If necessity is the mother of invention, then James Schad is one lucky mother. Desperation, perspiration, the Great Recession, and a pick-up truck help too.
A commercial real estate broker by trade, Schad suffered wicked losses in 2008 and 2009, including a drive-through coffee shop he co-owned in the Crown Pointe Business Park area. “Sixty percent of that business park went dark. People would drive through and be like, ‘This is my last day,’” he recalled. “It was crazy.”
Desperate to survive, he auctioned off restaurant equipment in one of his leased properties and was able to recoup some of the loss. He did the same with the coffee shop but kept the building, which is now a successful Smoothie King franchise. A light bulb went off. He set up a website, got an eBay account, hired someone to help refurbish the goods, and gathered commercial kitchen equipment all over town—one pick-up truck load at a time.
Flash forward seven years later. Your Equipment Guys, a restaurant equipment reseller, has six full-time employees, a national client base, a 12,000-square‑foot building off W.T. Harris Blvd, and great referrals because, as Schad notes, his crew works really hard. And his services help restaurant owners save significant dollars on equipment. That’s a pretty great invention.
“All I was looking to do was supplement my income. Now this is the main thing I do, and love it. I have the real estate stuff, but this is my passion. I love the people I work with.”
If he sounds community‑minded and value-conscious, it’s because he is, and he appreciates the potential growth of the Hickory Grove area both residentially and commercially. Schad would like to see commercial property owners invest in improving their properties as he’s done with his building.
Nominated by b2bTRIBE
Photo by Sofi Preslar
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