Merlo Machines Leading the Telehandler Revolution Ep. #42

Summary

In The Mix with Marvin Joles

Episode #42: Merlo Machines Leading the Telehandler Revolution

Date: August 3, 2026
Host: Marvin Joles
Guests: Jennifer “Brig” Bregman (VP of Strategy & Operations, Merlo America), Gerald “Jerry” Corder (Product Manager, Merlo America)

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Episode Overview

This episode explores the innovation, history, and growing impact of Merlo in the telehandler market, focusing on how the company’s versatile machines are making waves in the U.S. construction and asphalt sectors. Marvin sits down with Merlo America’s VP of Strategy and Operations, Jennifer “Brig” Bregman, and Product Manager, Gerald “Jerry” Corder, to discuss the company’s legacy, product versatility, customer support philosophy, and the future of the industry—with a timely preview of their ConExpo 2026 presence.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Merlo’s Legacy and Company Culture

[06:33–07:40]

• Origin Story: Merlo started 64 years ago with the late Mr. Merlo tinkering and innovating from a family business background.
• Family-Owned Ethos: Still owned and operated by the Merlo family, now in its next generation, keeping stability and a personal touch in leadership.
  • “It is still a family-owned company... Paolo Merlo and the rest of his very educated [children]... are all involved in the business.” – Brig [06:51]

2. Company Evolution & Product Versatility

[04:58–05:45, 08:42–10:00]

• Multipurpose Telehandlers: Merlo machines have evolved far beyond just material handling (“reach fork” use) into versatile, multi-attachment solutions.
  • "[Contractors] often refer to a telehandler as a reach fork... But we are doing our best to buck that. With the family attachments we have, you can put a telehandler on your job site and... replace a whole bunch of different machines with one Merlo." – Jerry [09:12]
• Examples of Attachments: Concrete mixers, tree handling equipment, buckets, winches, man baskets, brooms, tire handlers.
• Not a One-Trick Pony: Merlo strives for machines that handle multiple jobs, appealing especially to smaller contractors who need versatile assets.

3. Innovative Features and Market Differentiators

[10:20–12:38, 14:54–18:12]

• Showcase Attachment – SPACE 11: A man basket attachment that can reach 112 ft, rotate, and even turn opposite ways for work under bridges without lane closures.
  • “By the time I got in this machine... I thought I was pretty bank until I hit about 95ft and I was like, guys, I think I’m ready to go down now.” – Brig [10:38]
• Far Beyond Telehandlers: PTO drives, hitches, panoramic cabs—machines designed for ag, construction, forestry, and municipal tasks.
• One Cab Design: From the smallest to the largest models, the same cable layout and controls for ease of training, reduced parts cost, and seamless operator transition.
  • “We have one cab that goes from the P27.6... all the way up through our high capacity and panoramic range.” – Brig [24:41]

4. Support and Aftermarket Commitment

[12:38–13:53]

• After-Sales Support as a Core Value: “Sales sells the first machine, but support sells every machine after.” – Brig [12:45]
• Merlo Hotline: Live technical support at 833-US-MERLO for immediate help.
• Parts Availability: Robust parts warehouse in South Carolina with key components shipped in 2–5 days across the U.S.

5. Applications Across Industries

[14:54–18:12]

• Construction & Asphalt: Material transport, aggregate movement, working at height (silos, belt systems), job site clean-up, and more.
• Ag/Farm Innovations: Telehandlers used for barn cleanout and feed mixing—”with a telehandler, you can do them both.” – Jerry [15:14]
• Fleet and Entrepreneur Advantages: Machines are especially suited for small business owners needing multi-use equipment.

6. Adapting to the Modern Contractor & Next Generation

[19:38–21:37]

• Evolving Customer Base: Industry faces both an “aging out” demographic and next-gen leaders (millennials/Gen Z) who research online, value integration and tech, and weigh total cost of ownership (TCO).
  • “They first go and they YouTube and they search on Google before they ever have a conversation with another human.” – Brig [19:49]
• Emphasis on Technology: Merlo Mobility platform, telematics, and integration options cater to tech-savvy buyers.

7. Brand Partnerships & Human Focus

[27:44–31:15]

• Sponsoring Race Driver James Roe: Merlo partners with IndyCar driver James Roe, admired for his precision and brand alignment.
  • “It was just a perfect match for us—innovation, versatility, safety, precision.” – Brig [31:15]
• Customer Experience at ConExpo: Immersive booth experience with a “city zones” structure, Italian espresso, and live demos.

8. Rapid Fire & Personal Reflections

[32:14–36:42]

• Brig’s First Machine: Skid steer loader—”I’m a dirt loader girl. That was my introduction into the industry.” – Brig [32:58]
• Jerry’s Favorite Model: Multi Farmer—”It’s a telescoping tractor. You can do so much with them.” – Jerry [33:39]
• Biggest Misconception: Telehandlers are “not a one trick pony.” – Brig [34:04]
• Advice to Young People: “Bring your experience with technology to the job site... these are really the cream of the crop.” – Jerry [34:35]
• Most Excited About: “Handing the baton to the next generation...and the diversity across our industry.” – Brig [35:32]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Sales sells the first machine, but support sells every machine after.” – Brig [12:45]
• “You can replace a whole bunch of different machines with one Merlo and a few attachments.” – Jerry [09:56]
• “We have one cab... same glass, same coverage, same switching, same joist... lowers your cost, lowers training.” – Brig [24:42]
• “It’s not a one trick pony. Our machines are not one trick pony.” – Brig [34:04]
• “The next generation...they’re more technology savvy. They definitely are incorporating that in buying decisions, in the way they run their business.” – Brig [21:15]
• “Innovation, versatility, safety, precision. These are the things that are basically built into the core being of what Merlo is.” – Brig [31:15]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & Guest Intros – [00:53–04:02]
• Merlo Origin & Family Ownership – [06:33–07:40]
• Product Versatility & Attachments – [04:58–05:45], [08:42–10:00]
• SPACE 11 Demo Discussion – [10:20–11:37]
• Support & Customer Service – [12:38–13:53]
• Asphalt/Construction Applications – [14:54–18:12]
• Next Generation, Technology, Diversity – [19:38–21:37], [35:32–36:42]
• Brand Partnerships & James Roe Story – [27:44–31:15]
• Rapid Fire & Personal Stories – [32:14–36:42]
• Closing & Event Invitation – [38:38–40:00]

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Conclusion

Marvin Joles’ conversation with Brig and Jerry of Merlo America spotlighted a company merging old-school family values and cutting-edge technological solutions. Merlo’s telehandlers are not just adjustable tools—they’re integral to the evolving needs of contractors and entrepreneurs across the U.S. The episode is rich in insights for both experienced industry professionals and the next generation looking to shape the future of construction equipment. If you’re heading to ConExpo, the Merlo booth emerges as both an educational and interactive experience, reflecting the brand’s commitment to community and continuous innovation.

Transcript

[A]

Today's episode of in the Mix is powered by Jobber.

[B]

Welcome to in the Mix,

[C]

paving the

[B]

way to insight, education and entertainment in the asphalt industry. Your host, Marvin Joelz, a best of Web pavement award winner, knows the blacktop community and what it takes to win in this industry. Each episode you'll hear real stories, expert insights, and road tested strategies from the people who make up the asphalt world and beyond. Whether you're paving parking lots, ceiling driveways, striping lines, or innovating asphalt tech, this is the podcast for pros who keep the industry rolling. Now here's Marvin.

[C]

Hey, everybody. Welcome back to another episode of in the Mix. I'm super excited about this one. I get to be reunited with somebody from the blacktop banter days. And we're really excited because we're going to reunite in person here coming up at Conexpo as well. So we really are trying to get this one to come out before Con Expo if we don't. Believe me, you're okay. You're going to get plenty of information, plenty of insight. You're going to get a little behind the scenes look at one of the emerging larger companies in the Telehandler market here in the United States, which I'm super excited about. They got a dream team put together today. I have Gerald Jerry Corder, product manager at Merlo America. And I have my longtime friend, BFF. In her terms, Jennifer Brigg Bregman, VP of Strategy and Operations at Merlo America. Their website's merlo.comm e r l o.com welcome to in the Mix Merlo Team. How are y'?

[B]

All?

[C]

I can see somebody's in an office and somebody looks like they're in a makeshift office probably in Las Vegas. The sun's out, am I correct?

[A]

The sun is finally shining. We've had rain, hail, and high winds which have made set up here at Conexpo a little different. Yeah, I bet it's always difficult to, you know, set up, but this one made it. Vegas did not disappoint in surprising us.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

But I'm sitting in our hospitality or our welcome center. And so it might be a little echoey because we don't have a lot of stuff then, but you can kind of see over my shoulder where we're beginning. We're getting to pull it all together. Yeah, I'm super happy to be here. Bff.

[C]

Yeah, thanks. Brig and Jerry, you made transition here. You're kind of in a new role there, and that's not a role to take lightly as a product manager. At Merlot America.

[B]

No. It's been a lot of fun, though. I come from Kubota, was my last job, and then Genie prior to that. So moving into Telehandlers, I'm familiar with them from my Genie background. I. I'm having a blast. The wet. The weather that Brig experienced earlier has finally made its way to Rock Hill, South Carolina. It is a rainy day here.

[C]

Yeah. I'm stuck here in Wisconsin, and it's. I was spoiled because when I got here, when I got back here from Nashville, it was 60, and I was like, oh, the weather might have broke here in Wisconsin, and tomorrow the high is 29. There's 6, 8 inches of snow all around me now. It's typical Wisconsin weather. But I'm excited because I get to escape it here pretty soon and go to Con Expo and check everything out. And one of the big things on my radar was swinging by the Merlot booth, because, of course, everybody knows I keep my eye on social media and what's all going on all around. And I've seen Brig giving interviews and talking about Merlot, and she's beaming from ear to ear, and it's laughing and excited about this company. And once I kind of started to dig in and see what you all do, I was like, hey, I want to check it out. So I'm going to jump to you real quick, Brig. Jerry gave us a little bit of a background. Brig, you're big on the OEM side from way back. I mean, you and I, we talked about a lot of conversations. I heard some awesome stories. Give everybody a little bit of a background on yourself, if you would, dear.

[A]

Wow. So I started in the industry as a baby, and I'm not going to tell you when, because I'm trying not to age myself. But let's just say I've got almost 30 years in the industry. I work for a lot of big OEMs. I work for BOA Construction Equipment. I've worked for Saniya. I've worked for Bomag. And then now I'm at Merlot. So I, Yeah, I just absolutely love this industry. I love what it can bring. I love what it can do.

[C]

Brig, what is something that most contractors don't know about? Merlot. And I'll let everybody know Brigg is on. On, like, on set, on scene, on site at Con Expo. So if you're watching the podcast, you're probably going to see Brig, like, pointing and directing and doing a lot of things. But also you might hear like, hey, put that over there. Hey, move that over there. But that's just part of the role, especially at Con Expo. So let's go back to it. And what is something that most contractors don't know about Merlot Brigg.

[A]

I think that they won't realize the coverage and they don't realize the actual. The total lineup. Right. So our product offering, I think that most people think tele handlers. That's material handling. Right. Yeah. Won't drop. Right. Like and it's kind of a repetitive. But we are such a versatile company. We have other machines.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

That can do multiple. And go into. If you can think of the job site. We can put a machine there that will actually do that job. From Hartness to trees to just.

[C]

That's what surprised me.

[A]

Brig Construction ag like PTO drives and.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Hitches like from anything you can. We can definitely. Yeah. Machine.

[C]

I seen the tree. The tree machines and I seen the concrete mixer and all of a sudden I was like oh, okay. Now I understand we have a marquee piece. But we also make other things along the way that has. Usually when I notice that about business, like our company, they'll have a main product material line and then they'll have other products as well. It usually shows a different kind of history and trajectory. Right. Of like hey, we had a bread and butter. It reminds me of like some of the paving. Paving companies in the asphalt industry. They make the paver. But then also you'll notice that they have brooms and they have tack rigs. Things like I know they didn't start out making those things. So you give us a little bit of a brief like company origin. You know, it's Merlot America. Usually if it has an America by the name, it means it's. Yeah. Right behind me you can see a little bit. Yeah.

[A]

Our decades of innovation. So basically this was started by originally Mr. Lolo and he was tinkering around. His father took a machine and made some modifications and some tweaks. And the next thing you know this little kind of. It's almost like a. Like a ride behind mini dumper.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And from there the company began to be born. And so in 64 years it is still a family owned company. So the original Mr. Merlot sadly passed in 2024. And so the baton had already begun to start being handed over to his children. They're all involved in the business. We work directly for Paolo Merlot and. And the rest of his very educated. Don't get me wrong, it's not like a. What do you call it? Narcissism where the, you know.

[C]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Taking over. But like Sylvia Merlot is the CFO for the globe.

[C]

Very cool.

[A]

Yes, it's responsible for that. We call it the trimming line.

[C]

A family oriented business then 100%. Yeah, yeah. Which in the construction industry is very common and that's usually kind of the businesses that you a lot of times want to work with. Is a family oriented business for the most part.

[A]

Absolutely.

[C]

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[B]

So coming from Genie, I was, I was familiar with at least their lineup of tele handlers. And in my other, wearing my other hats, I've been to a lot of construction sites. One of the things that I like about what we do and what I've seen in the rest of the industry. Contractors will often refer to a telehandler as a reach fork. Okay, that's, that's its typical application. As Brick mentioned, material handling. Moving pallets of stuff around a job site day in and day out. I had a trade show last week where we had seven machines on the lot and not one of them had forks on it. Well, Berlo machines are engineered from the get go to use boom end attachments to use auxiliary hydraulics. And we have just a wide variety of attachments that really make these versatile. Greg likes to mention, you know, the industry looks at one machine, one machine, one job, and we are doing our best to buck that. And with the family attachments that we have, you can put a telehandler, one of ours on your job site and it you can put Forks on it. You can put a winch on it to move stuff on the rooftops. You can move roofing joists. You can. What was it, the other one that I had? Anyways, there's a man basket.

[C]

I mean. Oh, yeah, that's.

[B]

You can replace a whole bunch of different machines with one Merlot and a few attachments.

[C]

Greg, are you going to put me in one of those things when I'm there? Can we take a ride in any of that stuff?

[A]

We're not doing any demos here, but let me tell you, you always have an open invitation.

[C]

I like it.

[A]

Would love to have you there. You can record from there and we can bring in some people.

[C]

Yeah, we'll do one. We'll do one from the boom. When it's all the way up. We'll record a podcast up in the boom.

[A]

We. We have a very special attachment that's going to be kind of on our center stage at Connect, though, and it's called the Space 11. And I'm telling you that the Space 11, we questioned why is it called that? Right? Like, why is it a space 11? Let me tell you, by the time I got in this machine, it was on a Roto 5035. And then you put the Space11 basket and you go all the way to the top. I thought it was pretty bank until I hit about 95ft and I was like, guys, I think I'm ready to go down now. And I think it folks, picks 11 because you go to space or heaven,

[C]

I'm not sure it has to be.

[A]

Yeah, but it's a fantastic offering. And that is such a unique because, like Jerry was talking about, it's not just man basket. It is a man basket that you can actually turn the opposite way so it can work under. Right. Do that kind of thing. So a lot of times, especially, you know, road construction, they have to shut down the lanes, get the permits, pay the fines. If they don't get done this, you could work on a bridge on top of the overpass. No lane closure.

[C]

Oh, wow.

[A]

Right. So it's really, really unique. So, yeah, we're super excited about that. But it. I'll put you in it when you come to South Carolina, but we're not going to be putting people on it.

[C]

Are they going to be. Are they going to be running it, though, and like, showing it off or any of that stuff or any of that. Are we allowed to do any of that?

[A]

No, it's going to be at full capacity. But we do have a kind of a We'll have a camera on top so that you can get a perspective of how far up it is too.

[C]

Well, you know, that's the one that leads me to the next thing. Merlot, Italian roots with global footprint. Obviously if somebody is breaking into the American, North American market, they've done their job in the other parts of the world. And for us to have Merlot America here and you exhibiting all this type of equipment with all the cool features and all these things, it's great when we get there and we see the iron. But you and I have a history of really being able to connect with the people and the customers. And the question that always comes up after, after a customer sees a piece of equipment and they're sold on the equipment. The very next question is what am I buying beyond the steel and the hydraulics? So can you allude to that a little bit for me?

[A]

Yeah, look, we're. Yeah, we talk about one machine, many jobs. But we all know from being in the industry, Jerry included, sales sells the first machine, but support sells every machine after. And so it's about our 2 year 2000 hour extended warranty which is standard on our machine. It's about our dealer network that is growing and growing their footprint. And it's also about. We have what we call the Merlot hotline. And the Merlot hotline is just that you have a need 833 US MERLOT call. You can actually talk to someone and they will walk you through technical issues or any support that you may need. We have parts support in South Carolina. So you're thinking, oh, this is Italian machine. We won't get our parts. We have a gigantic, and I don't even know the square footage of our parts warehouse. We have parts on the shelf so you can get parts even from Italy in three to five days.

[C]

Oh, nice.

[A]

You can get parts from Rock Hill and depending on what get it out, like two to five days. Right. It just depends on where you're going. Of course, we're on the other side of the coast, so California always gets a little like, well, what about us? We have to add time.

[C]

I think, I think they're going to say that no matter what. In California, if you're a paving contractor, you already know the bottleneck takeoffs. Either your estimator is burning a full day on measurements or you're paying one of those services that takes two or three days to send something back. Trutech fixes that. It's an instant estimating platform built specifically for paving, asphalt, striping, curbs seal coating the whole job and it gets you a measured bid. Ready? Takeoff in minutes. Not 24 hours, not 72 hours, minutes. They've got construction drawing takeoffs coming, same instant turnaround. They even have a custom estimating and proposal tool too. Go to Trutech AI, send them a job you've already bid and they'll run a free takeoff so you can see it for yourself. That's TrueTech AI, Jerry. Let's go into a little bit of a deep dive on the products because we obviously talked about Telehandler, but I think people will probably overlook or not think of the very first things when it comes to construction, Ag, rental, fleet, forestry.

[B]

You know, this is a construction focused podcast, but we, we participate heavily in the ag space in Europe and bringing it over here. Our machines are designed for barns. Working at Kubota, even on the, on the construction side, I spent a lot of time on dairy barns, dairy farms rather. And barn clean out is done with a skid steer and feed mixing is done with a wheel loader and with a Telehandler you can do them both. We've got some low cap models that get you into some, some pretty small barn.

[C]

Yeah, I like that. And if you could think about like the hero machine at Mermaid, what would it be?

[B]

The most impressive one is the one Briggs talking about. We put this space 11 on, you know, it goes up to 112ft, rotates the turret. It just, you can't miss it. It is a big rotating Telehandler. My favorite however, is one of the smaller ones. I mean, I like, I like our little P27 6. It doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles. It does what it's supposed to do day in, day out.

[C]

Gets the job done.

[B]

It does, it does.

[C]

That's all you can ask for sometimes a little workhorse. Well, that kind of leads me into the next question of, you know, when it comes to like asphalt operations like the construction industry, dirt prep or whatever, you kind of alluded to it a little bit that it does. You can have one of these tele handlers do a multiple facet of things. And I either think about at asphalt plants where people are trying to go up, but yet they're trying to also scoop with a bucket and do these things. Is that the application that we're thinking about when we think about why somebody who is in the asphalt industry would

[B]

buy a machine just moving aggregate and material around? Absolutely.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And being able to get to an extended reach. I mean sometimes you, you just need to. To be able to have that. Fantastic. In my mind, I see telehandlers at asphalt plants quite a bit when we're around. Right. Because they're just so versatile. And then, brig, you're talking about them being able to get under bridges and move things. We talk about silos and belts and elevators and all these things where you'll be able to use these machines to get to. So I. I think about, you know, when we go to Con Expo and there's the asphalt section and everybody gets in there, and I don't know if you mentally just kind of check out and you're like, okay, that was everything for asphalt. But for me, I walk around and I'm like, oh, you could use this for asphalt, and this would be great in asphalt industries. Right. So I think we point to that of like, hey, don't just skip out on Merlot because you're like, oh, it's a telehandler for this or that. When I know for a fact at asphalt plants, we see telehandlers all the time.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

And look it, depending on what we're talking about, entrepreneurs. Right. And so that's really kind of your niche, where you speak to the business side, the entrepreneurial shift. Right. Of small businesses. And so they can't get 20 machines.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Right. They need to have one machine that has the versatility, that can go from, can I clean. Can I do some brush? Clean up. Right. And can I put a mower on the front and box cut that? Right.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And load and carry. I can put a bucket. I can spread gravel. I can put aggregate material. Don't have a, you know, anything like

[C]

a roller or a mill head. We got pallet forks, and we move a lot of stuff with our pallet.

[A]

Absolutely. And then you can move to other things. Like, we do have brooms and sweepers, and we can put on this. And, you know, if you even think, keep going out, we have. We're going to be showcasing a tire handler here. So if you're on a big, like at these big silos, an aggregate plant, and they have to change tires, we have actually giant tire handler that can take the tire off, place it to the side, put the new tire on. I mean, think of an attachment. And I'm telling you, we have it. Right. Concrete mixing. But, like, keep going. If you keep talking, y'.

[B]

All.

[C]

Well, I think it's, it's. It. It makes me think of contractors nowadays because you. When last time you and I were in collaboration, we talked about the changing of contractors and how they are nowadays and they're getting just, you know, it used to be you could pin down a contractor how they were, what they were, how we talk to them, what makes them tick, what doesn't, what they need, what they don't need. And I think that's becoming harder and harder. And it's rather than us throw up our hands and be like, oh, we can't figure it out. I've noticed that manufacturers are adapting with that same thing at the same time and creating machines that are versatile for a lot of different contractors. So do I. Do you agree with me with the contractors evolving? What else have you noticed on that side?

[A]

The contractors are evolving because we have this. We're in this in between of we have a lot of aging out. And now we have next generation coming and the next generation who's coming up, I want to speak to like the millennials and the Gen Z ers, like, look, you guys are the next future. And they think about things differently. They first go and they YouTube and they search on Google before they ever have a conversation with another human. Yeah, that research part up front. And so I think that that's where you have to have a different thought process from an OEM perspective. We think how can we understand the way that they interact and consume information and how can then we support that? So yeah, we Merlot mobility, which is a technology base, and you can go right on the website and look at it and see all the different innovation. Most people, I'm going to say, kind of on my side of the timeline. Let's just be nice and no, no comments from the peanut gallery there, Jerry. He likes to tease me, but kind of on my side. We're used to telematics. Right. You want to know where the mission is, but the next generation wants to know. Well, tell me about the total cost of ownership.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

How about the rising costs of fuel effect? And not that the. My generation didn't care about tco. Right. Or total cost. It's just that we didn't have really the right tools. And then when you're talking about different machines from different OEMs, how do you integrate that? Right.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So anyway, I could go on and on, but I'm very excited about the next generation because I think they're more technology savvy. They definitely are incorporating that in buying decisions, in the way they run their business, in the way they think and the way they use materials. Right. And I'm talking about from real raw materials to the materials of a machine because it's Just a tool, folks.

[C]

Let's take a second to recognize a true staple in our industry. Ray Products and chemicals is celebrating 50 years in business and that doesn't happen just by accident. That's five decades of showing up, delivering and supporting contractors just like you and me. And if you've been around striping at all, you already know 1-800-Stencil. They've got one of the most complete stencil inventory stories in the game. And if you need something custom, they'll design it and turn it around fast with a quick proof, end quote, to keep you moving. But it doesn't stop there. Rae is a leader in traffic and marking paints, everything from waterborne and fast dry latex to acetone acrylic, chlorinated rubber and MMA systems. They've also got preformed thermo hot melt materials and they're a top tier Graco dealer with parts and repair support to keep your equipment, equipment running. If you're looking for a supplier that truly understands the industry, this is one worth knowing. Check them out at 1-800Stencil.com or Raypro stores.com or give them a call at 1-800-783-6245. And from all of us, happy 50th to Rae. I'm fortunate. I'm in my 40s now and my son, yeah, my son eli just turned 15 and when we approach a piece of equipment or a booth or all these different things, I notice what attracts him and what attracts me, right. And for Eli, it's not necessarily, hey, what's the tco? I care about that obviously, and I want to know like the capacity and what I can do. And Eli is always like, how does this integrate with our system now? Like, where can we, with what we have, how does this integrate? And then what tech is on this that makes it easier for me to teach somebody to run. So eli, thankfully at 15, he tries to get in his hands on everything that we have. And he knows that if it's hard to run, it's going to be hard to adapt to our fleet. If he can teach it, then anybody can learn it. And it's funny to hear the different perspectives between the generations, how that happens. One thing that I've always enjoyed about going to conferences and expos, which we have a big one right with Con Expo is most of time, the teams that prepare to exhibit there at scale have done a really good job knowing what is going to make hopefully both generations tick. So you're inside the booth right now. I want to look at the decades of innovation. Eli probably wants to mess with the interactive screen beside you. What can we expect at the Merlot booth?

[A]

I want to make sure that I don't want to go back. I promise I'll answer your question. And if I don't, you can hold.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

That integration between your generation, between my generation and the next generation, let's say, is the very things you brought up. A couple of really good points. And I would. I would be doing a disservice to Merlot America if I didn't mention a few things. But the very things that we're trying to communicate in the booth is. It's one cab.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Wait, what? You heard me. We have one cab that goes from the P27.6, which is our smallest, or the Turbo Farmer 27.6, all the way up through our high capacity and panoramic range. The only difference in the Roto cab is because it tilts, right? So you have this tilting cab so that you can see when you've got your bone completely out, you're not breaking your neck. And by the way, that was patented technology until last. Until April of 25, 25. And now other manufacturers, of course. So. But anyway. But that's one thing. So that's just kind of an example now for an owner operator, he cares, because guess what? It's same glass, same coverage, same switching, same speed, same same. Same joist. Right. Like. And now there is the sameness. You lower your cost. If you have two machines, you don't have to stock all those different parts. And that's also for dealers as well. But now we're talking about the versatility. Now you talk about training. You go from a 27. 6, a small machine, and now you go all the way up to the larger one. Let's say you get into a P120. Oh, same cab, same layout, same familiar, same screens, same buttons. So of course there's always, you know, oh, well, this one's got this. More bells and whistles. But for overall, the training aspect then lowers and the technology transfers. So that lowers training, lower parts costs. So that's some of what we're trying to talk about when people walk through this. 12,000 square feet.

[C]

Yeah, yeah. Well, you know, having all those things creates brand fidelity within the owners. Like, it's. If you're used to it and everybody's used to it and the team's used to it and it's time to get into a new machine, the chances of you jumping over somewhere else to learn something completely different is pretty slim, right? So it's a smart move. And I feel like you get more people who are dedicated to a brand if it stays that way and is across everything for a while. So that's fantastic. And I can't wait to get to the booth, be honest with you, because I want to see the equipment. Don't get me wrong. I do want to see the equipment. I want to check that out. But you're not the only friend I'm going to have from my past at the Merlo booth. You know, maybe just bf, not bff. My buddy James Rowe is going to be there. And this guy and his family have been so courteous to me and my family throughout the years. When I seen Merlot was partnering with James, I was so excited. And it makes so much sense to me because when I think about James's brand and I think about Merlo, I would imagine it aligns with performance, precision, and engineering. And James is running a machine at incredible speeds that need to be engineered very precisely. So tell me a little bit about James going to be at the booth, if you would.

[A]

I'd love to tell the story if we've got time. We got time of how we met. So I went to Ahem's Product Safety Council.

[C]

I was hoping you were going to say it was on the track, but I wish. Let's go ahead with the Safety Council meeting.

[A]

So I went to the Product Safety Council and I love it. I go every year and they have lots of different speakers that they bring in. And so when I saw that it was a race car driver in James, I've already told, I was like, I don't know. Go to that. Right. I'm not a race car fan. I don't. It's not my sport. I'm a college basketball fan and right now we're in the middle of a lot of college basketball. Anyway, so anyway, he spoke and I was so impressed with him and the way that a. He got the assignment. He could actually take motorsports and construct and I would say the industry and begin to marry that conversation. I was blown away. I was weaning in. I'm taking notes. I'm like, this, man, he's awesome. So the. The convention was winding down. My colleague and I were waiting for the shuttle to go get an. On a. You know, go travel back home and out walks James Brown. And I said, I'm sorry, and I'm sure you get this all the time, but I just wanted to shake your hand and tell you I'm just very impressed it was really nice to meet you. And from there, the next thing you know, now we're sponsors. So that's kind of how we got started. I met him at a. At a conference, and I like to say that I friendly.

[C]

He's friendly. He's a great conversationalist. And when you're talking to him, his eyes are with you. He's engaged. And that's the very first makings of somebody who, you know, is taking everything in and trying to do what you said and understand the assignment. He's done a great job with that. He represents the brands that commit to him very, very well, and he stays dedicated. I've one of the very first conversations I ever had. I think we were at one of the races. I went to multiples of his. I think we were in Nashville, and it was so hot, Brig. And he just got done. He jumped out, and people are just dying to get on him right away. And he literally went into the trailer, was out. It was like Clark Kent when he goes into the phone booth, boom, boom. And he come out and he was dressed to the nines, and I could tell on his face a little bit. He took one deep breath and then was dedicated to everybody who was there to partner with him. He does a fantastic job. He loves talking to the fans. He loves all the questions about racing. So I think it's a great thing, and I'm very excited that you all have him there. If 2026 is the year you want to make more money in your business, it starts with two things. Staying busy and getting paid faster. That's why I use Jobber. Jobber is software built for blue collar businesses, and it's designed to help you book work ahead of the busy season and keep your cash flow strong all year long. Their marketing tools help you get found, look professional, and stay booked. Not just when the phone's ringing, but before the rush even hits. And once the work's booked, Jobber Payments helps you collect deposits up front and get paid faster so you're not chasing checks or waiting weeks for the money that you've already earned. Bottom line, Jobber helps you stay busy. The stay paid. If you want to make more money in 2026 with software built for blue collar, try Jobber for free today. The link's in the description,

[A]

and it just matches with us. Innovation, versatility, safety, precision. These are the things that are basically built into the core being of what Merlo is. So we. It was just a perfect match for us.

[C]

Yeah. Great guy. All right, Brig, we're Going to jump into rapid fire segment. Are you ready? I don't mean to date you. Jerry, you're going to take part in this too. I'm going to go back and forth.

[B]

I'm ready.

[C]

You all make it happen here. Brig, I don't want to date you. I know you didn't want to do that. What did you say? What did you say on the other side or the latter side of life or the chronological timeline or something? That's what you said, Brig.

[B]

Ouch.

[A]

All this is. You want me to pull my skeleton?

[C]

No, no, no, no, no, no. I. I just want. I just wanted to make sure to say it.

[A]

I'm on the back. I'm on the back 30, right.

[C]

Back 30.

[A]

30 in my apartment.

[C]

That's perfect.

[A]

I want to retire early, by the way.

[C]

All right, same here. I think we all want to. Well, tell me, Brig, what was the first piece of equipment you ever ran? Can you remember? All right. Do you know? Do you know when. Where.

[A]

2000. And I had. I had some really great mentors at Volo Construction Equipment, two of which I'm going to nay. One is John Comrie and the other is Andy Capps. And these guys took me out to the demonstration center in Weaverville, North Carolina and said, okay, get in. And I was like, oh, I don't think so. At least now we gave me the walk around and. Yeah, so skid steers. And then I went on to Mini X's and then compact wheel loaders.

[C]

Never looked back.

[A]

My product line. Right, product line. I love loaders. I'm a loader girl. I've always said that. I'm a dirt loader girl. So that's. That was one of mine introduction into the industry.

[C]

Well, shout out to caps. That's a good guy. All right, we're gonna jump over Jerry. You ready? I want to know what your favorite machine is in the lineup. You kind of alluded to it, but you can repeat it if you'd like.

[B]

I'm gonna give you. I mean, that's one of the. The workhorses we put it. I have a favorite. I nerd out on farms. You know, I'm construction at heart, but you put me on a farm and I'm crazy. We have a machine that has a three point hitch and PTO on the back are multi farmers and you can do so much with them.

[C]

And is it a tractor?

[B]

It is a telehandler, but it's got a three point hitch with a pto. What do you.

[C]

What are you going to put it at? Are you going to say it's a telehandler? Is it a tractor?

[B]

It is a telescoping tractor.

[C]

There we go. I like it. I like it. Well, I'm glad neither of you said the concrete mixer. Of course, you know, I'm partial to asphalt, but we do need concrete mixers, and there are a lot of places in this world where asphalt meets concrete and concrete is needed. So I'm really excited to kind of pick your brain a little bit about that. Brig, what's the biggest misconception about telehandlers? I think you might have alluded to this. That it's not a one trick pony.

[A]

Yeah, it's that is that it's not a one trick pony. And you know, what I will say is that I know that this is rapid fire, but that's also for us. And I think that's what drew me to Merlot. Right. It's that we're not hiring one trick ponies and these machines are not one trick pony. Right?

[C]

Yeah, yeah. We got versatility all around, which is needed nowadays with the way that contractors are evolving. Fantastic. You're bringing it full circle. You're bringing it full circle. Brig, you're pro at this. All right, Gary, advice for young people entering construction.

[B]

I bring your experience with technology to the job site. I'm a product manager, so I have to talk about product, but one of the things that pulled me into Merlot was the amount of technology in this. And that can be a scary thing. But we've talked about safety, we've talked about other things. And a Merlot Telehandler has so many backups to keep the machine safely operated at any time. At the trade show I was at last week, I had to lift one of our rotators all the way up 96ft in the air. And I didn't have to lift my head up to look at it once. There's a screen in front of me that showed me where it was and the lift envelope at all times, how far back I'd gone where I was. These machines are there. I don't want to say the Cadillac because it's got to be better than a Cadillac. But these are really the cream of the crop.

[C]

I can't wait. It's going to be great to take them in. Brig. Last one. What excites you most about our industry's future?

[A]

The next generation. No, handing the baton to the next generation. That's what gets me excited about the industry is that, you know, when I came up, there weren't a lot of people that look like me. I was always the first. Right. She was the first this, the first that, and I'm excited that I will no longer hold that title. I never wanted it. Yeah, it happened. But I'm looking forward to same. The diversity across our industry, and that's what excites me. How can we make our industry look like the US that we are trying to serve and help and support and build and all of the things. So that's what excites me about the industry. On generation. Let me hand you the baton, and I want them to then reverse mentor back up to us. Right. How can we do this better? And like Jerry said, bring your technology brain and let us figure out how we can support that to make our companies all better and really grow this industry.

[C]

Yeah. I think sometimes, you know, you blink your eyes and all of a sudden you realize you're in an industry for two decades or more and then you're able to think back and look and you're like, man, it used to look like this. When I used to run a machine, there wasn't a digital screen. And I remember when the first time I seen a digital screen on a machine and I just was like, whoa, what in the world is going on? Now you look at it and Eli wants to know if this thing can run it itself or if he can run it from his phone at home while he's playing. So though, in 20 years, I can't imagine, like, if that's what the appetite is for that next generation that we're handing the baton up to. You and I are going to go to some of these shows sometimes when we're later and just be like, whoa, it's going to be mind blowing. And I can't wait for that. Very. I'm very excited about that. And I'm really thankful that Merlot is. Is taking part in that mindset too. Right. And knowing that with the product line that's coming out and also with the expo and the way that they exhibit and the people that they're hiring and partnering with, with James and and everybody, it's just fantastic. I'm really thankful for that. I'm super excited to see you all here in a couple weeks. Even before I had a discount code partnership with Brunt Workwear, which you can find in the description of this podcast, I was wearing their boots when patching or paving and their shirts and hats when I was out on date night with Nikki. I'm actually wearing one right now. Seriously though, half my closet is Brunt workwear. At this point, I have three sets of boots, two marins and a pair of the omens, as well as a green shoveling hoodie that I love. It's got a snake on it. It actually has a pocket where it keeps my cell phone there in the front. I love that about it. And it took the place of my winter jacket last season. To check out their full line, go to bruntworkwear.com and use code MJOLS10 to save $10 off your first order of $60 or more. I really want to say thank you so much to both of you for joining me. Let me ask you some of these questions and dig in deep a little bit. I really, really appreciate it.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

Let me tell you, Marvin, bff, when you come, I want you to make sure that you bring some time with you. And why do I say time? Because I want you to spend some time here. We're not just throwing the machines out and putting the booms up in the air, but we're really trying to create a full experience. We want you to get enveloped into Merlot, into our city zones, and have an affogato and have an espresso and then come and play attachments and attachments.

[C]

Have an affogato for sure.

[A]

You have to lace in things. And I mean, I. I mean, we're going to argue. Are you faster than a. Than a race for a driver? Right?

[C]

No, I tried.

[A]

Me either. I do have 100 bucks that Cole Rankin, our general manager, won't even get close to his. Anyway, I'm excited about all of it, so thank you so much for allowing us to come in and be a part of this. And, Marvin, once again, it's always a joy to be in your presence. You are always lifting up the industry. We thank you for what you do. Support you any other way. You let us know, and we appreciate it.

[C]

I can think of a couple ways. We'll talk about it when I get there, Gary, after I'm done and cleared away from the fire hose, I'm going to be drinking from at the Merlot booth. It's okay if I. If I hit you up and be like, hey, man, can I ask you a couple questions? Correct, dude.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

All right, sounds good. Thanks, Jerry, for joining us today. I appreciate it. All right, everybody, that's it for this episode. I want to encourage you to check out merlo.com, pop over there, check out what's going on. And once again, thank you to our guests. We're all over the country at this point in snow and sun and wind and everything. But our season is coming, the construction season's coming, our industry's coming and we're really excited, especially to take care of business at Con Expo and show you guys just what Merlo is bringing to the table as well. As always, I have to encourage you to jump over to inthemixmj.com very first thing that's going to happen over there, you're going to be prompted to subscribe to our newsletter. Please do that. I write an article specifically for that newsletter for our industry every month and you'll also get directed to some of the latest podcasts, some of the latest social posts and you'll also get listed and sent to some of our articles by our featured sponsors and our featured partners. So they want to write something, they can write something and put it there. And this is a great time for you to chill back, open up your phone, open up your tablet and read some stuff about the industry that caters to you. As always, rest of the industry, the listeners, the watchers, the followers give you quality quick update. You're 150,000 strong right now. That's a lot. But as always, I want you to remember that this industry, the construction industry and asphalt is full of opportunity. Peace.

[B]

Thanks for hanging out with us on in the Mix. For more on the world of Blacktop, head over to marvinjols.com and don't forget to follow Marvin on LinkedIn, Instagram, tick tock and YouTube for extra content, behind the scenes looks and industry insights. Be sure to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. And if you got value from today's show, leave us a well worded five star review. It really helps more asphalt pros find us. Catch you next time on in the Mix.