OTA Dispatch Issue 1, 2019

adjustments to their assets, they were able to accommodate that niche and business boomed for a while; however, once installed, power equipment typically doesn’t need to be replaced for 30 years. Diversification became a priority and the company once again decided to venture into new markets. Now they have divisions for specialized heavy transport (trucking), millwright and industrial services, and crane services with locations in Portland/Hillsboro, Seattle/ Tacoma, and Calgary, Alberta and operating primarily in the western 11 states and Western Canada. Their customers include large high-tech firms where they may install manufacturing equipment, as well as equipment manufactures and large construction companies. These different service offerings have helped keep good employees when the transportation side of the business slows down. But, that also makes finding qualified candidates more difficult. With an approach that may differ from other fleets, Omega Morgan’s hiring team looks for people with diversified skills—even drivers. 18 Oregon Trucking Associations, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch Trucking has been historically part of the trade, but most organizations begin on the trucking side, then expand. In fact, Omega Morgan wasn’t necessarily interested in transportation at all. Deregulation hadn’t happened yet, and for a long time the company did not have interstate authority, so they hired other carriers to transfer anything shipping out of state. Trucking came on as a necessity to offer full-service to their customer base. Once they obtained their authority in Oregon, they purchased six trucks. Troy still maintains his CDL and will occasionally make a run if there’s an immediate need. “Customer service is high priority. We don’t like to say no to people,” says Troy. Fifteen years after entering the transportation sector, the organization moved into heavy haul, starting with logging equipment and excavators/dozers. They quickly saw an opportunity for growth—both in terms of the company and in what they could haul. They identified the need for specialized moves for larger power companies and of larger equipment such as transformers, turbine runners, and generators. With some OMEGA MORGAN WASN’T always in the trucking business. Troy Tallent had been working for a machinery moving business for a few years when it suddenly changed ownership. Instead of staying on board, he and a few of his coworkers decided to go off on their own business venture. That’s when Omega Morgan was born. What started as a machinery moving and rigging operation in 1991 with a Chevy pickup truck, some tools, and a contractors’ license, quickly grew into what is now a turnkey solution for some of the larger companies in the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada. Troy explains that in Omega Morgan’s early years, profit from nearly every job they performed was invested directly into new equipment and other assets. The reinvestment mentality is still in place today. Only owners Troy and Tom Walker are left of the original crew, but the company now has three additional owners including River Lake Partners and some minority shareholders. THE ROAD TO TRUCKING The company’s original core competency was relocating machine tools and other equipment out of plants and factories.