M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc.

M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc.
Private
Industry Heavy equipment
Fate Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code
Successor MOBRO Marine, Inc.
Dell Marine
Founded 1913
Founder Maxey Dell Moody
Defunct 2013
Headquarters Jacksonville, Florida
Number of locations
 8 (2001)
Key people
 Max Moody III
(CEO)
Lisa Moody
(President 2005-2013)
Max Moody, Jr.
(CEO 1950-1987)
Subsidiaries Moody Fabrication & Machine, Inc.
Slogan Road Building and Construction Machinery

M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc. was a privately owned construction equipment distributor headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. The firm was established in 1913 as M. D. Moody by Maxey Dell Moody who wanted to serve the needs of road construction businesses by distributing construction equipment. By 1946 the firm was incorporated to M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc. when Maxey's sons Muller and Max Moody, Jr. joined their father's business. By 1970 Max Moody, Jr.'s sons Boyd and Max Moody III also joined the company continuing the name of M. D. Moody & Sons. M. D. Moody once stood as the oldest family owned construction equipment distributor in the United States, the oldest road equipment company in Florida and at one time the largest American Crane dealer in the world. It was at one time the only company between South Florida and New Jersey that rented barges.[1]

M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc. also had a sister company established in 1962 called Moody Brothers of Jacksonville which is now MOBRO Marine, Inc.

History

M. D. Moody: 1913-1949

The beginning of M.D. Moody & Sons, Inc. in 1913 with Maxey Dell Moody (center, third person on the right)

M. D. Moody was established in 1913 by Maxey Dell Moody in Jacksonville, Florida.[2] Maxey's business was known simply as M. D. Moody titled after himself abbreviating his first and middle names as M. D. leaving his last name intact. The purpose of the enterprise was to “sell construction equipment to road builders.” Maxey was the only employer of M. D. Moody at the time but did considerably well while only having a high school education from Ocala. Lines represented by M. D. Moody in those early years included Adams road graders, Best Tractors, Hesselman engines, Cummins and P & H cranes. In 1924 M. D. Moody sold 238 P&H Draglines. Also during the 1920s was when M. D. Moody entered the marine equipment business by manufacturing their own marine engines and then with the Waukesha Engine distributorship. During the Great Depression, the company suffered but still managed with 10 employees. In the 1930s, M. D. Moody's marine business expanded with the addition of barges and tugboats.

During World War II the firm expanded to meet the needs of wartime construction. M.D. Moody supplied the equipment needed for the expanding military bases in Florida. A year that stands out during the war years is 1942. That was the year M.D. Moody was appointed as the Florida distributor for American Hoist & Derrick Company, which was American Crane and is now a part of Terex Cranes. Moody’s spectacular sales of American Cranes and draglines vaulted it into the number one position among American’s distributors worldwide. Max Moody, Sr. continued as head of the enterprise until his death in 1949.

From Incorporation to Diversification: 1950-1999

American 11320 crane from M. D. Moody lifting an ore loading bridge in 1984.

In the 1940s Maxey's sons, Max Moody, Jr. and Muller Pearson Moody, joined M. D. Moody and it became incorporated as M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc.[3] Maxey Dell Moody, Jr. took over his father's business when he died in 1947. At the turn of 1950 the firm needed a new location because of its small location and expanding success. The headquarters of M. D. Moody was then moved from Downtown Jacksonville to Philips Highway. With a strong footing in the construction business the firm expanded out of Jacksonville to Tampa, Pompano and Fort Myers. By 1960 M. D. Moody began to diversify its assets to form other subsidiaries in relation to heavy construction equipment. In 1962 Max Moody, Jr. founded Moody Brothers of Jacksonville to handle the marine business and rental of large construction equipment located in Green Cove Springs, Florida. The name Moody Brothers correlates to the title of & Sons of M. D. Moody.[4] Moody Machinery Corp. was then established in Fairburn, Georgia to handle the sales and service of M. D. Moody's construction equipment in the Georgia region.[3] In 1983 the Moody Truck Center was formed with the REO Truck line in order to serve the trucking industry. Max Moody, Jr.'s son R.M. Moody, Sr. became the President of the Moody Truck Center until its demise in 1996.[5] By the 1980s, M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc. had acquired over 150 cranes of all types such as crawler cranes and rough terrain cranes. The most notable crane equipment sold by the firm was American Hoist & Derrick, Badger, CDS, Furukawa, Trojan, Terex, Koehring, and Kato. In the mid-1980s M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc. and its subsidiaries were employing over 200 people. Operations of M. D. Moody branched out internationally to Cuba, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Japan.[6]

Left to right: M. D. Moody (right, in black vest) delivering an Adams road grader around 1923, M. D. Moody, Jr. operating an American crane around 1968 and M. D. Moody III operating an American 9310 crawler crane in 1975.

Maxey Dell Moody III succeeded his father as president when Maxey Dell Moody, Jr. died in 1987. M. D. Moody under Max Moody III continued to diversify further with the subsidiaries Moody Light Equipment Rental and Southeast Crane Parts along with acquisitions of the Bellinger Shipyard, a Sea Ray dealership and at one point Arlington Marina. Moody Fabrication & Machine, Inc. was formed in 1994 and operated out of the Bellinger Shipyard on the Intracoastal Waterway. Moody Fabrication & Machine would work on heavy industrial vessels in relation to the now corporate spin-off of Moody Brothers.[7][8]

21st Century

The turn of the 21st century saw M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc. expanding into Mobile, Alabama and the creation of a new parts subsidiary called Southeast Crane Parts. In 2005 the firm restructured by reducing personnel by 50% and closed four locations leading to a reduction in expenses by $5 million.[9] By 2009 restructuring and financial difficulties during the Great Recession took a toll on the business leading to a Chapter 11 Banktruptcy.[10] Its sister company MOBRO Marine, Inc. was not severely impacted by the economic conditions.[11] M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc. managed to reach its 100th anniversary in 2013 still retaining the title of the oldest family owned construction equipment distributor in the United States.

Moody Fabrication & Machine

Moody Fabrication & Machine, Inc. operated out of the headquarters of M. D. Moody & Sons in 1994 fabricating sheet metal and manufacturing parts for heavy machinery. In February 1995 a shipyard on the Intracoastal Waterway called the Bellinger Shipyard was sold to M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc. for $1.9 million by Fruehauf Trailer Corporation.[12] Moody Fabrication & Machine moved to the newly purchased Bellinger Shipyard where it operated for 19 years. Moody Fabrication & Machine utilized the Intracoastal to transport completed products such as tugboats and heavy equipment.

During the Great Recession in March 2010 Moody Fabrication & Machine declined in business and employees. At the same time M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc. had filed for Chapter 11 Banktruptcy putting the fate of Moody Fabrication & Machine in jeopardy.[13] Because of a decline in business M. D. Moody decided to sell the Bellinger Shipyard while maintaining the operations of Moody Fabrication & Machine. In October 2014 the Bellinger Shipyard was sold to Jacksonville Intracoastal LLC for $9.4 million.[14]

The Bellinger Shipyard where the subsidiary Moody Fabrication & Machine, Inc. operated

Dell Marine

Carolina Skiff with a Suzuki outboard motor from Dell Marine.

Dell Marine Boat Sales

Dell Marine Boat Sales was founded on May 11, 2004 by Maxey Dell Moody III bearing his middle name. The Dell name goes back to the middle name of Maxey Dell Moody as well as his brother Adelbert Moody (1882-1951) who was nicknamed Dell. Dell Marine first began as a subsidiary of M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc. and initially located next to the headquarters but later became a corporate spin-off. M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc. had first ventured into the boating business in the early 1990s when it acquired a local Sea Ray dealership until it was sold in 2000. Max Moody III decided to start his own boat retailer through the knowledge of owning the Sea Ray dealership. In October 2006 Dell Marine opened its first branch in Orange Park, Florida.[15] Dell Marine first began selling Skeeter, Edgewater, Pro-Line, and Odyssey Pontoon boats. The growth and shift in the market led to Dell Marine being a primary Carolina Skiff dealership with a select amount of used boats.

Dell Marine Tug and Barge

Dell Marine Tug and Barge was also founded by Maxey Dell Moody in 2004. Barges from Dell Marine are used to transport various materials from houses to concrete used to establish reefs. In 2008 Dell Marine transported and dropped about 600 tons of concrete pipes and storm boxes off St. Johns County, Florida to add to the St. Johns County High School reef project. In June 2015 Dell Marine Tug and Barge donated and transported concrete materials to a location 20 miles off St. Augustine, Florida for the establishment of a reef.[16]

Arlington Marina

Arlington Marina was established in 1990 as a public marina in Jacksonville. MOBRO Marine acquired Arlington Marina by 1992 but then transferred ownership to M. D. Moody in 2014. Arlington Marina has a dry storage warehouse for boats with concrete floating docks complete with fuel and sewage pump-out stations.[17]

Arlington Marina

Operations

The headquarters of M. D. Moody was first established at ACL Warehouse No. 2 Riverside Viaduct in 1913 until 1951. In 1951 M.D. Moody moved to 4652 Philips Highway and became incorporated as M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc. The company was one of the world’s largest crane dealers, both in units sold and in its rental fleet that included crawler cranes, rough terrain cranes, hydraulic truck cranes, derricks, and lattice boom cranes. The fleet ranged in sizes up to 450 short tons (410 t). The firm has provided cranes for some of Florida’s biggest lifts and road and bridge construction across the southeast. M.D. Moody & Sons, Inc. was a Terex dealer for the southeast region of distribution as well as American Hoist & Derrick. Along with distributing heavy equipment there is also a parts department for a variety of cranes and heavy construction equipment.

The Moody Companies

The logo of M. D. Moody

M.D. Moody & Sons, Inc. had established multiple subsidiaries throughout the firm's existence as part of its diversification. The following subsidiaries are now defunct:

Only two previous subsidiaries are in operation and comprise the middle name of Maxey Dell Moody for the name of the companies:

The sister company of M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc. is still in operation but has now become a corporate spin-off of the firm

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Mansfield, Betty (Spring 1984). "Great Expectations". Official Publication for St. Vincent's Foundation, Inc. 2 (1): 1–5.
  2. ↑ Weaver, 2001, p. 159
  3. 1 2 Gianoulis, Deborah; Smith, Lawrence (1998). Jacksonville: Reflections of Excellence. Memphis, TN: Towery Publishing, Inc. p. 225.
  4. ↑ Ibid, p.225
  5. ↑ "IRS, Moody battle over daughters' pay". Jacksonville Business Journal. October 21, 1996. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  6. ↑ Mansfield, Betty (Spring 1984). "Great Expectations". Official Publication for St. Vincent's Foundation, Inc. 2 (1): 4.
  7. ↑ "Fruehauf sells 2nd shipyard". Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Moody shipyards languish after condo battle, sour economy". jacksonville.com. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  9. ↑ http://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/web_edit/Southeast/-%202005/0605/CEGSE00916SE.pdf
  10. ↑ "Middle District of Florida bankruptcies rise 50% in first half - Jacksonville Business Journal". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  11. ↑ John, Libby. "MOBRO Marine, Inc.". tlimagazine.com. TLI. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Fruehauf sells 2nd shipyard". Ocala Star-Banner. Ocala Star-Banner. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  13. ↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2009/08/10/story9.html?page=all
  14. ↑ Thurlow, Andrew. "Waterfront condo development planned for abandoned industrial space that sold for $9.4 million". BizJournals. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  15. ↑ Buehn, Debra (October 4, 2006). "BUSSINESS BRIEFS: Love of math adds up to a new business". Florida Times-Union. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  16. ↑ "JOHN C. LEONE REEF DEPLOYMENT PREPARATIONS". tisiri.org. Tisiri. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Marina seeks to expand facilities". Florida Times-Union. July 5, 1997. Retrieved 19 January 2016.

References

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