ESTABLISHING A STRONG RELATIONSHIP WITH CAT FINANCIAL

Growing up in a construction family allowed Matt Whaley to learn the ins and outs of the business. He began humbly by digging ditches and worked his way up through every role in Whaley Construction to gain invaluable experience. When he took over the company in 2010, he began studying the financial side of the business. His proactive approach to learning and forward-thinking strategy led him to build a strong relationship with Stowers Machinery and Cat Financial.

“When he came in and took over for his dad at Whaley Construction, they were not big Caterpillar users at that point in time,” recalls Lisa Rottmann, President of Stowers Machinery. “And Matt and his team allowed Stowers Machinery the privilege to partner with them as he was building the business...”

“The reason that we chose Stowers wasn’t necessarily because they sold a quality product. We knew they were going to be there with us. They made it easy for us to make a decision and move forward with Cat Financial,” says Whaley.  That decision resulted in Whaley’s fleet growing to 175 pieces of equipment with 90% of their fleet being Cat machines acquired with the support of Cat Financial.

The collaboration between Whaley, Stowers Machinery, and Cat Financial not only boosted the efficiency of the family business but allowed Whaley Construction to grow and expand their operations into multiple different sectors within the construction industry. Whaley decided to finance a combination of new and used equipment along with non-Cat machines offered by Stowers, showing his confidence in Cat Financial’s ability to provide solutions for his entire operation.

Whaley’s relationship with Cat Financial and Stowers Machinery also gives him access to comprehensive financing options beyond traditional leases or loans, including Cat® Customer Value Agreements from Cat Financial (CVA), Equipment Protection Plans (EPP), and benefits with the Cat Card. This holistic approach ensures that Whaley Construction has well maintained equipment and safeguards its investments for the long term.

“We take care of everything that Whaley could possibly need,” says Zack Smeltzer, Territory Manager for Cat Financial. “We offer them protection, whether it’s refinancing other notes for them, taking care of them through preventative maintenance agreements, through Cat Financial aftermarket solutions, major rebuilds that occur that they're not prepared for and they're not scheduled… It just gives them peace of mind.”

“Cat Financial has always been extremely competitive on their rates,” Whaley says. “They offer different products and services that benefit the contractor by staying with them. And that's why we choose to.”

“So Cat Card came to use through our territory manager.” Whaley recalls. “He brought it to us. He wanted to explain to us the benefits and values of using that Cat Card. And since then it has changed how we do our day-to-day business.”

Whaley Construction now manages and pays for parts, services, attachments, and protections plans all in one streamlined payment through the Cat Card. The competitive rates, flexible payment terms, and special promotional offers allows Whaley to have a feasible maintenance plan that extends the life of his equipment and protects his budget.

“Instead of paying for all those repairs up front, [we’re] able to stretch out those really expensive repairs, those unforeseen costs that you haven't built into your maintenance plan,” says Whaley.

Regarding the benefits of the Cat Card, Andy Jobes, Senior VP of Sales for Stowers Machinery remarks, “The great part about the Cat Card is it can allow a customer to not tie up their capital line of credit for expenditures. It gives them another avenue where they can finance, over time, repairs, rebuilds, parts, [and] rentals.

Whaley, Cat Financial, and the experts at Stowers Machinery form a cohesive team dedicated to finding the best solutions to meet Whaley Construction's needs. Through collaborative efforts, they leverage each other's industry expertise to create opportunities that optimize efficiency and profitability. Collaboration and leveraging creative financing solutions helps customers like Whaley Construction thrive by tailoring financing options to meet specific needs, fostering growth and efficiency. By working together, they address challenges proactively and make it easy for customers to manage cash flow and simplify payments. Cat Financial is here to help ensure that every decision benefits the customer's long-term success.