks. Have a great day. We’ll talk to you soon.

Alayna Pickeral [00:33:09]:
Talk to you soon.

Brian Amthor [00:33:09]:
Bye bye.