Professional Pilot, September 2016
CORPORATE PROFILE MPW Industrial Services scours North America in Citation CJ3 and Sovereign in pursuit of big clean up jobs L R MPW Chairman and CEO Monte Black Director of Philanthropy Community Engagement Kristen Black Pres Jared Black and GM Adam Black on the ramp at VTA Newark Heath OH M onte Black chairman and CEO of MPW Industrial Services remembers it like it was yesterday When he got out of the Air Force in 1972 he had a choice to make Go to work for somebody or satisfy his entrepreneurial spirit and start his own business He chose door number 2 Almost immediately upon returning home he got his dad to cosign a 7000 loan and started his mobile truck washing business in central Ohio with 2 employees 66 PROFESSIONAL PILOT September 2016 and pressure washer Thanks to Blacks personal belief determination and savvy washing fleets of tucks turned out to be a very good business And it served as the foundation from which he grew one of the largest providers of industrial cleaning and water handling services in the country By 1980 we were trying to expand from central Ohio into Lima Steubenville Pittsburgh and Youngstown Black recalls Not having the staff I would have to do a lot of the on site supervision by myself I would drive all night and arrive Monte Black began pressure washing trucks in 1972 Today his company has over 3000 employees at 72 locations at the site first thing in the morning Id work all day on site and visit prospects and then drive back home It was very difficult After one of those difficult days Black was watching the television program Dallas and was struck with an idea If the shows protagonist JR Ewing could use a Bell JetRanger helicopter in his business so could he And Black knew just were to start American Electric Powers Fuel Supply division was located just down the road from my office and I knew they frequently chartered a helicopter Black said I was fascinated by the thought so one time I had to make a trip and I chartered their helicopter instead of driving It saved me so much time I couldnt go back to driving all night By Dale Smith Contributing Writer Photos courtesy MPW
You must have JavaScript enabled to view digital editions.