machine owner spotlight
PAUL GOLLIHER
Fort Stockton, Texas
Paul Golliher owns two successful feed stores where he supplies the local ranchers with all that they need. One day a ranch hand brought up the idea of an ice machine for Paul to offer his customers. Paul liked the idea but saw an even better opportunity by purchasing a Kooler Ice machine that would allow him to provide coupons to his loyal customers while also making a return on the investment from outside consumers.
PRODUCTS OWNED
- (2) IM1000
“My name’s Paul Golliher. We live in Fort Stockton, Texas. We own a farm and rent supply, a little mini storage complex, and about three years ago we put in a Kooler Ice machine. And we opened the store, the original store in 1995, 22 years ago approximately. It was just a regular feed store quiet deal. And then we got into Western wear in about ’97, ’98, and then put in a Western wear line for our fellow ranchers and everything. And then in about 2000 we built about 48 storage units, mini storage units. And about three years ago, one of my ranchers came in and said, “Hey, I got a good idea for you.” He said, “Why don’t you put in a ice machine where we can fill up our ice chests when we go out to the ranches in the mornings? And it’d be a good customer service relation.”
So I got online and we started looking at ice machines to buy, and I come across Kooler Ice. Well so, when we decided to go, it was a simple deal. The machine was delivered in four weeks. They delivered it, they set it up. Donnie Beeson, he set us up real good on what we needed to do and cleaned it up once a month, and we got our vending license. And I mean I was real pleased with that. And then we just started going.
Some of the best things about the Kooler Ice is they’ve been great, they’re Johnny-on-the-spot. I mean we call them up and never had an issue with getting ahold of anybody on a holiday, on a weekend, anytime. The best part of it is money, you know, it makes money, it does good. It’s about, I think ours was about a two year pay out, two and a half year pay out.
Advice I would give for someone looking to get into this business is just make sure that you can get the support because I don’t think anybody’s born knowing how to work one of these things. And I mean they’re not tough. They’re not hard. It’s plug and play. There’s, it’s a very simple deal but the support issues is, I think that’s sold me on Kooler Ice. And they promised me, and I said, “Well, okay, I’m coming to Georgia. If it ain’t true and I spent all this money and I can’t get no backup, I’m going to come to Georgia and get my money from somebody.” But no, they did, and they did everything they said that they would do and we’ve been real pleased with Kooler Ice. In fact, we’re fixing to put our second unit in Crane, in our other store location in Crane, Texas, about 45 miles north of here. And we’re sure going with Kooler Ice.”
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