During the combined meeting of the North Carolina Firemen’s Association and the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs, held at the Hilton Hotel in Greenville, NC, on August 6-8, 1987, the vendors were invited to introduce themselves at the conference participants. Here’s who they were and what they said, as recorded in the printed proceedings:

I am Candy Frye with Motorola. We have several Motorola representatives who are at lunch. We all have to eat sometime.

This is David Hyer with Coastal Electronics. We invite you to stop by our booth. We have a whole line of portable radios we would like to talk with each one of you, and I think you know that.

I am Ernie Gunnaman, Zimmerman Evans, Greensboro. We are delighted to be with you.

This is Mark Gunther and Jake Faircloth, and Bennie Mobley. Thanks for your support of a good conference.

I am Jack Slagle, the old man of Slagle Fire Equipment, 26 years, based in South Boston, Virginia, with a branch office at Columbia, South Carolina. I would like to thank you for your support. I think I am one of the older fire equipment representatives. I have Mike Turner here, from Western North Carolina. John Slagle, Central North Carolina, and I think the rest of them are at lunch. We appreciate your support. We represent FMC, trucks built of steel, aluminum stainless steel, and round pumps. We appreciate your buying the fire equipment, too, and we thank you in North Carolina for it.

I am David Lee, Lee Fire Equipment and Supplies from Kinston, representing Pierce Manufacturing. This is our salesman, Pete Dixon, or Milton Dixon, along with other names he has been called, too. We appreciate your support, we appreciate your business, we appreciate the opportunity of being here with the group. Thank you a lot.

Good afternoon, my name is Holden Barrett, Harshley Equipment, rescue tools and air bags. It is a privilege to be here, and if we can be of any help, let us know.

I am Clint Gilly, Ashley Emergency Services. We have the 3D fire equipment line. I have been a fire fighter for 25 years, and a Chief of the fire department for 20 years. I would like to have an opportunity to have your business.

I am Tracy Melton, with Harold Sales and Services out of Marietta, Georgia. Rick Tyler is outside. We represent [Seagrave] fire apparatus; we have our own line we just started, the American Fire Fighter Apparatus. Please stop by our booth.

I am Charles Green with Unicess Corporation, and we are here this weekend showing computer hardware and software designed to make the paper work tracking a little easier for the fire service. We are real glad to be a part of the North Carolina Firemen’s Association, and I appreciate the chance to be here.

I am Tommy Osborn with Action Fire and Safety. I appreciate the opportunity to be here. We have a booth here, we appreciate your going by, and if you are in Charlotte come by and see us. Thank you very much.

I am John Hefrin, Burgess Fire Equipment in Lenoir. We represent a full line of fire apparatus and equipment. We would invite you to look at a truck, the Steelcraft, here in Farmville. We also represent Ward 79 Limited and Better Systems Lifting Bags. We appreciate the opportunity to be here, and we thank you for your support.

I am Don Hamm, President of Rainbow Production out of Charlotte. We are a photography fundraising company. We are currently raising $3,000,000 a year for fire departments and rescue squads. We thank all of you.

I am Sam Campbell with Fire Equipment Company in Burlington, North Carolina. We specialize in fire hose and hardware. I count it a privilege to be with you.

I am Don Davis with Adams Industrial Sales. We have the neon line of gas monitoring equipment. I appreciate the opportunity to be here.

I am Susan Morrison with the National Fire Safety Council. My husband, Ralph, and I are State Safety Coordinators of North Carolina, and  we produce the complete Learn Not To Burn program for children in the lower elementary grades. This is our third conference, it is so nice to see familiar faces.

I am Ed [Finch], with the Emergency Apparatus Company out of Durham, North Carolina. We represent Emergency One Fire and Rescue throughout North Carolina, with the exception of the Coastal States and some of the southern counties. We have a complete display outside and we are showing some booth space outside with the Piedmont. This is my son Dan behind me, who is trying to figure out how to get out that door without me introducing him. It’s been a real pleasure being here. Please stop by. We are offering demonstration rides in our new Hutch, and we are also giving a way a jacket at the booth. So please stop by and register.

I am the volunteer firemen’s insurance representative, Bob McGee, and Angela Prescott, who kinds of keeps us together. We do appreciate the support. We currently insure 844 fire departments in the State of North Carolina, and you guys keep us hopping.

I am Clois Anders, and Robert Boyd from New Bern, from Dixie Fire and Safety. Bill and myself and Warren from American LaFrance is here with us, and we have our new Century 2000 outside. We would like for you all to look at it. I am real proud to be associated with American LaFrance, and we are back on the road again. It is real nice to be here, especially this close to home, and I hope all of you have a good conference. Come by to see us and we really appreciate it.

I am Jim Sprayger, and we are with Alexander Battery Company. We appreciate your support, and anything we can do for you let us know.  

I am Bill Field with American Honda Motor Company. I am in charge of our equipment sales for North Carolina. We also have a lawnmower plant in Alamance County. We make 500 lawnmowers a day, and we are in the process of making 1,000. That helps me with the generators. We appreciate your support and thank you for the interest.

I am Darryl Newton of Newton Gear and Safety of Swepsonville. As most of you all know, my partner was supposed to be here, but he went out to eat about three days ago and I have not seen him since.

I am Dick Mclntyre with the North Carolina Society of Fire Service. We are the guys that distribute training manuals. After you buy all this equipment, come by and see us, we will sell you the books.

I am Tommy White with North Carolina Fire Master. We are the other E-One dealer. We are the Coastal Counties of North Carolina, and we cover the State of South Carolina for emergencies. We have a booth in the other room, and salesmen in the parking lot, and we also have a couple of other trucks, and, like he said, the hutch truck, please come by and see it. We enjoyed being here.

I am Tommy McNuff out of Asheville. We represent LTI, and this is Chris McDonald, Bob Huff, our Regional Manager of LTI is with us, and Steve Brown with Triad. We represent Drum and Emergency Products, and LTI Snorkel.

I am Jim Edwards, C. W. Williams and Company. We are not giving away anything. This is A. T. Hall, Bernard Brown, we are delighted to be here. Williams is having a birthday, we are celebrating our 31st year providing fire equipment to the Fire Service in North Carolina and South Carolina.

I am Jim Kemtrock from Wake County. Next year we start our two hundredth year making fire hoses. We employ about 200 people in Wake County, and we appreciate any business you can give us. Thank you.