From teenage boy working in the traffic industry to a family man running his own private company, one look at Municibid and Dan Oliver saw the product that would open new doors for he and his daughter, a line painting machine. He bid, he won, and that's how this line painting family business started with government surplus.
The Winning Bid
“Back when I worked for the town of Mansfield, they used Municibid to sell equipment. That's where I found out about it and that's when I got on and I started looking at equipment and then saw the striping equipment and I think I bought a blower as well. I bought a few things since then, but those are the two big purchases for me on Municibid."
Dan didn’t intend to find the line painting machine, but he got an email for local listings, clicked the picture and everything started from there. That first eventual winning bid was the byproduct of those teenage experiences working.
“It was a friend of mine's uncle who owned the company. It was just a summer job, but I ended up liking it, and did it through my adult years to where I ended up working for the town of Mansfield, which was a municipality, for almost 20 years. And then I left there to do traffic circles for a private company.”
“I worked in the traffic field. Now I do traffic lights, but I started off working for a line painting company, which is the reason why I do what I do and won the line painting machine.”
Today, Dan works with traffic lights for his full-time job and handles the line painting business on the side.
The Father-Daughter Duo
“So, what happened with that was the line painting machine was available. It was for sale on Municibid, and I had seen it. So, I bid on it, ended up winning it, and my daughter is like, ‘Well, why don't we just do some weekend stuff?’”
“We started doing that and had some friends in the business who did sealcoating. We're doing parking lots. So, they invited us to do the line painting and it took off from there. It was just a weekend thing to spend time with her doing over the summer, and we still do it to this day and it's been 10 years now, I think. I've had the machine and me and her have been doing it for the past five.”
Of his five children, this daughter in particular took to the line painting business and the duo have been completing various projects since they started. Aside from learning responsibility and discipline, Dan’s hoping to impart other lessons as well.
“I hope she takes away just the knowledge of when you finish your job and how good it looks, when you go from having nothing in the parking lot to having now all these parking lot lines and all that. And I think just that nice work ethic that she's getting out of it is really good. And the math doesn't hurt. There's a lot of math involved in doing it, so it's helping.”
While his daughter matures, their relationship grows. He has found the experience to be rewarding in many ways as they both form lasting memories through the years.
Changes in the Industry
On the business side of things, Dan has also noticed changes in the paint being used within the industry, paints that have moved into being more environmentally-friendly.
“I think some of the major changes have been in the paint itself. It used to be, when I first started, an oil base, rubbery paint. And now they have some really great latex pants which are environmentally safer. And I think that that is a huge outcome. Fast dry is another one, it's just paint literally that can dry within moments of putting it down…And then the retroreflectivity of paint that they've added for the nighttime and wetness, rainy days, kind of safety stuff. I think that would be the big impacts I’ve seen since I started way back when.”
Since that time, his projects have included basketball courts, tennis courts, and plenty of parking lots.
“I mostly do just small parking lots, curbing, stuff like that. Some basketball courts and tennis courts. Just small jobs.”
“As far as getting into the road work, you need a truck and you're going to have bigger line painting equipment. I could probably do some crosswalk stuff like that, but if you're going to get into that aspect, you need bigger quantities of paint, tanks, trucks, personnel. You know and even at that it’s tough because you're trying to bid against bigger companies that have been doing it. That's why I like the little niche of the parking lot.”
“It’s a nice little niche to have where you don't have as much competition.”
“It's something you can actually start off small and build as you go. You can make it as big as you want. You can do parking lots, you can do basketball courts, or you can do full roadways. I mean, there's just so much you can do.”
With every endeavor, Dan has also learned the importance of stretching beforehand. This line of work can take a toll on the body without the correct technique or proper warm-up.
“Stretch! Stretch a lot because you do a lot of bending and a lot of heavy lifting.”
Dan believes in doing your due diligence when searching through government surplus, whether online or in-person, He believes in asking questions, doing your research, and knowing the product you intend to buy, especially if that product is equipment.
“You can find some really good quality equipment that might not be that far out, and obtainable for you, versus buying brand new. Usually, too, with that being a municipality, they're well maintained and not so much beat up like if you were buying them from a rental company or getting something that's not been maintained.”
If, like Dan Oliver, you too are looking for government surplus to add to your business fleet, resell and repurpose, or work on some projects with your family, Municibid has plenty to offer, from fire trucks to cars to electronics. All that’s left to do is find what you’re looking for today!
