Glenn Presswood secures equipment inside of a new van as he prepares to take it back to Houston, Texas, where he is based, on Friday, Nov. 21, 2014, at the headquarters of Assemblers, Inc., in Chattanooga, Tenn. The company sends technicians to assemble basketball goals, trampolines, and similar items for homeowners or retail chains.Mike Giaccone could, admittedly, talk all day about Assemblers Inc., the company he founded in Chattanooga in 1997 and the one he currently leads as president and CEO.
On Friday, he talked about the company’s history and goals and alongside Brian Edgar, operations manager, the two observed the company’s latest vehicle fleet additions: 10 tall Dodge Ram utility vans the same color as Friday’s clear, late November sky.
It was likely a one-time-only thing, seeing all the vans in the same place at the same time. Assemblers Inc. works in cities across the U.S. and keeps satellite offices all over. When Friday afternoon rolled around, the new fleet vans rolled out, headed to places like Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Atlanta, Nashville and so on.
“This is a big investment,” said Giaccone, glancing over his shoulder at the half-million-dollar vehicle investment.
Giaccone has quietly built one of the largest companies of its kind in the country from Chattanooga. Assemblers Inc. specializes in putting together the things that customers buy at major retailers like Academy Sports + Outdoors, Home Depot, Walmart, Kmart and Toys R Us, among others.